FORM 8-K

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

 

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

 

April 30, 2003


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

 

 

ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK, INC.


(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

0-19551


Commission File Number

 

 

Delaware

 

47-0728886


 

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)

 

(IRS Employer Identification No.)

 

 

19 Estate Thomas, Havensite

PO Box 12030

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00801


(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

 

 

(340) 777-8000


(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

 

 

N/A


(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

 

 

Item 7.    Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(c)    Exhibits

 

99.1    Press release of the Company dated April 30, 2003

 

 

Item 9.    Regulation FD Disclosure.    (Information furnished pursuant to Item 12, “Results of Operations and Financial Condition”)

 


 

On April 30, 2003, Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing earnings results for the quarter ended March 31, 2003. The full text of the press release issued in connection with the announcement is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

In accordance with the procedural guidance in SEC Release No. 33-8216, the information in this Form 8-K and the Exhibit attached hereto is being furnished under “Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure” rather than under “Item 12. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.” The information shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 of the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

 

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK, INC.

 

 

By    /S/    CORNELIUS B. PRIOR, JR.


Cornelius B. Prior, Jr.

Chairman of the Board,

Chief Executive Officer and

Acting Chief Financial Officer

 

May 5, 2003


 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit Number


  

Description of Exhibit


99.1

  

Press release of the Company dated April 30, 2003

PRESS RELEASE OF THE COMPANY DATED APRIL 30,2003

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

P R E S S R E L E A S E:     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

For further information:

Company Contacts:

Cornelius B. Prior, Jr., CEO

(340) 777-8000

Samuel Sigarto, COO

(340) 777-8000

 

ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK, INC.

REPORTS 40% FIRST QUARTER 2003 EARNINGS INCREASE

OVER THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2002

 

ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (April 30, 2003) Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. (AMEX: ANK), today reported earnings of $2.8 million, or $0.56 per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2003. For the quarter ended March 31, 2002, the Company earned $2.0 million, or $0.40 per share. First quarter earnings for 2003 represent a 40% increase over last year’s first quarter.

 

Telephone operating revenues were $18.1 million as compared to $15.3 million for the first quarter of 2002, an increase of $2.8 million, or 18%. The increase in telephone operating revenue is principally attributable to a 31% increase in local exchange revenue and an 8% increase in international long distance revenue, or $1.9 million and $0.7 million respectively. The increase in local exchange revenue reflects substantial additions of both wireline and cellular subscribers from the prior period. The increase in international long distance revenue was due to an increased volume of traffic following the mandated reduction in international settlement rates for traffic between Guyana and the United States effective January 1, 2002. Cellular subscribers increased from 51,244 on March 31, 2002 to 92,756 on March 31, 2003, an increase of 81%, while wireline subscribers increased from 81,386 to 87,057, reflecting total additions of 5,671, or 7% from the prior period.

 

Total telephone operating expenses were $11.0 million for the first quarter of 2003 compared with $10.2 million for the corresponding quarter of 2002, an increase of 8% or $0.8 million. A reduction of international long distance expense due to the full implementation of the FCC mandated reduction in international settlement rates was offset by higher depreciation, power, legal and other expenses related to the expansion of facilities.

 

Cornelius B. Prior, Jr., Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. said, “We were pleased to read in the Guyana press on March 21, 2003 of President Jagdeo’s direction to the Prime Minister, Sam Hines, to reconvene the Government’s negotiating team with respect to talks with ATN and GT&T representatives begun in Trinidad last April concerning new telecommunications policy initiatives of the Government of Guyana. In view of this positive development, we have decided not to appeal the recent decision of the U.S. District Court in Washington,


 

D.C. which held, among other things, that ATN had no private right of action to challenge a proposed loan to Guyana by the IADB which we believed would have infringed our contractual rights.”

 

“Our Guyana subsidiary, GT&T, continues to grow strongly, reflecting additional investment last year of $14.5 million and enabling us to expand both our cellular operations and our fixed wireline customers substantially. Teledensity in Guyana (phone lines per total population) is now over 20%, compared to less than 2% when we began operation there in 1991. Cellular operations in Bermuda also prospered, with our share of BDC’s net income up 55% from the first quarter of 2002, up 200% or three times the first quarter of 2001, and now contributing almost 20% of ATN’s net income.”

