RNS Number:2068R
TTP Communications PLC
23 October 2003
2003/04 Interim Results - Final
TTP Communications plc
INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED
30 SEPTEMBER 2003
Recovery in line with expectations with stronger second half expected
CAMBRIDGE UK, 23 OCTOBER 2003 - TTP Communications plc (LSE; TTC) announces its
interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2003
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
* Group revenues down 7% to #21.1m (2002: #22.7m);
* Pre-tax loss #5.4m (2002: #3.0m profit);
* EPS 2.511p loss (2002: 1.003p profit);
* Operating loss pre-goodwill at TTPCom Limited #3.3m in line with August
trading update (2002: #4.9m profit);
* Sales revenues at ip.access #924,000 (2002: #156,000);
* ip.access operating loss - pre UITF 17 and goodwill charge - #2.1m (2002
#2.2m);
* R&D investment, including ip.access, increased by 16% to #11.7m (2002:
#10.1m).
BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS
* 10 new licences signed including further 6 for GPRS bringing total
GPRS licences signed to date to 40;
* Our EDGE modem achieved 216 kbits/s in testing. First EDGE licence
sold to handset manufacturer;
* 3 new licences sold by Terminals business - total number of terminal
customers has now reached 9;
* The number of handsets incorporating TTPCom technology continues to
grow from approximately 8m - 10 m last year to 20m - 25m this year;
* Signed a bundled software licence including GPRS, AJAR and our first
3G licence, to an Asian handset manufacturer in October;
* Integration of Mobisys is proceeding as planned with sales and
operating profits significantly higher than last year;
* Investment in Synergenix and integration with our own gaming platform
announced in August with objective of developing a non Java gaming standard;
* ip.access revenue growth in line with expectations. Signed long-term
contract with T-Mobile Inc. for the US market in October;
* Our regulatory testing joint venture, 7 layers UK, continues to grow
profitably.
Commenting on the results, Dr Tony Milbourn, Managing Director said:
"I am pleased to say that, after a challenging six months for TTPCom Limited,
the business is recovering as we expected. While we anticipate that TTPCom
Limited will be profitable taking the year as a whole, TTP Communications plc is
unlikely to return to profitability until next year. However this reflects the
ongoing investment at ip.access, which has made a particularly encouraging start
to the year. Its sales revenues are in line with what we expected at the half
year and the business is on track to break even next year. Looking forward, I
continue to believe that we will be as successful in 3G as we are in 2/2.5G and
that our strategy of getting more technology into more handsets will put the
business in a strong position going forward. We are therefore confident that
the long-term growth potential of the Company therefore remains unchanged."
Enquiries:
Dr Tony Milbourn/Bruce Anderson
TTP Communications plc at Cubitt Consulting 020 7367 5100
Fergus Wylie/Peter Ogden at Cubitt Consulting 020 7367 5100
Operating Review
Progress this year has been slower than we expected at the start of the year
despite vigorous efforts across the Company to continue the strong growth that
the business has sustained over the previous four years. As the year started,
we indicated that growth in revenues would be adversely affected by the buy-out
of a chipset royalty stream and the weakening US dollar. However in addition to
these factors, the Company's business was restricted by the impact of the SARS
epidemic during the first few months of the year. As a consequence we issued a
trading update in August 2003 and the results that we report here are in line
with our expectations as reported to the market at that time. In retrospect,
while the impact of SARS on the execution and delivery of our technology to
customers has been limited and controllable, the impact on business development
and sales has been significant with order intake in the first quarter of the
year being lower than we had anticipated.
However, sales activity has increased sharply in the second quarter, but the
complex nature of our product, and the detailed discussions this requires with
customers, means that the sales cycle is long. It takes at least four months
for the majority of sales to handset manufacturers to be completed and
consequently we are still rebuilding the sales pipeline post-SARS. It is clear
that this will take some time. We do not expect that all delayed business will
be recovered quickly, but we are increasingly confident that the business will
recover in line with our August statement.
In addition, we are pleased to report that our infrastructure subsidiary,
ip.access, is performing as we had hoped and revenues are on course for the
targets we have set for this year and next. We are pleased to announce that we
have signed a long-term supply contract with our lead customer, T-Mobile Inc,
and that the product is now fully approved for deployment on their network.
