PARETEUM Corp - Annual Report: 2018 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018

For the transition period from __________ to __________

001-35360

(Commission file No.)

PARETEUM CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

1185 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036

USA

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

+ 1 (212) 984-1096

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.   Yes  ¨  No  x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.   Yes  ¨  No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes  x  No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submit pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes  x  No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (17 CFR 229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes  ¨   No  x

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2018 was approximately $139 million based on the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on such date of $2.50 per share, as reported by the NYSE American LLC.

State the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common equity, as of the latest practicable date: As of March 18, 2019, there were 109,399,780 shares of common stock outstanding.

Pareteum Corporation

Form 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Note on Forward-Looking Statements

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Report, including the documents incorporated by reference in this Report, includes forward-looking statements.  We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events.   Our actual results may differ materially from those discussed herein, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are generally identified by words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. The statements that contain these or similar words should be read carefully because these statements discuss our future expectations, contain projections of our future results of operations or of our financial position, or state other “forward-looking” information. Pareteum Corporation believes that it is important to communicate our future expectations to our stockholders. However, there may be events in the future that we are not able to accurately predict or control. Forward-looking statements included in this Report or our other filings with the SEC include, but are not necessarily limited to, those relating to:

The foregoing does not represent an exhaustive list of risks. Please see “Risk Factors” for additional risks which could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, new risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all risks on our business or the extent to which any risk, or combination of risks, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements included in this Report are based on information available to us on the date of this Report. Except to the extent required by applicable laws or rules, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained throughout this Report.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

We maintain a corporate website with the address www.pareteum.com. We intend to use our website as a regular means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Such disclosures will be included on the website under the heading “News” and “Investors – Press Releases”. Accordingly, investors should monitor such portions of the website, in addition to following the Company’s press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and the webcasts.

We are not incorporating information contained in the website by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We make available, free of charge, through the website, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to these reports as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with, or furnishing such material to, the SEC.

Materials filed with the SEC can be read and copies made at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1 800 SEC 0330 for further information about the Public Reference Room. The SEC also maintains a website, www.sec.gov containing the reports, proxy and other information filed with the SEC. 

PART I

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, references to “Pareteum,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Pareteum Corporation, a Delaware corporation.

Item 1. Business Description

Overview

Pareteum Corporation (Nasdaq: TEUM) is a rapidly growing cloud software communications platform company with a mission - to connect every person and every(thing) ™.

Millions of people and devices are connected around the world using Pareteum’s global cloud software communications platform, enhancing their mobile experience. Pareteum unleashes the power of applications and mobile services, bringing secure, ubiquitous, scalable, and seamlessly available voice, video, SMS/text messaging, and data services to our customers, making worldwide communications services easily and economically accessible to everyone. By harnessing the value of our cloud communications platform, Pareteum serves enterprises, communications service providers, early stage innovators, developers, Internet-of-Things (“IoT”), and telecommunications infrastructure providers Pareteum envisions a new mobile communications experience imagining what will be, and delivering now.

With estimates of up to 30 billion devices to be managed and connected the total available market is astoundingly large. Service Providers, Brand Marketing Companies, Enterprise and Internet of Things providers use Pareteum to energize their growth and profitability through cloud communication services and complete turnkey solutions featuring relevant content, applications, and connectivity worldwide. To achieve this, Pareteum has developed, and added through its acquisition of Artilium plc, public limited company registered in England and Wales (“Artilium”) and iPass Inc., patent pending software platforms which are connected to 59 mobile networks in 80 counties using multiple different communications channels including mobile telephony, data, SMS, VOIP, OTT services – all over the world. Pareteum integrates all these disparate communications methods and services and brings them to life for customers and application developers, allowing communications to become value-added. This is a major strategic target for many industries, from legacy telecommunications providers to the disruptive technology and data enterprises of today and the future.

The vast majority of our platform is comprised of our self-developed software and intellectual property, which provides our customers with a great deal of flexibility in how they use our products now and in the future and allows us to be market driven in our future.  We have approximately 40 patents granted in relation to techniques and processes which support our cloud software and communications platform solutions.  Our platform services partners (technologies integrated into our cloud) include: HPE, IBM, Sonus, Oracle, Microsoft, NetNumber, Affirmed and other world class technology providers. 

Pareteum is a mission focused company empowering every person and every “thing” to be globally connected – ANY DEVICE, ANY NETWORK, ANYWHERE™. The Pareteum cloud communications platform targets large and growing sectors from IoT, Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO), Smart Cities, and Application developer markets - each in need of mobile platforms, management and connectivity. These sectors need Communications-Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS), which Pareteum delivers. Our solutions have received industry acclaim.

At Pareteum, our mission is to create an easily accessible open mobility system for the world. We believe that open software and interfaces for mobility and applications will create more innovation, economic freedom, and opportunity equality worldwide, just like the internet did for information.

The Pareteum Ecosystem

Our value proposition intersects with numerous applications and industries. It is our strong belief that no other company in the CPaaS market offers similarly broad value in such a comprehensive way. An easily accessible open mobility system for the world is difficult to get started because it requires a “network effect”. The network effect is an observable condition that yields increased value to the “new easily accessible open mobility system for the world”, and all users of the system as more users come on board. The essence of this point is that every communication – a transaction – requires both a sender and recipient who are willing to access and use the new system. We aim to provide the marketplace exchange on which these transactions take place, and will attract new users.

Innovative Use Cases

Many sectors, from traditional network operators to disruptive technology and data-driven companies have found many innovative use cases for our platforms. Beyond simply enabling communications between people and devices, the platforms of Pareteum enable:

In addition to the foregoing, as a result of certain acquisitions completed in October 2018 and February 2019, the Company has acquired certain intellectual property portfolios, which it now manages through various wholly-owned direct and indirect subsidiaries (the “Acquired IP Rights”). The Company utilizes patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere to protect the Acquired IP Rights.

One TEUM!

Having welcomed our TEUMates from Artilium and iPass into the group, we have immediately set about fully integrating our workforces, our technologies and our business processes to ensure that as the business grows the company’s growth rate and momentum is maintained and accelerated. We call these parallel initiatives the One Teum!

Business Model

At Pareteum, our mission is to create an easily accessible open mobility system for the world. We believe that open software and interfaces for communications services will create more innovation, economic freedom, and opportunity equality worldwide, just like the internet did for information.

However, an easily accessible open mobility system for the world is challenging to scale because it requires a “network effect”. The network effect is the principle that a service yields increased value as it grows. The essence of this point is that our business and our services will grow in value as we grow and scale. We aim to achieve that growth by providing the marketplace exchange on which these communications and transactions take place, and in doing so we attract new users and more customers.

To achieve our desired and rapid growth, we are using our managed services solutions as a launching pad from which to grow our Global Cloud Services Platform and Application Exchange & Developer Platform. This process is already well underway, including with our anchor customer Vodafone.

Go-to-Market and Growth Strategy

Pareteum is in fast-growth mode, which will be achieved through a combination of organic growth as well as targeted and accretive mergers & acquisitions, such as the recent acquisitions of Artilium and iPass, as well as others that will be identified from time to time.

Pareteum continues to win new long-term contractual business. We expect this pace to increase throughout 2019 and beyond. We see many new opportunities, including those that leverage our support of emerging technologies, which is at the heart of our identity management and payment systems integration plans.

Our focus is on selling and implementing new communications services and IoT opportunities as fast as possible, as the world of connected devices and people continues to rise on a daily basis.

We will measure our growth in the numbers of ‘Connections’ that we on-board to our platforms, be they SIM cards, handsets, devices, vehicles etc. As at December 31, 2018, we had approximately 4,609,000 connections, an increase of 252% over the end of the prior year.

Our go-to-market strategy uses a four-phase approach:

The phases described above are already being implemented, in parallel as far as possible, for the fastest most sustainable growth and this highlights our strategy for accelerating the world’s shift to an open mobility and application network. When we’re successful, it will accelerate the pace of innovation in the world, create more economic freedom, and provide better mobility services to billions of underserved people.

