TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 12/05/12 -- Redknee (TSX: RKN), a leading provider of business-critical billing and charging software and solutions for communications service providers, has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Nokia Siemens Networks' Business Support Systems (BSS) business. Nokia Siemens Networks' BSS business provides real-time charging, rating, policy, and customer care solutions to more than 130 communication service providers, including half of the top 100 global mobile operators. Nokia Siemens Networks believes Redknee is best suited to take ownership of the business based on the strength of Redknee's management team, continuity of the current BSS portfolio, and access to innovation for Nokia Siemens Networks' BSS customers. Approximately 1200 employees would transfer to Redknee, underpinning current service levels and quality for customers. The planned acquisition would bring to Redknee a complementary global footprint that spans more than 90 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.
Lucas Skoczkowski, Redknee's CEO, commented:
"This planned acquisition marks a significant milestone in Redknee's long-term growth strategy. It would add strong long-standing relationships with new Tier 1 operators and expand Redknee's market share and presence in high growth markets. Our expanded team would drive the continued success of our customers, as we strive to be the provider of choice for real-time converged billing, customer care, policy, and payment solutions in the communications industry."
"Our commitment to ongoing investment in the product roadmap will ensure that our customers will benefit from the complementary capabilities, larger scale, and impressive IP portfolio. In addition, this planned acquisition would create a significant solution suite that offers a compelling and proven alternative for global system integrators and partners," Skoczkowski said.
Following the acquisition, Redknee would remain committed to the core values for which both it and Nokia Siemens Networks are widely recognized, including strong customer focus and delivering market leading, innovative products and services. This would include continued research and development investment to deliver flexible on-premise and cloud-based solutions that meet the scalability and agility requirements of communication service providers globally.
Rajeev Suri, CEO of Nokia Siemens Networks, said:
"This planned transaction supports our transformation to focus on mobile broadband. Both Redknee and Nokia Siemens Networks have a reputation for high quality and customer commitment, which provides a common foundation for Redknee to build the BSS business in the future. We will work with Redknee to ensure a smooth transfer of the business and to provide some mobile broadband specific elements of the BSS portfolio to our customers."
Rick Centeno, head of the BSS business at Nokia Siemens Networks, added:
"The planned acquisition would provide our customers the benefits of being managed by a team consisting of our trusted BSS specialists and Redknee, a company widely recognized for its focus on leadership in the BSS space and for ensuring the success of its customers. Through the continuing support of the Beyond Billing solution and new capabilities from Redknee, our customers would have access to a portfolio and industry expertise that would equip them to succeed in today's dynamic operating environment."
The acquisition would involve the transfer to Redknee of Nokia Siemens Networks' BSS customer and supplier contracts, intellectual property rights, fixed assets and associated liabilities, along with BSS employees. The employees expected to transfer to Redknee are mainly based in Berlin, Germany; Bangalore, India; and Wroclaw, Poland. Until the agreement closes, Nokia Siemens Networks will work to ensure an orderly migration and transfer of the BSS business. Nokia Siemens Networks would retain a small number of broader customer contracts that include elements of BSS for GSM-R and mobile broadband related mediation.
Redknee expects to finance the transaction through a combination of cash on its balance sheet and debt facilities. Such debt facilities are subject to conditions and will be entered into on and subject to closing of the acquisition. The total consideration paid by Redknee for the BSS business will include 15 million euros in cash at closing, plus a maximum of 25 million euros for certain performance-based cash earn-outs expected to be paid over 12 to 36 months post-closing.
The acquisition is anticipated to close in the first half of calendar year 2013. The acquisition is subject to applicable regulatory, exchange and third party approvals, a consultation process with trade union representatives, and other customary terms and conditions. The acquisition would be a significant acquisition for Redknee under applicable securities laws and, accordingly, Redknee will file a Business Acquisition Report 75 days following the closing of the acquisition. Canaccord Genuity acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Redknee.