Our strategy for growth remains one of increasing the number of products using
our technology and increasing the value we add to each and every one of those
products: more technology in more handsets. In response to constraints in the
business induced by lower sales in this first half, we have reduced our efforts
on some of our less critical development projects. However we remain committed
to continually broadening our product portfolio and ensuring that customers can
achieve a time-to-market advantage through the use of our technology. The
long-term growth potential for the Company remains unchanged.
Sales Growth
Sales revenues in our core business at TTPCom were #20.2m, 11% lower than last
year as we highlighted in our trading statement in August. On a regional basis,
sales to the Asia Pacific region grew by 16% and accounted for 64% of sales
compared with 51% last year, despite the shortfall in licensing activity in the
first quarter. This reflected the growth in software royalties from licencees
mainly in China and Korea. Sales to North America were 50% lower, and accounted
for only 19% of total sales compared with 36% last year as a result of lower
chipset royalties.
Royalty income at #4.2m was 13% lower than last year reflecting the reduction in
chipset royalties following the buy-out last year, by one of our semiconductor
partners, of a royalty stream for one chipset - the only agreement containing
such a buy-out right. However next generation chipsets are starting to flow and
a gradual recovery in hardware royalties can be expected in the second half of
the financial year, as customers progressively convert to the new chipset
ranges. Software royalties from terminal manufacturers were substantially
higher than the same period last year. At the end of FY 2002 we had 5 customers
generating software royalties, this had risen to 12 at the end of FY 2003 and
now totals 16.
Licence fee income was #9.2m compared with #10.9m last year, down 15%. Licensing
activity was particularly hard hit by the travel embargoes associated with SARS
in Q1. However it has progressively increased since then and we expect this to
continue into the second half. Revenue from design services was also down on
last year for similar reasons.
The drive to improve quality and customer support that has been in place over
the last couple of years is paying off. Not only are we improving the ability
of our customers to get to market, with a consequent improvement in royalty
income and market penetration, we are also seeing a substantial increase in
income from support and maintenance services. Maintenance income at #3.8m was
71% higher than last year as customers are increasingly willing to pay for
higher service levels to enjoy time-to-market advantages.
ip.access has made an encouraging start to the year reporting sales for the
first half of #924,000 in line with expectations; well up on the #156,000
achieved in the same period last year and more than double the level that was
achieved in the whole of last year as the benefits of the developing
relationship with T-Mobile and other customers started to be reflected in the
financial results.
Business and Market Development
The advent of new service delivery packages such as i-mode over GSM, O2
(Active), and Vodafone Live! indicates that operators are driving new services
into the subscriber base. These services can be delivered better and faster
over 3G technology and the take up of these packages may well determine the
future take up of 3G. TTPCom technology is already in two of the leading
products on the Vodafone Live! service. Whilst the adoption of new technologies
is important to our longer term growth, our strength in GPRS with increasing
numbers of platforms using our technology coming into production will allow us
to continue to develop the business around our existing 2.5G technologies until
the adoption of the newer technologies becomes more widespread. Our business
model is well suited to the way in which we see the market developing for the
foreseeable future.
Licence fee growth has been at a lower level than we have previously
experienced, but we are pleased that we have made our first EDGE software
licence sale to a terminal manufacturer and, after the period end, signed a
bundled software licence covering GPRS, AJAR and our first 3G licence to an
Asian handset manufacturer. We expect to make complete further 3G deals in the
second half of the year. These developments are an indication that the market
is recognising the steadily rising demand for higher bandwidth data-driven
services. However we still detect a reluctance on the part of customers, to
commit to new developments and they continue to adopt a cautious approach to R&D
investment that slows our sales cycle.
We have been building our relationships with our partners in the area of 3G
baseband and radio. We can now offer a choice of hardware solutions that are
fully compatible with our software, both protocol and applications. This
reinforces the strength of our approach: offering our handset manufacturing
customers choice and space for technical and commercial differentiation rather
than a pre-developed platform from a single vendor.
Our EDGE technology is targeted principally at manufacturers aiming to meet the
needs of the US carriers and our current expectation for the number of licences
that we will sell is consequently limited. However the signs are that some
other global operators will also move to this technology, as a natural
complement to 3G and this will extend the market for this technology.
The investments that we have made in our Terminals business, both through the
acquisition of Mobisys Telecom in Korea and through further technology
development here in the UK, are starting to pay off with 3 new licence sales for
complete handset designs having been achieved so far this year. Some of these
sales, together with sales made to smaller Asian manufacturers, account for our
continually improving position in the very competitive Chinese market.
Increasingly, responsibility for platform delivery will shift from the UK to
Korea with the UK operation becoming primarily responsible for the development
of core technology.