Employees & Leadership Team

As of December 31, 2018, the Company had 138 full-time employees worldwide.

Pareteum is led by its Executive Chairman and Principal Executive Officer, Robert H. Turner. He is supported by Victor Bozzo, Chief Executive Officer, and Denis McCarthy, President, working closely with Edward O’Donnell, Chief Financial Officer and Robert Mumby, Chief Revenue Officer.

The leadership team has many decades of combined experience in fast-growing telecoms, software and technology markets.

Research & Development

Pareteum’s research and development function ensures that its communications platforms grow in line with customer needs and technological advancement, and remain resilient, reliable and secure. We have announced innovation in e-commerce, machine learning and predictive analytics, and mobile gaming all supported by our growing Pareteum application exchange and development community. Enabling our CPaaS with identity management, transaction settlements and payment solutions greatly expands the opportunity for our customers and revenue streams for the Company. Product development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018 were $3,092,776 compared to $1,479,587 for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Intellectual Property

Pareteum relies on a combination of patents, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. The Company protects its brand and reputation through the exploitation of a number of registered and unregistered trademarks and service marks. Pareteum has two granted patents for inventions embedded in its communications platforms, and with the addition of Artilium and iPass has a patent portfolio of some 40 granted patents.

Pareteum further protects its intellectual property rights by requiring all its employees and independent contractors involved in the development of intellectual property to assign those rights to the Company, to the greatest extent permitted by applicable law.

Sales & Marketing

Pareteum has begun to publish and market self-service capabilities which will allow new customers to deploy our system capabilities such as adding mobility to their online applications in a seamless way, quickly all through published API’s from our community portals.

Customers

Pareteum manages a rigorous methodology from sale to revenue through its management of customer post-sale implementation and service delivery.

A team of customer advocates is assigned to each new contract and a multi-step process of handoff from sales to service is handled by this distinct team which is made up of experienced staff around the globe and supported by back office professionals throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin, America.

The Company has a significant customer and the loss of this customer could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial conditions. For the year ended December 31, 2018, this significant customer accounted for approximately 40% of our revenue.

Competitive Differentiation

The CPaaS market is moving quickly. The Company believes that the key competitive differentiators in the near-term will be:

Pareteum considers itself well placed to be judged on those criteria. The Company is confident that its network of global and international connectivity partners will enable it to access markets that currently are under-served and compete equally with larger competitors in mature markets. In addition, Pareteum is confident that few other players have the breadth of value-added services to complement the core connectivity platforms.

Nevertheless, some of our competitors have greater financial, technical and sales and marketing resources, as well as greater brand and market awareness, and consequently may be able to react more quickly to competitive pressures. As we execute on our growth strategies, and enter new markets, or disrupt markets and replace incumbents, we expect competition to become more intense.

One key tenet in our competitive strategy, however, is to actually lower the competitive barriers to market for new players (customers) to create new mobility and communications applications and businesses. We intend to disrupt existing markets and have the advantage of quick time-to-market for those newly enabled business models and opportunities. These include, for example:

Regulatory

Pareteum is subject to several U.S. federal and state and foreign laws and regulations that involve matters central to our business. These laws and regulations may involve privacy, data protection, intellectual property, telecommunications, trade and export sanctions or other subjects. Many of the laws and regulations to which we are subject are still evolving and may be tested or varied in courts and could be interpreted in ways that could harm our business. In addition, the application and interpretation of these laws and regulations often are uncertain, particularly in the new and rapidly evolving markets in which we operate. Because applicable international laws and regulations have continued to develop and evolve rapidly, it is possible that we or our products or our platform may not be, or may not have been, compliant with each such applicable law or regulation.

Corporate Information

Pareteum Corporation, a Delaware corporation, was originally formed in 2001 as Elephant Talk Communications Corp. as a result of a merger between Staruni Corporation (USA, 1962) and Elephant Talk Limited (Hong Kong, 1994).

In December 2011, the Company moved its listing from the OTCBB to the NYSE MKT (now known as the NYSE American) and its stock began trading at that time under the ticker symbol “ETAK”.

Following approval at the Company’s 2016 annual shareholder meeting, the Company was rebranded and formally renamed to Pareteum Corporation and on November 3, 2016, the Company started trading on the Exchange under the current ticker symbol “TEUM”. On October 23, 2018, the company moved its listing to Nasdaq under its current ticker symbol “TEUM”.

Pareteum currently has offices in North America, South America, Spain, Bahrain, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, Belgium, United Kingdom, Russia, Netherlands and India.

Pareteum®, the Pareteum logo, the strapline “to connect every person and every(thing)™” and other trademarks or service marks of Pareteum, as well as those trademarks or service marks of the Artilium and iPass group companies, which appear in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of Pareteum Corporation or its subsidiaries. Trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective holders.

Acquisitions

Acquisition of Artilium

On October 1, 2018 the Company completed its previously announced acquisition of all of the outstanding shares of Artilium plc, a public limited company registered in England and Wales (“Artilium”) effected by a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement between Artilium and the Artilium shareholders, whereby each Artilium ordinary shareholder received 0.1016 new shares of the Company’s common stock and 1.9 pence in cash (the “Artilium Acquisition”). In connection with the Artilium Acquisition, the Company issued an aggregate of 37,511,606 shares of the Company’s common stock to Artilium shareholders. At which time, the Company cancelled 3,200,332 shares of common stock that were held by Aritilium pre-acquisition, for a net of 34,311,115 newly-issued shares of the Company’s common stock. Following the Artilium Acquisition, Artilium operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and Artilium’s direct subsidiaries operate as indirect subsidiaries of the Company, wholly-owned by Artilium. Artilium is a software development company active in the enterprise communications and core telecommunications markets delivering software solutions which layer over disparate fixed, mobile and IP networks to enable the deployment of converged communications services and applications. 

Acquisition of iPass

On November 12, 2018, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “iPass Merger Agreement”) by and among the Company, iPass Inc. (“iPass”), and TBR, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“TBR”). Pursuant to the iPass Merger Agreement, TBR commenced an exchange offer (the “iPass Offer”) for all of the outstanding shares of iPass’ common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, for 1.17 shares of the Company’s common stock, together with cash in lieu of any fractional shares, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. The iPass offer and withdrawal rights expired at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on February 12, 2019, and promptly following such time TBR accepted for payment and promptly paid for all validly tendered iPass shares in accordance with the terms of the iPass Offer. In aggregate, the Company issued 9,867,041 shares of common stock to the iPass shareholders in March 2019. iPass is a leading provider of global mobile connectivity, offering simple, secure, always-on Wi-Fi access on any mobile device. Built on a SaaS platform, the iPass cloud-based service keeps its customers connected by providing unlimited Wi-Fi connectivity on unlimited devices. iPass is the world’s largest Wi-Fi network, with more than 68 million hotspots globally, at airports, hotels, train stations, convention centers, outdoor venues, inflight on more than 20 leading airlines, and more. 

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

An investment in our common stock is subject to risks inherent in our business.  Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all of the other information included in this report.  In addition to the risks and uncertainties described below, other risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.  The value or market price of our common stock could decline due to any of these identified or other risks, and you could lose all of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

The current economic climate, especially in Europe, may have an adverse effect in the markets in which we operate.

Much of our customers’ business is consumer driven, and to the extent there is a decline in consumer spending, our customers could experience a reduction in the demand for their services and consequently affect the demand for our services and a decrease in our revenues, net income and an increase in bad debts arising from non-payment of our trade receivables. The potential adverse effects of an economic downturn include:

Uncertainties and risks associated with international markets could adversely impact our international operations.

We have significant international operations in Europe, and to a lesser extent in the U.S., Middle East and elsewhere. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain the permits and operating licenses required for us to operate, obtain access to local transmission facilities on economically acceptable terms, or market services in international markets. In addition, operating in international markets generally involves additional risks, including unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, taxes, tariffs, customs, duties and other trade barriers, difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, problems in collecting accounts receivable, political risks, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, restrictions associated with the repatriation of funds, technology export and import restrictions, and seasonal reductions in business activity. Our ability to operate and grow our international operations successfully could be adversely impacted by these risks. 

