UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(RULE 14a-101)
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant x Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ¨
Check the appropriate box:
¨ | Preliminary Proxy Statement | |||
¨ | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) | |||
¨ | Definitive Proxy Statement | |||
x | Definitive Additional Materials | |||
¨ | Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 | |||
LEAP WIRELESS INTERNATIONAL, INC. | ||||
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter) | ||||
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant) | ||||
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Leap Wireless International, Inc. (Leap) is filing the attached presentation materials in connection with Leaps solicitation of proxies for proposals to be voted on at its 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Leap may present the attached materials to stockholders and others on future occasions. The information contained in the attached presentation materials is summary information that is intended to be considered in the context of Leaps filings with the SEC and other public announcements. Leap undertakes no duty or obligation to publicly update or revise this information, although it may do so from time to time.
In connection with the 2011 Annual Meeting, Leap mailed to stockholders its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on June 28, 2011 (the Definitive Proxy Statement). In addition, Leap files annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy and information statements and other information with the SEC. Stockholders are urged to read the Definitive Proxy Statement and other information because they contain important information about Leap and the proposals to be presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting. These documents are available free of charge at the SECs website at www.sec.gov or from Leap at www.leapwireless.com. The contents of the websites referenced herein are not deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Definitive Proxy Statement.
Leap and its directors, executive officers and certain employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with the election of directors and other proposals to be voted on at the 2011 Annual Meeting. Information regarding the interests, if any, of these directors, executive officers and specified employees is included in the Definitive Proxy Statement filed by Leap with the SEC.
LEAP WIRELESS
INTERNATIONAL, INC. Response to Institutional Shareholder Services Report
July 25, 2011 |
2
Presentation of Financial and Other Important Information
Presentation of Financial Information
Historical
financial
and
operating
data
in
this
presentation
reflect
the
consolidated
results
of
Leap
Wireless
International,
Inc.
(the
Company
or
Leap)
and
its
subsidiaries
and
consolidated
joint ventures for the periods indicated. The term voice services
refers to the Companys Cricket Wireless, Muve Music
and Cricket PAYGo
service offerings, and the term broadband
services
refers
to
the
Companys
Cricket
Broadband
service.
This
presentation
includes
financial
information
prepared
in
accordance
with
accounting
principles
generally
accepted
in
the
United States (GAAP), as well as other financial measures referred to as
non-GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures, which include Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), Cost Per Gross
Customer Addition (CPGA), Cash Cost Per User (CCU) and adjusted operating income before
depreciation and amortization (OIBDA), should be considered in addition to, but not as
substitutes for, the information prepared in accordance with GAAP. For definitions of these
non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures, please
see
the
information
under
the
heading
Financial
Reports
Non-GAAP
Financial
Measures
in
the
Investor
Relations
section
of
Leaps
corporate
website
(investor.leapwireless.com).
Proxy Solicitation
In connection with the solicitation of proxies, Leap filed with the SEC on June 28, 2011 a
definitive proxy statement and has filed and will file other relevant documents concerning the
proposals to be presented at Leaps 2011 Annual Stockholders
Meeting (the 2011 Annual Meeting). Leap also mailed the definitive proxy
statement to its stockholders. In addition, Leap files annual, quarterly and special
reports, proxy and information statements and other information with the SEC. Leaps stockholders are urged to read the proxy statement and other
information because they contain important information about Leap and the proposals to be
presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting. These documents are available for free at the SECs
website (www.sec.gov) or from Leap (www.leapwireless.com). The contents of the websites
referenced herein are not deemed to be incorporated by reference into the proxy statement.
Leap and its directors, executive officers and certain employees
may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies
from Leaps stockholders in connection with the election of
directors and other matters to be proposed at Leaps 2011 Annual Meeting. Information
regarding the interests, if any, of these directors, executive officers and specified employees is
included in the definitive proxy statement filed by Leap with the SEC.
Forward-Looking Statements
This
presentation
contains
forward-looking
statements
within
the
meaning
of
the
Private
Securities
Litigation
Reform
Act
of
1995.