A material change report, which provides more details on the acquisition and the agreement will be filed with the Canadian securities regulators shortly and will be available at www.sedar.com and at Redknee's website at www.redknee.com.
Investor Conference Call
Redknee will host a conference call today; December 5, 2012 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time to discuss the acquisition as well as the company's results for the fiscal fourth quarter and full year ended September 30, 2012. Redknee Solutions' CEO Lucas Skoczkowski and CFO David Charron will host the conference call followed by a question and answer period.
Date: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Dial-In Number: 1-877-941-2068 International: 1-480-629-9712 Conference ID#: 4573892
The presentation will be webcast live and available to replay via the Investors section of the company's website at www.redknee.com.
Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Liolios Group at 1-949-574-3860.
A replay of the call will be available after 11:30 a.m. Eastern time on the same day until January 5, 2013.
Toll-Free Replay Number: 1-877-870-5176
International Replay Number: 1-858-384-5517
Replay PIN #: 4573892
For more information about Redknee and its solutions, please go to www.redknee.com.
About Redknee
Redknee is a leading global provider of innovative communication software products, solutions and services. Redknee's award-winning solutions enable operators to monetize the value of each subscriber transaction while personalizing the subscriber experience to meet mainstream, niche and individual market segment requirements. Redknee's revenue generating solutions provide advanced converged billing, rating, charging and policy for voice, messaging and new generation data services to over 90 network operators in over 50 countries. Established in 1999, Redknee Solutions Inc. (TSX: RKN) is the parent of the wholly-owned operating subsidiary Redknee Inc. and its various subsidiaries. References to Redknee refer to the combined operations of those entities. For more information about Redknee and its solutions, please go to www.redknee.com.
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is the world's specialist in mobile broadband. From the first ever call on GSM, to the first call on LTE, we operate at the forefront of each generation of mobile technology. Our global experts invent the new capabilities our customers need in their networks. We provide the world's most efficient mobile networks, the intelligence to maximize the value of those networks, and the services to make it all work seamlessly. With headquarters in Espoo, Finland, we operate in over 150 countries and had net sales of over 14 billion euros in 2011. http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this document may constitute "forward-looking" statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this document, such statements use such words as "may," "will," "expect," "continue," "believe," "plan," "intend," "would," "could," "should," "anticipate" and other similar terminology. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Persons reading this news release are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.
Such forward-looking statements include the statements regarding the Acquisition, including the closing of the Acquisition, and may also include financial and other projections as well as statements regarding Redknee's future plans, objectives or performance for the current period and subsequent periods and regarding the markets for our products. These statements reflect current assumptions and expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this document. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to vary significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the possibility that any conditions to closing of the Acquisition under the Agreement, including regulatory approvals, may not be satisfied or waived, the possibility that Redknee will be unable to satisfy the conditions precedent to the loan facility to receive the necessary financing, a material adverse change in the affairs of Nokia Siemens Networks and/or Redknee or a development materially adversely affecting the financial markets, and the factors discussed under the "Risk Factors" section of Redknee's most recently filed AIF which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on Redknee's web-site at www.redknee.com, and with respect to Nokia including Nokia Siemens Networks on pages 13-47 of Nokia's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011 under Item 3D. "Risk Factors." Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this document are based upon what we believe are reasonable assumptions, we cannot assure investors that our actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by securities law.
SOURCE: Redknee Solutions Inc.
Contacts:
Investor Enquiries
Redknee
David Charron, Chief Financial Officer
+1 905 625 2943
Redknee Investor Relations
Matt Glover or Michael Koehler
Liolios Group, Inc.
+1 949 574 3860
Media Enquiries
Redknee
Ian Hood or Matt Humphries
Babel PR
+44 (0)20 7434 5559
redknee@babelpr.com
Nokia Siemens Networks
Media Relations
+358 7140 02869
mediarelations@nsn.com