We operate in a complex regulatory environment, and failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could adversely affect our business.

Our operations are subject to a broad range of complex and evolving laws and regulations. Because of our coverage in many countries, we must perform our services in compliance with the legal and regulatory requirements of multiple jurisdictions. Some of these laws and regulations may be difficult to ascertain or interpret and may change from time to time. Violation of such laws and regulations could subject us to fines and penalties, damage our reputation, constitute a breach of our client agreements, impair our ability to obtain and renew required licenses, and decrease our profitability or competitiveness. If any of these effects were to occur, our operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We may not be able to integrate new technologies and provide new services in a cost-efficient manner.

The telecommunications industry is subject to rapid and significant changes in technology, frequent new service introductions and evolving industry standards. We cannot predict the effect of these changes on our competitive position, our profitability or the industry generally. Technological developments may reduce the competitiveness of our networks and our software solutions and require additional capital expenditures or the procurement of additional products that could be expensive and time consuming. In addition, new products and services arising out of technological developments may reduce the attractiveness of our services. If we fail to adapt successfully to technological advances or fail to obtain access to new technologies, we could lose customers and be limited in our ability to attract new customers and/or sell new services to our existing customers. In addition, delivery of new services in a cost-efficient manner depends upon many factors, and we may not generate anticipated revenue from such services.

We may not be able to develop and successfully market our mobile telecommunications platform and services as planned.

Pareteum operates in an exceptionally competitive environment where there is continuous innovation and new development. We are required to be a top performer in over a dozen highly specialized domains to effectively compete with our competitors. Ongoing investments are required to stay ahead of the competition. The sales process for our platform and the deployment process may be complicated and very slow. We are highly dependent on convincing mobile network operators (“MNOs”) and mobile virtual network operators (“MVNOs”) to believe that outsourcing their requirements to us is the best way to go. We are exposed to business risks associated with turnkey projects and the scalability of our service and support organization. Although our policy is to avoid or minimize risks, it cannot be ruled out that in certain cases events occur that may seriously impact us and our performance.

Implementation and development of our software platform business depends on our ability to obtain adequate funding.

Our software platforms require ongoing funding to continue the current development and operational plans. Failure to obtain adequate financing will substantially delay our development, slow down current operations, result in loss of customers and adversely impact our results of operations. 

Disruptions in our networks and infrastructure may result in customer dissatisfaction, customer loss or both, which could materially and adversely affect our reputation and business.

Our systems are an integral part of our customers’ business operations. It is critical for our customers, that our systems provide a continued and uninterrupted performance. Customers may be dissatisfied by any system failure that interrupts our ability to provide services to them. Sustained or repeated system failures would reduce the attractiveness of our services significantly and could result in decreased demand for our services.

We face the following risks to our networks, infrastructure and software applications:

Disruptions may cause interruptions in service or reduced capacity for customers, either of which could cause us to lose customers and/or incur expenses, and thereby adversely affect our business, revenue and cash flow.

Integration of acquisitions ultimately may not provide the benefits originally anticipated by management and may distract the attention of our personnel from the operation of our business.

We strive to broaden our solutions offerings as well as to increase the number of subscribers hosted on our platforms, volume of voice and data that we carry over our existing global network in order to reduce transmission costs and other operating costs as a percentage of net revenue, improve margins, improve service quality and enhance our ability to introduce new products and services. Strategic acquisitions in desired markets play a part of our growth strategy, and we may pursue additional acquisitions in the future to further strengthen our strategic objectives. Acquisitions of businesses and customer lists involve operational risks, including the possibility that an acquisition may not ultimately provide the benefits originally anticipated by management. Moreover, we may not be successful in identifying attractive acquisition candidates, completing and financing additional acquisitions on favorable terms, or integrating the acquired business or assets into our own. There may be difficulty in integrating technologies and solutions, in migrating customer bases and in integrating the service offerings, distribution channels and networks gained through acquisitions with our own. Successful integration of operations and technologies requires the dedication of management and other personnel, which may distract their attention from the day-to-day business, the development or acquisition of new technologies, and the pursuit of other business acquisition opportunities. Therefore, successful integration may not occur in light of these factors.

Our revenue, earnings and profitability are affected by the length of our sales cycle, and a longer sales cycle could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our business is directly affected by the length of our sales cycle and strategic mobile partnership cycles with MNOs and other large enterprises. Our software platforms, outsourced solutions and value-added communication services, are relatively complex and their purchase may involve a significant commitment of mostly human capital, with attendant delays frequently associated with the allocation of substantial human resources and procurement procedures within an organization. The purchase of these types of products typically also requires coordination and agreement across many departments within a potential customer. Delays associated with such timing factors could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In periods of economic slowdown in the communications industry, which may recur in the current economic climate, our typical sales cycle may lengthen, which means that the average time between our initial contact with a prospective customer and the signing of a sales contract increases. The lengthening of our sales and strategic mobile partnership cycle could reduce growth in our revenue in the future.

Because most of our business is conducted outside the U.S., fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates versus the U.S. Dollar could adversely affect our results of operations.

Currently most of our net revenue, expenses and capital expenditures are derived and incurred from sales and operations outside the U.S., whereas the reporting currency for our consolidated financial statements is the U.S. Dollar (“USD”). The local currency of each country is the functional currency for each of our respective entities operating in that country, where the Euro is the predominant currency. Considering the fact that most income and expenses are not subject to relevant exchange rate differences, it is only at a reporting level that the translation needs to be made to the reporting unit of USD. In the future, we expect to continue to derive a significant portion of our net revenue and incur a significant portion of our operating costs outside the U.S., and changes in exchange rates have had and may continue to have a significant, and potentially distorting effect (either negative or positive) on the reported results of operations, not necessarily being the result of operations in real terms. Our primary risk of loss regarding foreign currency exchange rate risk is caused by fluctuations in the following exchange rates: USD/Euro.

We historically have not engaged in hedging transactions since we primarily operate in same currency countries, currently being the Euro (“EUR”). However, the operations of affiliates and subsidiaries in non-US countries have been funded with investments and other advances denominated in foreign currencies and more recently in USD. Historically, such investments and advances have been long-term in nature, and we have accounted for any adjustments resulting from currency translation as a charge or credit to accumulate other comprehensive loss within the stockholders’ deficit section of our consolidated balance sheets. Although we have not engaged in hedging so far, we continue to assess on a regular basis the possible need for hedging.

We are substantially smaller than our major competitors, whose marketing and pricing decisions, and relative size advantage, could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain customers and are likely to continue to cause significant pricing pressures that could adversely affect our net revenues, results of operations and financial condition.

Our services related to cloud-based communications software and information systems, outsourced solutions and value added communication services are subject to competitive pressure, and we expect competition to continue to increase. We compete with telecom solution providers, independent software and service providers and the in-house IT and network departments of communications companies as well as firms that provide IT services (including consulting, systems integration and managed services), software vendors that sell products for particular aspects of a total information system, software vendors that specialize in systems for particular communications services (such as Internet, land-line and mobile services, cable, satellite and service bureaus) and companies that offer software systems in combination with the sale of network equipment. Also, in this more fragmented market, larger players exist with associated advantages described earlier which we need to compete against.

We believe that our ability to compete depends on several factors, including:

A number of our competitors have long operating histories, large customer bases, substantial financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources, and strong name recognition. Current and potential competitors have established, and may establish in the future, cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties.

Our positioning in the marketplace as a smaller provider places a significant strain on our resources, and if not managed effectively, could result in operational inefficiencies and other difficulties.