Such
statements
reflect
managements
current
expectations based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information, but
are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those anticipated in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Our
forward-looking statements include our discussions about our expected, future financial performance,
including as a result of our current and future product and service plan offerings, future
plans to transition to LTE and expected contributions from management and Leaps proposed slate of
nominees to the board of directors and are generally identified with words such as
believe, think, expect,
estimate,
intend,
seek,
anticipate,
continue,
plan,
will,
could,
should,
may
and similar expressions. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could affect our
forward-looking statements include, among other things: our ability to attract and retain
customers in an extremely competitive marketplace; the duration and severity of the current
economic downturn in the United States and changes in economic conditions, including interest
rates, consumer credit conditions, consumer debt levels, consumer confidence, unemployment
rates, energy costs and other macro-economic factors that could adversely affect demand for
the services we provide; the impact of competitors
initiatives; our ability to successfully implement product and service plan offerings, expand
our retail distribution and execute effectively on our other strategic activities; our
ability to obtain and maintain roaming and wholesale services from other carriers at cost-effective rates; our ability to maintain effective internal control
over financial reporting; our ability to attract, integrate, motivate and retain an experienced
workforce, including members of senior management; future customer usage of our wireless
services, which could exceed our expectations, and our ability to manage or increase network
capacity to meet increasing customer demand; our ability to acquire additional spectrum in the
future at a reasonable cost or on a timely basis; our ability to
comply with the covenants in any credit agreement, indenture or
similar instrument governing any of our existing or future
indebtedness; our ability to effectively integrate, manage and operate our new joint venture in
South Texas; failure of our network or information technology systems to perform according to
expectations and risks associated with the upgrade or transition
of certain of those systems, including our billing system; and other factors detailed in the
section entitled Risk Factors included in our periodic reports filed with the
SEC, including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011, filed with the SEC on May 6, 2011.
All forward-looking statements included in this presentation should be considered in the
context of these risks. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of
these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this
presentation may not occur and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or
implied in the forward-looking statements. Investors and prospective investors are cautioned
not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.
|
As investors review the analysis from Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), they should
take into account critical information that we believe ISS failed to consider in
making its recommendation, including:
Pentwaters
opportunistic,
short-term
history
of
trading
in
Leap
stock
and
its
track
record
of
disregarding
other
stockholders
interests
MHRs
long-term
focus,
track
record
of
producing
stockholder
value
The
lack
of
qualifications
of
the
director
nominees
proposed
by
Pentwater
and
the
risk
we
believe
is
posed
to
stockholder
value
if
these
nominees
are
elected
to
the
Leap
Board
Extensive telecommunications experience of Leaps nominees
Leaps
positive
financial
and
operating
performance
compared
to
its
relevant
peer
group
The
success
of
Leaps
broadband
strategy
The
Leap
Board
recommends
that
you
vote
FOR
the
slate
of
qualified
Leap
nominees
on
the
WHITE
proxy
card
and
encourages
you
to
simply
discard
any
gold
proxy
card
sent
to
you
by
Pentwater
3
Leap believes ISS has failed to consider critical information
in making its recommendation |
What ISS Failed to
Consider: Pentwaters Interests Not Aligned with Stockholders
Pentwaters track record reveals its opportunistic short-term
focus and in
Leaps view Pentwater has no interest in providing value to other
stockholders.
In contrast, MHR is a private equity fund with a long-term
focus that has
provided tremendous value
to other stockholders.
-
Pentwater has sold and shorted
Leap stock since announcing the proxy
contest whereas MHR has never sold or shorted
Leap stock.
-
Net of its short position, Pentwaters holdings represent only
~1% of
Leaps shares, whereas MHR holds ~20%
of Leaps shares.
-
Pentwater sold down its entire position
in Post Properties prior to placing
a director on the Post board.
-
Pentwater risked the interests of all other BPW Acquisition Corp. stock and
warrant holders by attempting to hold up
the merger of BPW and Talbots in
order to extract further value for itself.
-
Pentwater has no track record of producing value at public
companies
whereas Lorals stock price has increased ~340%
since
September 2008, all while three of Leaps nominees served on the board.
Pentwaters interests aligned
with other stockholders
and
would give unaffiliated
shareholders a strong voice in
the boardroom.
ISS says
Reality
4
MHR supported Leap replacing ~30% of its vice presidents and other
members of senior management
last year in order to ensure that it had the
right management team in place to execute Leaps current operational strategy.
MHR not willing to hold
management and other board
members accountable |
What ISS Failed to
Consider: Halbowers Lack of Experience and Long-Term Interest
...Halbower is the most obvious
candidate
and will be able to
contribute immediately to board
deliberations and strategic
discussions.
ISS says . . .
Reality
5
Halbower has no relevant telecommunications experience
he has never
worked for, managed or sat on the board of a telecommunications
company.