In August we announced our investment in Synergenix and the integration of our
Wireless Graphics Engine with the Synergenix Mophun gaming technology. This
means that today seven manufacturers, including Panasonic, Toshiba, TCL, and
Sony-Ericsson, are supplying handsets using Synergenix and TTPCom gaming
technology. This will provide a firm foundation from which our new combined
solution Mophun, which includes fast 3G graphics and multiplayer technology, can
be launched when it becomes available during the second half of the year. This
emphasises our motivation for this investment: securing a strong position in the
supply of the technology for very high-performance handset games, beyond that
which can be achieved by Java alone. These games appeal currently only to a
limited number of subscribers, but we feel that this is a significant niche that
we can dominate.
An increasing proportion of our sales are coming from applications, particularly
those needed to meet the demands of operators for new service portfolios, such
as Vodafone Live! Over the last 6 months we have achieved 18 sales of bundles
of products based around application packages. We see applications as an
important area for growth and are continuing to invest in our AJAR applications
environment that is specifically designed to allow the cost-effective creation
of flexible handsets.
The new Broadband Wireless team, which is developing and selling technology in
WiFi (compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard) and in the newly emerging
ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology (IEEE 802.15.3) saw sales in both areas
improving towards the end of the half year. We are confident that we have a
leading position in UWB technology. This technology is complementary with
cellular, and in the US market in particular, we expect to see mixed-mode
devices appearing over the next year. This convergence, together with
possibility of more services being delivered over WiFi hotspots, presents a
long-term opportunity for the Company. Strategically we see our broadband
wireless activities as a hedge against the encroachment of WiFi into 3G.
Technology Development
Despite the slowdown in our revenue growth, we believe that it is essential that
our high levels of R&D expenditure continue, with 56% of income being invested
in the development of new technology in the first half of this financial year.
The nature of our business demands that we create new intellectual property
quickly to allow our customers to get their own products to market in a timely
manner. The breadth of products is increasing in order to support the demands
of operators and subscribers, and we are looking carefully at partnerships and
focusing on those products close to our core business that we believe will
deliver best margin and long-term differentiation.
In addition to core software and hardware products to support handset
implementations for 2.5G and 3G, we are also developing complete handset designs
for licence through our Terminals Business Unit.
Corporate Development
Growth in staff numbers has been very limited in the period, with only small
numbers being recruited into the sales and account management areas, with a
particular emphasis on the Asian region. 24 staff joined the Company as a
result of the Mobisys acquisition that was completed in April 2003.
Staff numbers overall have risen since 31 March 2003 by 55 to 490. In the same
period we have reduced the number of staff on short-term contracts from a peak
of 48 to 30, in response to trading conditions during Q1.
ip.access
The business has started the year well and is operating in line with the targets
that we set ourselves at the start of the year. In North America we recently
completed extensive testing with T-Mobile USA, and in October have signed a
multi-year supply and support agreement with them. As a result we are starting
to build a local organisation there in anticipation of significant future
deployments. Since the beginning of the year we have commenced five trials in
as many countries (three in Europe), and have finalised the first phase of a
country-wide network deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, without the
requirement by the operator for a preliminary trial. In Russia we have
strengthened the product offering, building on the results of the trials
undertaken in the US, and working now with two operators, we anticipate
transitioning to network deployments during the second half. In China, our
trials have revealed the necessity for some specific additional technical
features, which we expect to complete shortly. A further four trials are
currently being planned for the second half year.
In addition to our business with mobile network operators, we have enjoyed
growing sales in the aerospace and defence sectors where demand for miniaturised
self-contained GSM infrastructure is increasing. Our order book at the end of
the half year was #0.6m and currently stands at #1.3m compared with #0.7m at 31
March 2003 and we expect sales revenues for the year to be in line with the #3m
target that we set at the start of the year.
Outlook
Sales are recovering from the poor performance in the first quarter and we
anticipate that this recovery will continue. Increasing confidence in the
sector and increasing roll out of new services will drive demand for our
intellectual property.
Within TTPCom Limited we have seen a substantial increase in sales activity
during the second quarter which taken together with the number and quality of
dialogues already underway with potential customers gives us confidence that
TTPCom Limited will be profitable, taking the year as a whole, in line with
market expectations.
At ip.access, we expect that the initiatives underway with T-Mobile Inc. and
with other operators with whom we have already completed trials will enable us
to grow sales revenues substantially in the second half, thereby enabling us to
reduce our operating losses still further and to position the company to
breakeven next year.