Our positioning in the marketplace may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources, and increase demand on our systems and controls. To manage this position effectively, we must continue to implement and improve our operational and financial systems and controls, invest in development & engineering, critical systems and network infrastructure to maintain or improve our service quality levels, purchase and utilize other systems and solutions, and train and manage our employee base. As we proceed with our development, operational difficulties could arise from additional demand placed on customer provisioning and support, billing and management information systems, product delivery and fulfillment, sales and marketing and administrative resources. 

For instance, we may encounter delays or cost overruns or suffer other adverse consequences in implementing new systems when required. In addition, our operating and financial control systems and infrastructure could be inadequate to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting.

We could suffer adverse tax and other financial consequences if U.S. or foreign taxing authorities do not agree with our interpretation of applicable tax laws.

Our corporate structure is based, in part, on assumptions about the various tax laws, including withholding tax, and other relevant laws of applicable non-U.S. jurisdictions. Foreign taxing authorities may not agree with our interpretations or reach different conclusions. Our interpretations are not binding on any taxing authority and, if these foreign jurisdictions were to change or to modify the relevant laws, we could suffer adverse tax and other financial consequences or have the anticipated benefits of our corporate structure materially impaired.

We must attract and retain skilled personnel. If we are unable to hire and retain technical, technical sales and operational employees, our business could be harmed.

Our ability to manage our reorganization and growth will be particularly dependent on our ability to develop and retain an effective sales force and qualified technical and managerial personnel. We need software development specialists with in-depth knowledge of a blend of IT and telecommunications or with a blend of security and telecom. We intend to hire additional necessary employees, including software engineers, communication engineers, project managers, sales consultants, employees and operational employees, on a permanent basis. The competition for qualified technical sales, technical, and managerial personnel in the communications and software industry is intense in the markets where we operate, and we may not be able to hire and retain sufficient qualified personnel. In addition, we may not be able to maintain the quality of our operations, control our costs, maintain compliance with all applicable regulations, and expand our internal management, technical, information and accounting systems in order to support our desired growth, which could have an adverse impact on our operations. Volatility in the stock market and other factors could diminish our use, and the value, of our equity awards as incentives to employees, putting us at a competitive disadvantage or forcing us to use more cash compensation.

If we are not able to use and protect our intellectual property domestically and internationally, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our ability to compete depends, in part, on our ability to use intellectual property internationally. We rely on a combination of patents, copyright, trade secrets and confidentiality, trademarks and licenses to protect our intellectual property. There is limited protection under patent law to protect the source codes we developed or acquired on our platform. The copyright and know-how protection may not be sufficient. Our granted patents and pending patent applications may be challenged. We are also subject to the risks of claims and litigation alleging infringement of the intellectual property rights of others. The telecommunications industry is subject to frequent litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. We rely upon certain technology, including hardware and software, licensed from third parties. The technology licensed by us may not continue to provide competitive features and functionality. Licenses for technology currently used by us or other technology that we may seek to license in the future may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

We are dependent on one significant customer for our businesses and the loss of this customer could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

For the year ended December 31, 2018, we had one significant customer which accounted for 40% of our revenue. Although no other customer accounted for greater than 10% of our net sales during this period, other customers may account for more than 10% of our net sales in future periods. The loss, or reduction in services to, this significant customer or other discontinuation of their relationship with us for any reason, or if this significant customer reduces or postpones purchases that we expect to receive, it could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our success depends on our continued investment in research and development, the level and effectiveness of which could reduce our profitability.

We intend to continue to make investments in research and development and product development in seeking to sustain and improve our competitive position and meet our customers’ needs. These investments currently include streamlining our suite of software functionalities, including modularization and improving scalability of our integrated solutions. To maintain our competitive position, we may need to increase our research and development investment, which could reduce our profitability and cash flows. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will achieve a return on these investments, nor can we assure you that these investments will improve our competitive position or meet our customers’ needs.

Product defects or software errors could adversely affect our business.

Design defects or software errors may cause delays in product introductions and project implementations, damage customer satisfaction and may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our software systems are highly complex and may, from time to time, contain design defects or software errors that may be difficult to detect and correct. Because our products are generally used by our customers to perform critical business functions, design defects, software errors, misuse of our products, incorrect data from external sources or other potential problems within or outside of our control may arise during implementation or from the use of our products and may result in financial or other damages to our customers, for which we may be held responsible. Although we have license agreements with our customers that contain provisions designed to limit our exposure to potential claims and liabilities arising from customer problems, these provisions may not effectively protect us against such claims in all cases and in all jurisdictions. Our insurance coverage is not sufficient to protect against all possible liability for defects or software errors. In addition, as a result of business and other considerations, we may undertake to compensate our customers for damages caused to them arising from the use of our products, even if our liability is limited by a license or other agreement. Claims and liabilities arising from customer problems could also damage our reputation, adversely affecting our business, results of operations and the financial condition.

Political risks, including changes to United States tariff and import/export regulations may have a negative effect on our business.

There have been recent changes to United States trade policies, treaties and tariffs, including determinations made by the United States to reinstate or impose new sanctions levied by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) against certain nation states. The Company or its subsidiaries may engage in business with entities located in certain regions which may be impacted, directly or indirectly by such changes. If the Company is precluded as a result of changes to sanctions laws from doing business in certain jurisdictions or with certain entities, the loss of any related revenues could impact our business, results of operations and/or financial condition.

We have outstanding debt secured by all of the assets of the Company, including our intellectual property, and failure by us to fulfill our obligations under the applicable loan transaction agreements may cause the repayment obligations to accelerate.

In February 2019, we, and certain of our subsidiaries, entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with Post Road Administrative Finance, LLC and its affiliate Post Road Special Opportunity Fund I LLP (collectively, “Post Road”), pursuant to which Post Road will provide the Company with a secured loan of up to $50,000,000 (the “Loan”) with an initial loan of $25,000,000 funded on February 26, 2019, and additional loans in increments of $5,000,000 as requested by the Company before the 18 month anniversary of the initial funding date: provided however that no additional loans shall be funded until the later of delivery of certain third party consents (the “Consents”). The Credit Agreement provides for all amounts due on February 26, 2022 and requires us to meet and maintain within specified levels and thresholds with respect to financial and operational covenants, including: requirements to maintain a minimum of $2,000,000 of unrestricted cash, certain maximum total leverage rations, a debt-to-asset ratio, maximum churn rate and adjusted EBITDA. The Credit Agreement further provides customary events of default and cure periods for certain specified events of default, and in the event of uncured default, the acceleration of the maturity date, an increase in the applicable interest rate with respect to amounts outstanding under the Loan and payment of additional fees. The Credit Agreement also provides for an increase in the interest rate upon failure to timely deliver Consents by May 31, 2019 or July 31, 2019, as applicable. There can be no assurance that we will be able to perform and timely repay the amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement, and upon the occurrence of an event of default under the Credit Agreement, if we are not able to repay all outstanding amounts required, we would lose control over our assets, including our intellectual property, which would seriously harm our business and operations.

Risks Related to Our Industry

Changes in the regulation of the telecommunications industry could adversely affect our business, revenue or cash flow.

We operate in a heavily regulated industry. As a provider of communications technology, we are directly and indirectly subject to varying degrees of regulation in each of the jurisdictions in which we provide our services. Local laws and regulations, and the interpretation of such laws and regulations, differ significantly among the jurisdictions in which we operate. Enforcement and interpretations of these laws and regulations can be unpredictable and are often subject to the informal views of government officials. Certain European, foreign, federal, and state regulations and local franchise requirements have been, are currently, and may in the future be, the subject of judicial proceedings, legislative hearings and administrative proposals. Such proceedings may relate to, among other things, the rates we may charge for our local, network access and other services, the manner in which we offer and bundle our services, the terms and conditions of interconnection, unbundled network elements and resale rates, and could change the manner in which telecommunications companies operate. We cannot predict the outcome of these proceedings or the impact they will have on our business, revenue and cash flow.