Halbower has nothing new to propose. We believe Pentwaters plan
for Leap is
vague, misinformed and does not contain a single idea
that the Board hasnt
either implemented or initiated with significantly more depth.
Halbower never asked to speak to the Leap Board or management team
to discuss Pentwaters operational proposals
we believe this is because he
simply doesnt have anything new to propose.
In our view, Halbowers firm (Pentwater) takes a short-term approach to investing
and
his
track
record
suggests
he
is
not
likely
to
have
a
vested
interest
in
giving stockholders a voice
in the boardroom:
In 2008, Pentwater ran a proxy contest at Post Properties, which
was
settled by allowing David R. Schwartz to stand for election to the board.
Schwartz served on the Post board for only 14 months.
Even
before
Mr.
Schwartz
joined
Posts
board,
Pentwater
had
already
sold
its
entire
position
in
Post
common
stock.
Between the time Pentwater announced its proxy contest and when
Schwartz resigned, Posts share price dropped 57%. |
What ISS Failed to
Consider: Poor Track Record of Pentwaters Nominees
The dissident
has explicitly
identified two nominees
Switz
and Roscitt
with extensive,
relevant senior-level industry
experience.
ISS says . . .
Reality
6
Switz
and Roscitt
are experienced in the telecom industry
experienced in
presiding over the destruction of value
for stockholders in the telecom
industry.
While Roscitt
was Chairman and CEO of ADC Telecommunications, its stock price
plummeted
84%.
During
his
tenure
on
the
board
of
Net2Phone,
Net2Phones
stock
price
declined
60%,
and
during
his
time
on
Sequoia
Softwares
board,
Sequoias
stock
price
fell
44%.
Switz
has a similar track record. ADC Telecommunications was sold for 16% less per
share than the share price when Switz
became CEO seven years earlier
(after succeeding Roscitt). During Switzs
tenure on the board of Micron
Technology, Microns stock price has declined 54%,
and during his tenure on
the board of Hickory Tech Corporation, Hickorys stock price declined 22%. |
What ISS Failed to
Consider: Experience of Leaps Directors and Nominees
ISS says . . .
Reality
7
Other than the CEO,
this
[telecom] experience [of the
incumbent directors] appears
to be largely their experience
as directors of Leap
. Moreover, with its two newest
nominees the board appears
to have continued its pattern
of nominating candidates
without any operating
experience in the industry.
Simply not true
that Leaps directors and nominees lack relevant experience.
Dr.
Rachesky
serves
as
Chairman
of
Loral
Space
&
Communications
(satellite
communications) and
Telesat Canada
(satellite communications for television and
telephone networks).
Mr.
Targoff
is
a
director
of
Loral
and
ViaSat
(satellite/digital
communications)
an
d was founder and principal
of a private investment company focused on early-
stage companies in telecommunications and related industries.
Mr. Harkey has been an executive of and investor in
companies in diverse
industries, including retail, hospitality and telecommunications and serves on
the Loral
Board.
Mr. Leavitt (a Leap nominee) is a managing director and the current head of
global technology,
media and telecommunications
at an investment bank.
Ms. Kruger (a Leap nominee) served as an executive vice president of Qwest
Communications
(residential and business telecom services) and Excel
Communications
(integrated voice and data communications products and
services).
Mr. Hutcheson, Leaps president, CEO, a director and a member of Leaps founding
management team served as vice president, marketing in the Wireless
Infrastructure Division at Qualcomm Incorporated
(mobile technologies). |
What ISS Failed to
Consider: Positive Performance Compared to Relevant Peers
ISS says
Reality
8
MetroPCS is Leaps nearest
and most relevant
peer and
compares Leaps financial and
operational performance only
to MetroPCS in its report
There
is
only
a
5%
overlap
in
markets
between
Leap
and
MetroPCS.
There is a greater
than 90% overlap in markets between Leap and Sprint, Verizon,
T-Mobile
and
AT&T.
When Leaps performance is viewed within the broader prepaid wireless section,
Leap compares favorably
as demonstrated by 1Q11 results:
Leaps
penetration rate (6%)
within the prepaid segment as a percentage
of covered POPs was
higher than T-Mobile (3%) and Sprint (5%)
and
just behind Tracfone (7%).
Leaps average
revenue per user (ARPU) of $39.35 increased near the
highest in the prepaid segment, ahead of Sprint, T-Mobile and
Tracfone.