Our objective during the balance of this financial year, is to ensure that the
business is positioned for profitable growth next year, based on improved orders
and a stronger order book by the year end. Although TTP Communications plc is
expected to report an operating profit in the second half as ip.access losses
reduce and TTPCom Limited returns to profitability, it is expected that it will
report a loss for the year as a whole in line with market expectations.
Financial Review
The Company has two principal areas of activity - TTPCom Limited ('TTPCom') and
ip.access Limited. In order that shareholders can monitor progress of both
companies while ip.access Limited is in investment mode, the results of each
operating company are reported separately (further information is contained in
Note 3 to the interim financial statements attached below).
Revenues
TTPCom revenues for the six months ended 30 September 2003 were #20.2m compared
with #22.6m during the comparable period last year. Product sales, which
include licence fees and royalties, were #13.4m - 67% of the total. This
compares with #15.8m - 70% of the total - in the same period last year, a
reduction of 15%.
Within product revenues, royalty income was lower at #4.2m (21% of sales)
compared with #4.8m (21% of sales). Chipset royalties were substantially down,
as envisaged at the time of the announcement of our preliminary results for the
last full financial year in April, as a result of the decision last year by one
of our semiconductor licensees to exercise a buy-out clause in a single product
line in Q1 last year. Although software royalties - royalties from handset
customers - made a very significant contribution to the total value of royalties
reported in the period, they did not fully compensate for the shortfall that the
buy-out had caused. We expect royalties as a percentage of sales to increase in
the second half of the year towards the average for last year as a whole.
Licence fee income was #9.2m (46% of sales) compared with #10.9m (48% of sales)
last year, reflecting the slow first quarter in terms of numbers of licences
booked, as identified in the trading update in August. However in the second
quarter sales activity increased sharply and, as a consequence, we expect to see
licence fee income increasing in the second half and to be approximately the
same as last year for the year as a whole.
Service revenues, which include design service fees and maintenance charges,
were broadly flat at #6.7m compared with #6.8m last year. In total they
accounted for 33% of sales compared with 30% last year. Within service revenues
the mix changed with revenues from maintenance agreements increasing from #2.2m
to #3.8m, reflecting greater support for our installed customer base. Meanwhile
revenues from design service work provided to licensees fell from #4.6m to
#2.9m, reflecting the slower licensing in the first quarter.
As forecast ip.access revenues increased significantly in the period as the
company started shipping product to systems integrators in Europe and North
America. Sales revenues were #924,000 compared with #156,000 in the same period
last year, in line with the forecast for the business set at the start of the
year.
Our share of revenues from the joint venture with 7 layers AG increased by 35%
as 7 layers UK increased its share of the GSM/GPRS regulatory testing market and
for the six months ended September 2003 were #693,000 (2002: #515,000). Our
share of their operating profit increased sharply to #198,000 (2002: #69,000),
reflecting the benefits of higher activity levels that were experienced during
the period.
Operating Expenses
Research and development expenditure in TTPCom was #10.2m - 51% of sales,
compared with #8.6m, 38% of sales last year, an increase of 19% reflecting the
significant investments being made to develop IP in next generation technologies
such as EDGE and 3G as well as on new products such as DZign and AJAR. R&D spend
in ip.access totalled #1.5m the same as last year. For the Group as a whole, R&
D spend was #11.7m - 56% of sales - compared with #10.1m - 44% of sales last
year, an increase of 16% reflecting the significant investment made in both
companies during the period.
Group staff costs in the six months ended 30 September 2003 totalled #12.6m or
60% of sales compared with #10.8m or 47% of sales last year, as a result of the
growth in headcount during last year from 400 employees at 30 September 2002 to
490 at 30 September 2003. Of this increase, 35 were associated with the
acquisition of Mobisys and the start of the WLAN business acquired in January
from Tality. Since the year end the Company has reduced its rate of recruitment
within TTPCom Limited until the order intake position for the year becomes
clearer and, as a consequence, headcount increased by only 24 or 6% excluding
the staff associated with the Mobisys acquisition.