There can be no assurance that future regulatory changes will not have a material adverse effect on us, or that regulators or third parties will not raise material issues regarding our compliance or noncompliance with applicable regulations, any of which could have a material adverse effect upon us. Potential future regulatory, judicial, legislative, and government policy changes in jurisdictions where we operate could have a material adverse effect on us. Domestic or international regulators or third parties may raise material issues regarding our compliance or noncompliance with applicable regulations, and therefore may have a material adverse impact on our competitive position, growth and financial performance.

The market for communications services is highly competitive and fragmented, and we expect competition to continue to increase.

We compete with independent software and service providers and with the in-house IT and network departments of communications companies. Our main competitors include firms that provide communications services and IT services (including consulting, systems integration and managed services), software vendors that sell products for particular aspects of a total information system, software vendors that specialize in systems for particular communications services (such as internet, wire line and wireless services, cable, satellite and service bureaus) and network equipment providers that offer software systems in combination with the sale of network equipment. We also compete with companies that provide digital commerce software and solutions. 

The telecommunications industry is rapidly changing, and if we are not able to adjust our strategy and resources effectively in the future to meet changing market conditions, we may not be able to compete effectively.

The telecommunications industry is changing rapidly due to deregulation, privatization, consolidation, technological improvements, availability of alternative services such as mobile, broadband, DSL, Internet, VOIP, and wireless DSL through use of the fixed wireless spectrum, and the globalization of the world’s economies. In addition, alternative services to traditional land-line services, such as mobile, broadband, Internet and VOIP services, have shown a competitive threat to our legacy land-line traffic business. If we do not continue to invest and exploit our contemplated plan of development of our communications information systems, outsourced solutions and value-added communication services to meet changing market conditions, or if we do not have adequate resources, we may not be able to compete effectively in providing technology solutions to our customers. The telecommunications industry is marked by the introduction of new product and service offerings and technological improvements. Achieving successful financial results will depend on our ability to anticipate, assess and adapt to rapid technological changes, and offer, on a timely and cost-effective basis, services including the bundling of multiple services into our technology platforms that meet evolving industry standards. If we do not anticipate, assess or adapt to such technological changes at a competitive price, maintain competitive services or obtain new technologies on a timely basis or on satisfactory terms, our financial results may be materially and adversely affected.

If we are not able to operate a cost-effective network, we may not be able to grow our business successfully.

Our long-term success depends on our ability to design, implement, operate, manage and maintain a reliable and cost-effective network. In addition, we rely on third parties to enable us to expand and manage our global network and to provide local, broadband Internet and mobile services.

Risks Related to Our Capital Stock

We could issue additional common stock, which might dilute the book value of our capital stock.

Our Board of Directors has authority, without action or vote of our stockholders, to issue all or a part of our authorized but unissued shares of common stock. Any such stock issuance could be made at a price that reflects a discount or a premium to the then-current trading price of our common stock. In addition, in order to raise future capital, we may need to issue securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for a significant amount of our common stock. These issuances, if any, would dilute your percentage ownership interest in the Company, thereby having the effect of reducing your influence on matters on which stockholders vote. You may incur additional dilution if holders of stock options, whether currently outstanding or subsequently granted, exercise their options, or if warrant holders exercise their warrants to purchase shares of our common stock. As a result, any such issuances or exercises would dilute your interest in the Company and the per share book value of the common stock that you owned, either of which could negatively affect the trading price of our common stock and the value of your investment.

Shares eligible for future sale may adversely affect the market for our common stock.

As of February 28, 2019, there are 6,788,122 options (including 2,167,000 granted in 2019) and 3,732,003 warrants to purchase shares of our common stock outstanding. All of the shares issuable from exercise have been registered and are freely traded. Options are exercisable at exercise prices between $1.00 and $67.50, the warrants are exercisable at exercise prices between $0.887 and $5.375. If and when these securities are exercised into shares of our common stock, the number of our shares of common stock outstanding will increase. Such increase in our outstanding shares, and any sales of such shares, could have a material adverse effect on the market for our common stock and the market price of our common stock.

In addition, from time to time, certain of our stockholders may be eligible to sell all or some of their shares of common stock by means of ordinary brokerage transactions in the open market pursuant to Rule 144, promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), subject to certain limitations. In general, pursuant to Rule 144, after satisfying a six month holding period: (i) affiliated stockholders (or stockholders whose shares are aggregated) may, under certain circumstances, sell within any three month period a number of securities which does not exceed the greater of 1% of the then outstanding shares of common stock or the average weekly trading volume of the class during the four calendar weeks prior to such sale and (ii) non-affiliated stockholders may sell without such limitations, provided that we are current in our public reporting obligations. Rule 144 also permits the sale of securities by non-affiliates that have satisfied a one year holding period without any limitation or restriction. Any substantial sale of our common stock pursuant to Rule 144 or pursuant to any resale prospectus may have a material adverse effect on the market price of our securities.

We have no dividend history and have no intention to pay dividends in the foreseeable future.

We have never paid dividends on or in connection with our common stock and do not intend to pay any dividends to common stockholders for the foreseeable future.

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2.  Description of Properties

We do not own any properties, but lease office space in the various countries for our shared service centers and lease data center locations for housing our equipment, applications and network interconnections to our customers and telecommunication network providers. 

Our office in the United States is located at 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 37^th Floor, New York, NY 10036. We lease this space pursuant to a lease which continues month to month with a monthly rent of $7,550. Our Pareteum office in The Netherlands is located at Hornweg 7, 1432 GD Aalsmeer, The Netherlands, wherefore the contract is automatically renewed every 6 months. The monthly fee for this contract is 348 EUR. The Artilium Dutch office is located at Soesterberg, Laan Blussé van oud Alblas 2a. We lease 500 square meters with a monthly rent of 5,119 EUR until 31 December 2020. Our Artilium Belgian offices are located at Bruges, Vaartdijkstraat 19. We lease this 580 square meters with a monthly rent of 10,397 EUR. The contract continues month by month and can be terminated with a 6-month notice. The main office is located at Rotselaar, Wingepark 5b. We lease 269 square meters with a monthly rent of 3,333 EUR until August 2025. The contract can be terminated every 3-year period with a 6-month notice. We rent a shop in Lommel, Michiel Jansplein 28, of 50 square meters with a monthly rent of 846 EUR. The contract can be terminated every 3-year period (first period ending 31 Dec 2019) with a 6-month notice. The Indonesian office for Artilium is located at the JDC Building 1st floor, Jalang Imam Bonjol 154-160, Semarang. We rent 33 square meters with a monthly rent of 708 EUR which continues year by year with a 1-month notice. The German office for Artilium is located at Lubeck, Maria-Goeppert Street 7. We lease 155 square meters with a monthly rent of 3,869 EUR. The contract continues month by month and can be terminated with a 9-month notice. In Spain we currently rent office space for Pareteum at Paratge Bujonis, 17220 Sant Feliu de Guixols, (Girona) Spain, at a monthly rent of 3,267 EUR. This contract continues on a month to month basis. In addition, the Company rents office space at Av. Dr. Severo Ochoa 36, 28100 Alcobendas, (Madrid) Spain. This contract also continues on a month to month basis for 2,040 EUR per month. The Company rents office space in Lehmedeh, Bahrain for 370 BHD per month. The contract is valid until December 2019. iPass currently leases approximately 25,000 square feet of space for iPass’s headquarters in Redwood Shores, California. iPass signed a lease renewal effective May 1, 2015, that expires in 2020. iPass also leases sales and support offices abroad in EMEA and Asia Pacific.

We also rent space for our telecom switches, servers and IT platforms at data centers (“co-locations”) at an aggregate monthly rent of $49,179. The various co-location spaces include: Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona, Oostkamp, Tongeren and other locations where our telecommunications equipment is located. 

We believe the facilities currently under rent are adequate for our present activities and those additional facilities are available on competitive market terms to provide for such future expansion of our operations as may be warranted.

Item 3.   Legal Proceedings 

We are involved in various claims and lawsuits incidental to our business.  In the opinion of management, the ultimate resolution of such claims and lawsuits will not have a material effect on our financial position, liquidity, or results of operations.

Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Part II

Item 5.  Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Since December 5, 2011, our common stock was listed for quotation on the Exchange under the symbol “ETAK.” As of November 1, 2016, our common stock began trading under the symbol “TEUM” on the Exchange.  The following table sets forth the high and low closing prices per share for each quarterly period from March 31, 2017 through December 31, 2018 as quoted on the Exchange and published by www.nasdaq.com. These quotations reflect prices between dealers and do not include retail mark-ups, mark-downs or commissions and may not reasonably represent actual transactions.

As of February 28, 2019, we had approximately 14,753 recorded holders of our common stock.

Dividends

We have not declared any cash dividends since inception and do not anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends is within the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, and other relevant factors. There are no restrictions that currently limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock other than those generally imposed by applicable state law. 

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

Other than as set forth below or as previously disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we did not sell any equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2018 in transactions that were not registered under the Securities Act. The issuance of such securities were made in transactions exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Rule 506 promulgated thereunder.

During the Company’s first fiscal quarter of 2018 ending March 31, 2018, the Company issued 47,937 unregistered shares of common stock in connection with the receipt of certain financial services, and 30,000 unregistered shares of common stock in connection with the receipt of certain investor relations services.

During the Company’s second fiscal quarter of 2018 ending June 30, 2018, the Company issued 13,400 unregistered shares of common stock in connection with the receipt of certain consulting services, and 45,000 unregistered shares of common stock in connection with the receipt of certain investor relations services.

During the Company’s third fiscal quarter of 2018 ending September 30, 2018, the Company issued 31,250 unregistered shares of common stock in connection with the receipt of certain advisory services.

During the Company’s fourth fiscal quarter of 2018 ending December 31, 2018, the Company issued 39,750 unregistered shares of common stock in connection with a certain settlement arrangement.

Item 6.  Selected Financial Data

We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined by Regulation S-K and as such, are not required to provide the information contained in this item pursuant to Regulation S-K.

Item 7.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes that appear elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical consolidated financial statements, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. See “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.

Business overview 

Pareteum Corporation (Nasdaq: TEUM) is a rapidly growing cloud software communications platform company with a mission - to connect every person and every(thing) ™.

Millions of people and devices are connected around the world using Pareteum’s global cloud software communications platform, enhancing their mobile experience. Pareteum unleashes the power of applications and mobile services, bringing secure, ubiquitous, scalable, and seamlessly available voice, video, SMS/text messaging, and data services to our customers, making worldwide communications services easily and economically accessible to everyone. By harnessing the value of our cloud communications platform, Pareteum serves enterprises, communications service providers, early stage innovators, developers, IoT, and telecommunications infrastructure providers Pareteum envisions a new mobile communications experience imagining what will be and delivering now.

With estimates of up to 30 billion devices to be managed and connected the total available market is astoundingly large. Service Providers, Brand Marketing Companies, Enterprise and Internet of Things providers use Pareteum to energize their growth and profitability through cloud communication services and complete turnkey solutions featuring relevant content, applications, and connectivity worldwide. To achieve this, Pareteum has developed, and added through its acquisition of Artilium and iPass, patent pending software platforms which are connected to 59 mobile networks in 80 counties using multiple different communications channels including mobile telephony, data, SMS, VOIP, OTT services – all over the world. Pareteum integrates all these disparate communications methods and services and brings them to life for customers and application developers, allowing communications to become value-added. This is a major strategic target for many industries, from legacy telecommunications providers to the disruptive technology and data enterprises of today and the future.

The vast majority of our platform is comprised of our self-developed software and intellectual property, which provides our customers with a great deal of flexibility in how they use our products now and in the future and allows us to be market driven in our future. We have approximately 40 patents granted in relation to techniques and processes which support our cloud software and communications platform solutions.  Our platform services partners (technologies integrated into our cloud) include: HPE, IBM, Sonus, Oracle, Microsoft, NetNumber, Affirmed and other world class As of October 1, 2018, the Company now includes Artilium plc, which operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Artilium is a software development company active in the enterprise communications and core telecommunications markets delivering software solutions which layer over disparate fixed, mobile and IP networks to enable the deployment of converged communication services and application technology providers. As of February 26, 2019, the Company now includes iPass Inc., which operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. iPass is a cloud-based service provider of global mobile connectivity, offering Wi-Fi access on any mobile device through its SaaS platform.

Pareteum is a mission focused company empowering every person and every “thing” to be globally connected – ANY DEVICE, ANY NETWORK, ANYWHERE™. The Pareteum cloud communications platform targets large and growing sectors from IoT (Internet of Things), Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO), Smart Cities, and Application developer markets - each in need of mobile platforms, management and connectivity. These sectors need Communications-Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS), which Pareteum delivers. Our solutions have received industry acclaim.

At Pareteum, our mission is to create an easily accessible open mobility system for the world. We believe that open software and interfaces for mobility and applications will create more innovation, economic freedom, and opportunity equality worldwide, just like the internet did for information.

Results of Operations

Although the majority of our cost base is carried out in Euros, we report our financial statements in U.S. dollars (“USD”). The conversion of Euros and USD leads to period-to-period fluctuations in our reported USD results arising from changes in the exchange rate between the USD and the Euro. Generally, when the USD strengthens relative to the Euro, it has an unfavorable impact on our reported revenue and income and a favorable impact on our reported expenses. Conversely, when the USD weakens relative to the Euro, it produces a favorable impact on our reported revenue and income, and an unfavorable impact on our reported expenses. The above fluctuations in the USD/Euro exchange rate therefore result in currency translation effects (not to be confused with real currency exchange effects), which impact our reported USD results and may make it difficult to determine actual increases and decreases in our revenue and expenses which are attributable to our actual operating activities. We carry out our business activities primarily in Euros, and we do not currently engage in hedging activities.

The following table shows the USD equivalent of the major currencies for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017:

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017

Revenue

Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $32,435,736, an increase of 18,888,229 or 139%, compared to $13,547,507 for the year ended December 31, 2017. This increase was mainly due to the Company’s focus on growing the mobile bundled services portion of the business which accounted for $11,380,870 of revenue for the full year of 2018, which is 35% of the total revenue for the year. Additionally, the Q4-2018 revenues from our newly acquired subsidiary Artilium contributed $5,171,680 of revenues.

In 2018, total billings were $33,120,530 of which $32,192,750 was recognized as revenue with the remainder of $927,780 deferred over the remaining contract period in accordance with ASC 606.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues includes origination, termination, network and billing charges from telecommunications operators, costs of telecommunications service providers, network costs, data center costs, facility cost of hosting network and equipment and cost in providing resale arrangements with long distance service providers, cost of leasing transmission facilities, international gateway switches for voice, data transmission services, and the cost of professional services of staff directly related to the generation of revenues, consisting primarily of employee-related costs associated with these services, including share-based compensation and the cost of subcontractors. Cost of revenues excludes depreciation and amortization.

Cost of revenues for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018 was $10,329,646, an increase of $6,646,037 or 180%, compared to $3,683,609 for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2017, this mainly due to the 139% increase in revenue and lower gross margin on revenue generated by Artilium.

Product Development

Product development costs consist primarily of salaries and related expenses, including share-based expenses, of employees involved in the development of the Company’s services, which are expensed as incurred. Costs such as database architecture, and Pareteum BOSS & IN platform development and testing are included in this function.

Costs incurred during the application development stage of internal-use software projects, such as those used in the Company’s operations, are capitalized in accordance with the accounting guidance for costs of computer software developed for internal use. Capitalized costs are amortized on a straight-line basis. When assigning useful lives to internal-use software, the Company considers the effects of obsolescence, competition, technology, and other economic factors. During the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company capitalized $1,258,085 and $696,401, respectively. The Artilium acquisition had no material effect on the 2018 capitalized software cost.