Leaps
churn
(3.1%) was among the
lowest in the prepaid segment,
again
ahead
of
Sprint,
T-Mobile
and
Tracfone.
|
ISS says
Reality
9
Leaps cost structure is
excessive relative to PCS
Leap operates in 65 markets whereas MetroPCS operates in only 13
Leaps markets have significantly less population density
than MetroPCS,
although the size of Leaps operating markets (on a covered POPs basis) has
continued to grow
with each wave of markets launched since 2000
Despite the difference in population density, Leap has been able to deliver
comparable sales, general and administrative costs to MetroPCS
when
compared on an apples-to-apples basis
only a 6% average difference in SG&A
per covered POP over the last four quarters
Leaps foray
into broadband
diverted and wasted
considerable corporate
resources
and endorses that
PCS, by contrast, eschewed
a broadband strategy
ISS fails to understand that
Leaps 3G strategy has been a strong success
-
Broadband service has contributed over $72 million of adjusted OIBDA
over the last four quarters
-
Established a solid
foundation for Leaps current smartphone offerings
Carriers who skipped the initial broadband investment are now forced, due to
slow
LTE
adoption,
to
spend
substantial
additional
capital
to
upgrade
their
2G
networks
and
improve
the
significantly
limited
customer
experience
for
3G smartphones on their networks
-
Other carriers likely to lose subscribers
frustrated with poor performance
of their 3G smartphone devices on 2G networks
What ISS Failed to Consider:
Comparable SG&A and 3G Success |
APPENDIX
|
% of Coverage
Overlap with Leap (Based on Square Miles) Leap Has Minimal Coverage Overlap with MetroPCS
vs. Other Wireless Peers
11
Source: CoverageRight from American Roamer
Database |
13
65
Leap
MetroPCS
Leap Operates in More Markets with Less Population
Density than MetroPCS
Covered POPs (MM)
(2)
:
95
99
Total Markets
(1)
Based
upon
information
in
MetroPCSs
annual
report
on
Form
10-K
for
the
year
ended
December
31,
2010;
MetroPCS
markets
include
Los
Angeles,
New
York
City,
San
Francisco,
Dallas,
South
Florida,
Detroit,
Boston/Hartford,
Philadelphia,
Atlanta,
North
Florida,
Sacramento,
Central
Florida
and
Las
Vegas
(2)
Covered
POPs
calculated
based
on
95.3M
POPs
for
Leap
and
98.7M
POPs
for
MetroPCS
7.6
1.5
Leap
MetroPCS
741
874
Leap
MetroPCS
Average Covered POPs
Per Market (MM)
Average Density Per Market
(Covered POPs / Square Mile)
(1)
12 |
Leap SG&A
Comparable to MetroPCS 13
Leap SG&A comparable to Metro SG&A on apples-to-apples comparison
Metro reports SG&A in aggregate (1Q11: $169.8M); identifies selling cost component (1Q11:
$91.9M) in CPGA reconciliation
Leap separately reports G&A (1Q11: $95.4M) and selling cost (1Q11: $109.8M)
Leap,
however,
includes
Customer
Care
and
Billing
expense
(1Q11:
$33.7M)
in
reported
G&A;
Metro
does
not
include
in
reported G&A
but instead includes in Cost of Service
Bar
charts
above
eliminate
$33.7M
of
Leap
1Q11
Customer
Care
and
Billing
expense
from
Leap
G&A
to
align
with
Metro
SG&A reporting methodology
Leap sells greater percentage of handsets in Company-owned stores. Leap Selling Cost
reflects expenses related to larger number of retail stores and retail store
employees Source: Leaps and MetroPCSs quarterly reports on Form
10-Q and related earnings releases for the quarter ended March 31, 2011.
Covered POPs calculations based on 95.3M POPs for Leap and 98.7M POPs for MetroPCS |
SG&A Per
Covered POP 1Q09 1Q11
14
Leap currently operates in 65 markets and MetroPCS operates in 13
Relative quarterly spending varies depending on companies
respective market launch activities and
promotional efforts
Increased sales and marketing expense for Leap in 1Q09 due to market launch activities in
Philadelphia and Chicago
Increased promotional efforts for Leap in 3Q09 in response to competitive Boost Mobile
activity
Despite significant difference in number of markets, only a 6% average difference in SG&A
per covered POP over last four quarters
Source:
Leaps
and
MetroPCS
annual
reports
on
Form
10-K,
quarterly
reports
on
Form
10-Q
and/or
earnings
releases
for
the
periods
presented. |