As anticipated in the trading update in August, other operating expenses in
TTPCom, which comprise mainly expenditure on subcontractors, testing,
recruitment, site costs, bad debt provisions and non payroll R&D expenses,
including software purchases, rose sharply compared with last year. For the six
months ended 30 September 2003, they were #11.1m - 55% of sales - compared with
#7.5m, 33% of sales last year. The major factors behind the rise in expenses
were an increase in the level of testing and tooling costs as part of the
planned expansion of the Terminals business; a conscious effort to increase the
quality of software delivery and support, the benefit from which can be seen in
the rise in maintenance revenues reported in the period; an increase in building
related expenditure, mainly rent and rates, reflecting the move into our new
40,000 sq. ft. engineering facility on the Melbourn Science Park in January this
year; and the decision to increase the level of provisions for bad debts as
foreshadowed in the August trading update. In ip.access, other operating
expenses of a similar nature to TTPCom's totalled #1.1m the same as last year.
As identified in the August trading update, the Company has initiated a series
of measures that will reduce operating expenses by approximately #2m in the
second half.
Operating Profit
As a result of sales revenues being lower than expected at the start of the
year, and expenses being higher as result of the need to invest more in testing
and program support activities, TTPCom reported an operating loss pre-goodwill
of #3.3m in the six months to 30 September 2003, well within the range of the
#3.0m to #3.5m loss envisaged at the time of the trading update in August. This
compares with a #4.9m profit in the same period last year. Although as part of
its risk management processes the Company hedges its forex exposures,
particularly to the US dollar, by taking out forward contracts, these provide
only a short-term and not a long-term hedge against currency movements. In the
six months to 30 September, the Company's average US dollar exchange rate was
$1.53 compared with $1.42 in the same period last year and as a consequence,
sales revenues were approximately #1.1m lower as a result of sterling
strengthening compared with the US dollar over the period. The Company has
fully hedged its forecast exposure for the balance of the financial year and has
hedged approximately 50% of its forecast exposure for the next financial year.
ip.access reported a loss of #2.1m - before #342,000 amortisation of goodwill
and a #68,000 UITF 17 charge on share options - compared with a loss of #2.2m
on a comparable basis in the same period last year. It is expected that
operating losses reported in the second half will be sharply lower than they
were in the first half as sales revenues rise and ip.access continues to make
good progress towards its stated aim of breaking even next financial year.
On a consolidated basis excluding the joint venture and associate, TTP
Communications plc reported an operating loss of #6.1m including the
amortisation of goodwill incurred on the acquisition of ip.access, and the UITF
17 charge, compared with an operating profit of #2.2m in the comparable period
last year.
Earnings and Taxation
For the six months to 30 September 2003, the Group incurred a loss before tax of
#5.4m or 26% of sales compared with a profit of #3.0m or 13% for the same period
last year. Interest income totalled #0.6m compared with #0.8m last year. It is
not anticipated that there will be any UK corporation tax charge for the current
year. However a tax charge arises in respect of the Group's overseas operations
and irrecoverable withholding tax.
Basic earnings per share for the six months to 30 September 2003 was a loss of
2.511 pence compared with a profit of 1.003 pence in the same period last year.
Cash Flow
The Group incurred a cash outflow of #5.9m from operating activities compared
with #0.2m inflow last year reflecting the losses incurred in the period.
Working capital increased by #2.0m compared with an increase of #3.2m in the
same period last year primarily due to a reduction in creditors. The deferred
creditor reduced from #1.5m at 30 September 2002 to a debit balance of #1.0m at
30 September 2003 - 31 March 2003 #0.7m debit balance - reflecting the absence
of the deferred revenue associated with the buy-out of the chipset royalty
reported at the time of the interim results last year; the increase in software
royalties accrued on the basis of customer returns and the progressive reduction
in the front end funding of contracts - a trend that has been apparent for the
last eighteen months. Trade debtors at 30 September 2003 were #10.6m (30
September 2002: #10.5m). Debtor days increased to 81 days from 44 days at 31
March 2003 and 59 days at 30 September 2002. Capital expenditure in the period
totalled #1.2m compared with #2.2m last year, the major expenditure being on
computers and laboratory test equipment in support of our EDGE and 3G
development programs.
Dividend
In line with the policy declared at flotation, the directors do not recommend
payment of an interim dividend.