Product development expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 were $3,092,776 and $1,479,587, an increase of $1,613,189 or 109%, because of increased development on new products and newly acquired customers as well as acquisition of Artilium.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries and related expenses, including share-based expenses, for our sales and marketing staff, including commissions, payments to partners and marketing programs. Marketing programs consist of advertising, events, corporate communications and brand building.

Sales and marketing expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 were $3,161,234 and $1,575,069, respectively, an increase of $1,586,165 or 101%. The increase is due to additions to the sales force as well as the inclusion of the Artilium sales and marketing expenses.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses are our largest cost and consist primarily of salaries and related expenses, including share-based compensation, for non-employee directors, finance and accounting, legal and human resources personnel, legal costs, professional fees and other corporate expenses.

General and administrative expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 were $17,808,912 and $10,097,027, respectively, an increase of $7,711,885 or 76%.

General and administrative expenses increased by $7,711,885 primarily due to increased non-cash compensation, the increase of staff following the increase of revenues and the addition in Q4-2018 of Artilium, which added an additional $2,024,932 of general and administrative expenses, which the Company will actively look to decrease through identified synergies as a result of the acquisition.

Restructuring and Acquisition Costs

Restructuring charges for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 were $213,605 and $966,292, a decrease of $752,687 or 78%. The Acquisitions costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 were $7,045,226, There were no acquisition costs in 2017.The restructuring plan, which commenced in the fourth quarter of 2015, was designed to align actual expenses and investments with current revenues and continued after the acquisition of Artilium.

Share-based Compensation

Share-based compensation is comprised of:

For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, we recognized share-based compensation expense of $6,582,286 and $4,289,033, respectively, an increase of $2,293,253 or 54%.

In the following table we show the allocation of share-based compensation according to functions in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss:

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $5,427,029, an increase of $893,920 or 20%, compared to $4,533,109 for the same period in 2017. The increase is due to a full year of depreciation on the assets capitalized in 2017 and incremental depreciation on capitalized assets and intangible assets for 2018.

Interest Income and Expense

Interest income for the twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $184,511 and $172,253, respectively, an increase of $12,258 or 7%. Interest income consists of interest received on bank balances and interest charged to customers for extended payment terms.

Interest expense for the twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, was $308,742 and $1,654,418, respectively, a decrease of $1,345,676 or 81%, as a result of the conversion of debt during 2018 into equity after renegotiating the terms of the convertible note. 

Interest Expense Related to Debt Discount and Conversion Feature

For the twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, interest expenses related to debt discount and conversion feature were $184,308 and $3,408,735, respectively, a decrease of $3,224,427 or 95%.

The decrease in the twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2018 compared to 2017 was mainly caused by the accelerated amortization as a result of the repayment of the senior secured debt in 2017.

Changes in Fair Value of Derivative Liabilities 

Change in Fair Value of Conversion Feature and Warrant Liability

On December 18, 2015, the Company consummated a closing and on March 14, 2016, the Company consummated the last of twelve closings of its private placement offering of units (“Units”) to “accredited investors” (defined in Rule 501(a) of the Securities Act) as part of a “best efforts” private placement offering of up to $4,200,000 consisting of up to 140 Units, each Unit consisting of: (i) one 9% unsecured subordinated convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $30,000 (each a “Note” and collectively the “Notes”), which is convertible into shares (the “Note Shares”) of common stock of the Company at the option of the holder at a conversion price of $7.50 per share, subject to certain exceptions; and (ii) a five-year warrant (each a “Warrant” and collectively, the “Warrants”). The Notes contains elements which require liability accounting for the conversion feature. During the second quarter of 2017, the Company negotiated with the Note holders to eliminate any condition responsible for the need of derivative accounting. This resulted in the calculation of the fair value as per the agreement date of the elimination of such feature and the subsequent accounting for the allocation of the remaining liability value towards extinguishment of debt and change in fair value of the conversion feature. Such renegotiations did not include the “Saffelberg Note.”

During the third quarter of 2018 we renegotiated and settled the remaining “Saffelberg Note”, the settlement resulted in the elimination of the derivative liability on the note and resulted in a combined revaluation gain of $1,283,914 for 2018, compared to a gain of $794,691 in 2017.

In the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company realized a gain on the extinguishment of debt of $163,835 as a result of the removal of the derivative liability that was associated with the senior secured debt. The amount was included in the consolidated statement of cash flows in the non-cash financing activities from amendments to fair market value adjustments to warrants liabilities and convertible feature liability.

The senior secured debt for which carried the derivative liability was completely paid in December of 2017. The company carried no senior secured debt and had no derivative liabilities for the full year ended December 31, 2018.

Other Income and (expense), net

Other income and (expense), net is income generated from non-operating activities and for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018 was $577,538 compared to $705,140 for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2017. As to both 2018 and 2017, the majority is caused by the realized exchange rate gains.

Amortization of Deferred Finance Costs

For the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2018, there was an amount of $28,711 as amortization of deferred finance costs, compared to a $341,354 for period ended December 31, 2017, a decrease of $312,643. The $341,354 in 2017 was the result of the accelerated amortization after voluntary conversion of 9% Unsecured Convertible notes.

Provision for Income Taxes

Income tax benefit for the twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2018 was a benefit of $(143,840), compared to a provision for income taxes of $107,205 for the same period in 2017. This change was due to the deferred tax liability included in the Artilium acquisition.

Net Loss

Net loss for the twelve months’ period ended December 31, 2018, was $12,974,650, an increase in loss of $511,671 or 4%, compared to the loss of $12,462,979 for the same period in 2017.

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

We record foreign currency translation gains and losses as part of other comprehensive income (loss), which amounted to a gain as of December 31, 2018 of $5,911, compared to a loss of $1,219,782 for the year ended December 31, 2017, an improvement of $1,225,693. The 2017 effect was is primarily attributable to the translation effect resulting on fixed assets held by our subsidiaries.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, the Company reported net losses of $12,974,650 and $12,462,979 for the years ended 2018 and 2017, respectively, and had an accumulated deficit of $312,625,383 as of December 31, 2018 and $299,543,213 as of December 31, 2017.

The cash balance including restricted cash and cash of the Company at December 31, 2018 was $6,482,364. The incremental equity raised during the fourth quarter provided vital liquidity in the short term.

In February 2019, the Company, and certain of our subsidiaries, entered into a credit agreement with Post Road, pursuant to which Post Road will provide the Company with a secured loan of up to $50,000,000 with an initial loan of $25,000,000 funded on February 26, 2019.

Operating Activities

The net cash used in operating activities of $7,661,739 for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to net cash used in operating activities of $2,616,160 in 2017 increased by $5,045,579. Operating activities decreased primarily as a result of an increase in the add back of several items such as the amortization of deferred financing costs, stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization and change in fair value of warrant liability.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities for year ended December 31, 2018 was $11,956,478 an increase of $11,234,655 or 1,586%, compared to $721,823 net cash used in investing activities in 2017. This increase is a result of the acquisition of Artilium this year, capitalized software which amounted to $3,403,071, which includes $2,000,000 in software licenses.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $12,304,660, compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $15,859,090 for the year ended December 31, 2017. Financing activities decreased as a result of paying off all senior secured debt and equity raises in 2017.

As a result of the above activities, we had a cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $6,482,364 as of December 31, 2018 compared to $13,737,675 as of December 31, 2017, a net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $7,255,311.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have either a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors, nor we have any relationships with unconsolidated organizations or financial partnerships, such as structured finance or special purpose entities that would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.

Application of Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Revenue Recognition and Net billings in excess of revenues

Revenue represents amounts earned for (non-software) arrangements consisting of hosting subscriptions for mobile and security solutions. We also offer customer support and professional services related to implementing and supporting our suite of applications. Revenues generally are recognized net of any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to governmental authorities.

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09 (Topic 606) "Revenue from Contracts with Customers." Topic 606 supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605 “Revenue Recognition” (Topic 605), and requires entities to recognize revenue when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. We adopted Topic 606 as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method.