 

Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. is a telecommunications company with headquarters in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Its principal subsidiary, Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, Limited, is 80% owned by ATN and is the national telephone service provider in the Cooperative Republic of Guyana for all local, long-distance and international service. ATN owns 100% of Choice Communications, LLC, the largest internet service provider in the United States Virgin Islands and the only wireless TV provider in the USVI, as well as 100% of Atlantic Tele-Center, Inc., a Web-enabled outsourcing call center in Guyana. ATN also holds a 44% investment in Bermuda Digital Communications Ltd., the non-wireline cellular operator in Bermuda using the name “Cellular One”.

 

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Actual results could differ materially from these statements as a result of many factors, including matters discussed in the Company’s Form 10K annual report for the year ended December 31, 2002, which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Financial tables follow


 

Schedule A

ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK, INC.

Statement of Operations Data

For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2003 and 2002

(In Thousands, Except Per Share Data)

    

Three Months Ended

March 31,


 
    

2003


    

2002


 

Telephone operations:

                 

Revenues:

                 

Local exchange service revenues

  

$

8,041

 

  

$

6,158

 

International long-distance revenues

  

 

9,211

 

  

 

8,518

 

Other revenues

  

 

863

 

  

 

636

 

    


  


Total revenues from telephone operations

  

 

18,115

 

  

 

15,312

 

    


  


Expenses:

                 

International long-distance expenses

  

 

1,840

 

  

 

2,668

 

Telephone operating expenses

  

 

7,510

 

  

 

6,368

 

General and administrative expenses

  

 

1,663

 

  

 

1,143

 

    


  


Total telephone operating expenses

  

 

11,013

 

  

 

10,179

 

    


  


Income from telephone operations

  

 

7,102

 

  

 

5,133

 

    


  


Other operations:

                 

Revenues of other operations

  

 

1,262

 

  

 

1,085

 

Expenses of other operations

  

 

2,108

 

  

 

1,906

 

    


  


Loss from other operations

  

 

(846

)

  

 

(821

)

    


  


Other income (expense):

                 

Interest expense

  

 

(99

)

  

 

(155

)

Interest income

  

 

138

 

  

 

301

 

Equity in earnings of Bermuda Digital Communications, Ltd

  

 

542

 

  

 

350

 

Other income (expense):

  

 

182

 

  

 

179

 

    


  


Other income (expense), net:

  

 

763

 

  

 

675

 

    


  


Income before income taxes and minority interest

  

 

7,019

 

  

 

4,987

 

Income taxes

  

 

3,542

 

  

 

2,547

 

    


  


Income before minority interest

  

 

3,477

 

  

 

2,440

 

Minority interest

  

 

(665

)

  

 

(423

)

    


  


Net income

  

$

2,812

 

  

$

2,017

 

    


  


Net income per share:

                 

Basic

  

$

0.56

 

  

$

0.40

 

    


  


Diluted

  

$

0.56

 

  

$

0.40

 

    


  


Weighted average common stock outstanding:

                 

Basic

  

 

4,988

 

  

 

4,992

 

    


  


Diluted

  

 

5,049

 

  

 

5,069

 

    


  



 

Schedule B

ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK, INC.

Selected Operations Statistics

For the Quarters Ended December 31, 2002 and March 31, 2002 and 2003

(In Thousands, Except Access Line Data)

 

Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Co., Ltd.

 

    

As of 03/31/03


  

As of

12/31/02


  

As of

03/31/02


Access lines (fixed)

  

87,057

  

86,245

  

81,386

    
  
  

Cellular subscribers lines

  

92,756

  

79,915

  

51,244

    
  
  

International Long-Distance Traffic:

              
    

For the Three Months Ended


 
    

03/31/03


    

03/31/02


 

International Minutes of Traffic

             

Inbound

  

28,164

 

  

20,322

 

Outbound

  

5,602

 

  

4,484

 

    

  

Total International Minutes

  

33,766

 

  

24,806

 

International Minutes of Traffic Mix:

             

Inbound

  

83.4

%

  

81.9

%

Outbound

  

16.6

%

  

18.1

%

    

  

Total

  

100.0

%

  

100.0

%