Consolidated profit and loss account
for the six months ended 30 September 2003
Note Six months to Six months to Year to
30 September 30 September 31 March
2003 2002 2003
#000 #000 #000
Turnover including share of joint venture 21,771 23,243 50,189
Less: Share of joint venture's turnover (693) (515) (969)
Group turnover 3 21,078 22,728 49,220
Staff costs (12,559) (10,780) (22,827)
Depreciation and amortisation (1,922) (1,182) (2,850)
Other operating expensesa (12,697) (8,587) (18,356)
Operating (loss)/profit before goodwill
amortisation and UITF 17 charge on share
options (5,465) 2,692 6,213
Goodwill amortisation (567) (341) (684)
UITF 17 charge on share options (68) (172) (342)
Group operating (loss)/profit (6,100) 2,179 5,187
Share of operating profit/(loss) of joint
venture 2 198 69 (31)
Share of operating (loss) of associate (43) -
Total operating (loss)/profit (5,945) 2,248 5,156
Interest receivable and similar income 564 805 1,479
Interest payable - joint venture (28) (28) (53)
(Loss)/profit on ordinary activities
before taxation (5,409) 3,025 6,582
Tax on (loss)/profit on ordinary
activities 4 (249) (766) (1,609)
Retained (loss)/profit for the period (5,658) 2,259 4,973
(Loss)/earnings per share 5
- basic (2.511p) 1.003p 2.207p
- diluted (2.511p) 1.003p 2.199p
Consolidated statement of total recognised gains and losses
for the six months ended 30 September 2003
Six months to Six months to Year to
30 September 30 September 31 March
2003 2002 2003
#000 #000 #000
(Loss)/profit for the period excluding share of
losses of joint venture (5,731) 2,194 5,022
Share of joint venture's and associate's profit/
(loss) for the period 73 65 (49)
(Loss)/profit for the financial period
attributable to members of the parent company (5,658) 2,259 4,973
Exchange differences on the retranslation of net
assets of subsidiary undertakings 49 - 22
Total (losses)/gains recognised since last annual
report (5,609) 2,259 4,995
a Including ip.access cost of sales of #410,000 (September 2002: #39,000, March
2003: #177,000).
Consolidated balance sheet
as at 30 September 2003
Note As at As at As at
30 September 2003 30 September 2002 31 March 2003
#000 #000 #000
Fixed assets
Intangible assets - goodwill 3,257 1,916 1,574
Tangible assets 7,558 5,369 7,631
Investment in joint venture 742 917 851
Investment in associate 2 418 - -
Other investments 479 254 479
12,454 8,456 10,535
Current assets
Stocks 262 260 376
Debtors 6 18,012 16,761 19,631
Short term investments 20,000 35,000 35,063
Cash 9,965 3,866 3,129
48,239 55,887 58,199
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year 7 (10,803) (12,602) (13,733)
Net current assets 37,436 43,285 44,466
Total assets less current liabilities 49,890 51,741 55,001
Creditors: amounts falling due after more
than one year (488) - -
Provision for joint venture deficit - - (26)
Provision for liabilities and charges (296) - (328)
Net assets 49,106 51,741 54,647
Capital and reserves
Called up share capital 11,266 11,266 11,266
Share premium account 38,732 38,732 38,732
Merger reserve (5,368) (5,368) (5,368)
Profit and loss account 4,476 7,111 10,017
Equity shareholders' funds 8 49,106 51,741 54,647
Consolidated cashflow statement
for the six months ended 30 September 2003
Notes Six months to Six months to Year to
30 September 2003 30 September 2002 31 March 2003
#000 #000 #000
Operating (loss)/profit (6,100) 2,179 5,187
Depreciation and amortisation 1,922 1,152 2,850
Loss/(profit) on disposal of fixed assets 32 - (4)
Unrealised exchange loss/(gain) 119 (36) (85)
Decrease/(increase) in stock 114 53 (63)
Decrease/(increase) in debtors 1,581 (2,666) (5,409)
(Decrease)/increase in creditors (3,665) (625) 1,115
UITF 17 charge on share options 68 172 342
Net cash (outflow)/inflow from operating
activities (5,929) 229 3,933
Returns on investments and servicing of
finance
Interest received 564 817 1,479
564 817 1,479
Taxation
UK corporation tax refunded/(paid) 624 (652) (705)
Overseas withholding tax suffered (716) (514) (1,676)
(92) (1,166) (2,381)
Capital expenditure and financial
investment
Payments to acquire tangible fixed assets (1,202) (2,163) (5,788)
Proceeds from sale of tangible fixed
assets - 30 30
Repayment of loan to joint venture 130 - 25
Purchase of investments - - (225)
(1,072) (2,133) (5,958)
Acquisitions
Purchase of subsidiary undertaking (1,603) - -
Cash acquired with subsidiary 366 - -
Investment in associate 2 (461) - -
(1,698) - -
Net cash (outflow) before management of
liquid resources and financing (8,227) (2,253) (2,927)
Management of liquid resources and
financing
Decrease/(increase) in short term
investments 15,063 - (63)
Increase/(decrease) in cash 9 6,836 (2,253) (2,990)
Notes to the interim report
1. Basis of Preparation
The financial information contained in this interim report does not constitute
statutory accounts as defined in section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The
interim financial information is unaudited but has been reviewed by the
auditors. The financial information for the year ended 31 March 2003 has been
extracted from the statutory accounts of TTP Communications plc for that period.
Those accounts, upon which the auditor issued an unqualified opinion, have
been delivered to the registrar of Companies.
The financial information has been prepared using the same accounting policies
as the audited accounts of TTP Communications plc for the year ended 31 March
2003.
The interim report for the six months ended 30 September 2003 was approved by
the Board on 22 October 2003.
2. Acquisition and investment
On 1 April 2003, the Group acquired Mobisys for a total consideration, including
costs, of #2,610,000. This comprised cash of #2,439,000, of which #976,000 is
deferred, acquisition costs of #142,000 (of which #2,000 is included within
creditors at 30 September 2003) and #29,000 to clear an outstanding sales
invoice. The net assets acquired amounted to #360,000 resulting in a goodwill
balance of #2,250,000.
On 11 August the Group acquired a significant minority stake in Synergenix
Interactive AB a Swedish mobile gaming company. The Group has acquired a 23%
stake in Synergenix in return for an initial cash consideration of #424,000 and
acquisition costs of #37,000. The Group has the ability to increase this stake
to 46% in return for additional consideration of #436,000. From the date of the
investment to 30 September 2003, 23% of Synergenix's results have been accounted
for as an associate within the Group accounts. The net assets acquired amounted
to #2,000 resulting in a goodwill balance of #459,000.
3. Analysis of Turnover
The Group's principal area of activity is the design of radio and digital
baseband chipsets used in mobile terminals, core system software for mobile
terminals and the testing of GSM and GPRS wireless communications terminals.
The activity categorised as "TTPCom" below is carried out by TTPCom Limited and
these entities, TTPCom Danmark ApS, TTPCom France SAS, TTPCom Inc, TTPCom
Consultancy (Shanghai) Company Limited, Mobisys Telecom Co. Limited, Synergenix
Interactive AB and 7 layers UK Limited. The Group is also involved in
developing, marketing and supplying cost-effective miniature mobile
telecommunications basestations ('nanoBasestations'). This activity is carried
on by ip.access Limited ("ip.access").
TTPCom ip.access
Six months to Year to Six months to Year to
30 September 31 March 30 September 31 March
2003 2002 2003 2003 2002 2003
#000 #000 #000 #000 #000 #000
Turnover 20,847 23,087 49,730 924 156 459
Less: share of joint (693) (515) (969) - - -
venture's turnover
20,154 22,572 48,761 924 156 459
Segment profit
Operating (loss)/profit* (3,317) 4,900 10,760 (2,148) (2,208) (4,547)
Amortisation of goodwill (225) - - (342) (341) (684)
UITF 17 charge on share
options - - - (68) (172) (342)
Group operating (loss)/
profit (3,542) 4,900 10,760 (2,558) (2,721) (5,573)
Share of operating profit
/(loss) of joint venture 198 69 (31) - - -
Share of operating loss
of associate (17) - - - - -
Amortisation of goodwill
of associate (26) - - - - -
Total operating (loss)/
profit (3,387) 4,969 10,729 (2,558) (2,721) (5,573)
*Group operating (loss)/profit before amortisation of goodwill, and UITF 17
charge on share options.
An analysis of turnover by geographical market is as follows: -
Six months to Six months to Year to
30 September 30 September 31 March
2003 2002 2003
#000 #000 #000
United Kingdom 1,050 375 646
Rest of Europe 2,436 2,535 5,419
North America 4,041 8,150 15,980
Asia-Pacific 13,551 11,668 27,175
21,078 22,728 49,220
4. Taxation
It is not anticipated that there will be any UK corporation tax charge for the
current year. However a tax charge arises in respect of the Group's overseas
operations and irrecoverable withholding tax. The overall charge also reflects
a deferred tax credit in respect of fixed asset timing differences, which has
given rise to the majority of the deferred tax asset. The tax rate in both
years has been arrived at by taking into account the Research and Development
tax relief claim that the Group will be making.
5. (Loss)/earnings per Share
The calculation of the earnings per share is based upon the following:
Six months to Six months to Year to
30 September 30 September 31 March
2003 2002 2003
(Loss)/earnings (#) (5,658,000) 2,259,000 4,973,000
Shares (No.) 225,312,000 225,312,000 225,312,000
Basic earnings per share (pence) (2.511) 1.003 2.207
(Loss)/earnings are the (loss)/profit for the period attributable to members of
the parent company. Shares are the weighted average number of shares in issue
during the period. The diluted earnings per share is based on 227,801,000
ordinary shares (30 September 2002: 225,323,000, 31 March 2003: 226,095,000).
6. Debtors
As at As at As at
30 September 30 September 31 March
2003 2002 2003
#000 #000 #000
Amounts recoverable on contracts 4,958 4,100 5,913
Amounts owed by joint venture 114 - 33
Trade debtors 10,580 10,489 10,252
Other debtors 443 524 959
Corporation tax recoverable - - 688
Deferred tax asset 241 575 -
Prepayments and accrued income 1,676 1,073 1,786
18,012 16,761 19,631
7. Creditors
Creditors includes payments on account of #3,991,000 (30 September 2002:
#5,633,000, 31 March 2003: #5,172,000). Therefore the net accrued debtor
position, after deducting amounts recoverable on contracts, is #967,000 (30
September 2002: creditor #1,533,000, 31 March 2003: debtor #741,000).
8. Reconciliation of Shareholders' Funds
As at As at As at
30 September 30 September 31 March
2003 2002 2003
#000 #000 #000
(Loss)/profit on ordinary activities after
taxation (5,658) 2,259 4,973
UITF 17 charge on share options 68 172 342
Exchange differences arising on the
retranslation of net assets of subsidiary
undertaking 49 - 22
Net (decrease)/increase in shareholders'
funds (5,541) 2,431 5,337
Opening shareholders' funds 54,647 49,310 49,310
Shareholders' funds at end of period 49,106 51,741 54,647
9. Reconciliation of Net Cash Flow to Movement in Net Funds
Six months to Six months to Year to
30 September 2003 30 September 2002 31 March 2003
#000 #000 #000
Increase/(decrease) in cash for the year 6,836 (2,253) (2,990)
Cash (inflow)/outflow from maturity of
short term investments (15,063) - 63
Change in net funds from cash flows
(8,227) (2,253) (2,927)
Net liquid funds at start of period 38,192 41,119 41,119
Net liquid funds at end of period 29,965 38,866 38,192
INDEPENDENT REVIEW REPORT TO TTP COMMUNICATIONS PLC
Introduction
We have been instructed by the Company to review the financial information for
the six months ended 30 September 2003 which comprises the Consolidated Profit
and Loss Account, Consolidated Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses,
Consolidated Balance Sheet, Consolidated Cashflow Statement and the related
notes 1 to 9. We have read the other information contained in the interim
report and considered whether it contains any apparent misstatements or material
inconsistencies with the financial information.
This report is made solely to the Company in accordance with guidance contained
in Bulletin 1999/4 'Review of interim financial information' issued by the
Auditing Practices Board. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not
accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company, for our work,
for this report, or for the conclusions we have formed.
Directors' responsibilities
The interim report, including the financial information contained therein, is
the responsibility of, and has been approved by, the directors. The directors
are responsible for preparing the interim report in accordance with the Listing
Rules of the Financial Services Authority which require that the accounting
policies and presentation applied to the interim figures should be consistent
with those applied in preparing the preceding annual accounts except where any
changes, and the reasons for them, are disclosed.
Review work performed
We conducted our review in accordance with guidance contained in Bulletin 1999/4
'Review of interim financial information' issued by the Auditing Practices Board
for use in the United Kingdom. A review consists principally of making
enquiries of Group management and applying analytical procedures to the
financial information and underlying financial data, and based thereon,
assessing whether the accounting policies and presentation have been
consistently applied, unless otherwise disclosed. A review excludes audit
procedures such as tests of controls and verification of assets, liabilities and
transactions. It is substantially less in scope than an audit performed in
accordance with United Kingdom Auditing Standards and therefore provides a lower
level of assurance than an audit. Accordingly we do not express an audit opinion
on the financial information.
Review conclusion
On the basis of our review we are not aware of any material modifications that
should be made to the financial information as presented for the six months
ended 30 September 2003.
Ernst & Young LLP
Cambridge
22 October 2003
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
IR FEDFWESDSESS