Adoption of ASC Topic 606, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers"

On January 1, 2018, we adopted Topic 606 using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606.

We recorded a net increase to opening retained earnings of $107,520 as of January 1, 2018 due to the cumulative impact of adopting Topic 606, with the impact primarily related to our installation revenues that were previously deferred for which the performance obligation was determined to be complete as of the date of adoption.

Monthly Service Revenues

The Company’s performance obligations in a monthly Software as a Service (SaaS) and service offerings are simultaneously received and consumed by the customer and therefore, are recognized over time. For recognition purposes, we do not unbundle such services into separate performance obligations. The Company typically bills its customer at the end of each month, with payment to be received shortly thereafter. The fees charged may include a combination of fixed and variable charges with the variable charges tied to the number of subscribers or some other measure of volume. Although the consideration may be variable, the volumes are estimable at the time of billing, with “true-up” adjustments occurring in the subsequent month. Such amounts have not been historically significant.

Installation and Software Development Revenues

The Company’s other revenues consist generally of installation and development projects.

Installation represents the activities necessary for a customer to obtain access and connectivity to the Company’s monthly SaaS and service offerings. While installation may require separate phases, it represents one promise within the context of the contract.

Development consists of programming and other services to add new, additional or customized functionality to a customer’s existing service offerings. Each development activity is typically its own performance obligation.

Revenue is recognized over time if the installation and development activities create an asset that has no alternative use for which the Company is entitled to receive payment for performance completed to date. If not, then revenue is not recognized until the applicable performance obligation is satisfied.

Arrangements with Multiple Performance Obligations

The Company’s contracts with customers may include multiple performance obligations. For such arrangements, the Company allocates revenue to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. The Company generally determines standalone selling prices based on the prices charged to customers.

Net Billings in Excess of Revenues

The Company records net billings in excess of revenues when payments are made in advance of our performance, including amounts which are refundable. Net billings in excess of revenues was $927,780 as of December 31, 2018, an increase of $684,794, as compared to $242,986 for December 31, 2017.

Payment terms vary by the type and location of our customer and the products or services offered. The term between invoicing and when payment is due is not significant. For certain products or services and customer types, payment is required before the products or services are delivered to the customer.

Contract Assets

Given the nature of the Company’s services and contracts, it has no contract assets.

Beginning in 2013, when our business was transitions form the landline business to the mobile and security solutions business, the Company entered multiple element arrangements which are accounted in accordance with ASC 605 “Revenue Recognition-Multiple Element Arrangements” for revenue recorded prior to the adoption of ASC Topic 606 “Revenue for Customers with Contracts”.

The elements in a multiple element arrangement are identified and are separated into separate units of accounting when both of the following criteria are met: The delivered item or items have value to the customer on a stand-alone basis, meaning the delivered item or items have value on a standalone basis if it sold separately by any vendor or the customer could resell the delivered item or items on a stand-alone basis. And if the arrangement includes a general right of return related to the delivered item, delivery or performance of the undelivered item or items are considered probably and substantially in the control of the Company. Total consideration of a multiple-element arrangement is then allocated using the relative selling price method using the hierarchy prescribed in ASC 605. In accordance with that hierarchy if fair value of the vendor specific objective evidence (VSOE) or, third-party evidence (TPE) does not exist for the element, then the best estimated selling price (BESP) is used.

Since the Company has neither VSOE nor TPE, the Company determines BESP for all deliverables in their hosting arrangements. In determining the BESP, the Company considers multiple factors which include, and are not limited to, the following: (i) gross margin objectives and internal costs for services; (ii) pricing practices, market conditions; (iii) competitive landscape; and (iv) growth strategy.

Accordingly, management’s judgment is applied regarding, among other aspects, conformance with acceptance criteria and if delivery of services has occurred and the degree of completion.

In the paragraphs below, we explain the revenue recognition policy for each element.

For the mobile solutions services the Company recognizes revenues from customers accessing our cloud-based application suite in two different service offerings, namely managed services and bundled services.

For managed services, revenues are recognized for network administration services provided to end users on behalf of Mobile Network Operators (MNO) and virtual Mobile Network Operators (MVNO’s). Managed service revenues are recognized monthly based on an average number of end-users managed and calculated on a pre-determined service fee per user. For bundled services, the Company provides both network administration as well as mobile airtime management services. Revenues for bundled services are recognized monthly based on an average number of end-users managed and mobile air time and calculated based on a pre-determined service fee. Technical services that meet the criteria to be separated as a separate unit of accounting are recognized as the services are performed. Otherwise they are deferred and recognized over the contract term. Our arrangements with customers do not provide the customer with the right to take possession of the software supporting the cloud-based application service at any time.

Telecommunication revenues were recognized when delivery occurred based on a pre-determined rate and number of user minutes and number of calls that the Company has managed in a given month.

Professional services and other revenue include fees from consultation services to support the business process mapping, configuration, data migration, integration and training. Amounts that have been invoiced are recorded in accounts receivable and in net billings in excess of revenues or revenue, depending on whether the revenue recognition criteria have been met. Revenue for professional and consulting services in connection with an implementation or implantation of a new customer that is deemed not to have stand-alone value is recognized over the contractual period commencing when the subscription service is made available to the customer. Revenue from other professional services that provide added value such as new features or enhancements to the platform that are deemed to have standalone value to the customer or are sold separately from the original hosting arrangement, are deferred and revenue recognition occurs when the feature is activated.

The Company used revenue recognition standards for ASC 605 for the year ended December 31, 2017 and adopted the revenue recognition standards for ASC 606 beginning on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method and applied these standards for the full year ended December 31, 2018.

Cost of service and Operating Expenses

Cost of service includes origination, termination, network and billing charges from telecommunications operators, costs of telecommunications service providers, network costs, data center costs, facility cost of hosting network and equipment and cost in providing resale arrangements with long distance service providers, cost of leasing transmission facilities, international gateway switches for voice, data transmission services, and the cost of professional services of staff directly related to the generation of revenues, consisting primarily of employee-related costs associated with these services, including share-based expenses and the cost of subcontractors. Cost of service excludes depreciation and amortization.

Share-based Compensation

The Company follows the provisions of ASC 718 “Compensation-Stock Compensation”, using the prospective approach. As a result, we recognize share-based compensation expense for only those awards that are granted subsequent to December 31, 2005 and any previously existing awards that are subject to variable accounting, including certain share options that were exercised with convertible notes in 2003, until the awards are exercised, forfeited, or contractually expire in accordance with the prospective method and the transition rules of ASC 718. Under ASC 718, share-based awards granted after December 31, 2005, are recorded at fair value as of the grant date and recognized as expense over the employee’s requisite service period (the vesting period, generally three years), which the Company amortizes on a straight-line basis.

For both the long-term contractors and advisory board members, we recognize the guidance for share-based compensation awards to non-employees in accordance with ASC 505-50 “Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees” (“ASC 505-50”). Under ASC 505-50, we determine the fair value of the options or share-based compensation awards granted as either the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instruments issued, whichever is more reliably measurable.

Share-based compensation (cash and non-cash) related to equity plans for employees and non-employee directors are included within our cost of revenues and operating expenses.

Business Combinations

We generally recognize the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any non-controlling interests in an acquirer at their fair values as of the date of acquisition, under the purchase method of accounting. We measure goodwill as the excess of consideration transferred, which we also measure at fair value, over the net of the acquisition date fair values of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The acquisition method of accounting requires us to exercise judgment and make significant estimates and assumptions regarding the fair values of the elements of a business combination as of the date of acquisition, including the fair values of identifiable intangible assets, deferred tax asset valuation allowances, liabilities related to uncertain tax positions, and contingencies. This method also requires us to refine these estimates over a one-year measurement period to reflect new information obtained about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date that, if known, would have affected the measurement of the amounts recognized as of that date. If we are required to retroactively adjust provisional amounts that we have recorded for the fair value of assets and liabilities in connection with acquisitions, these adjustments could materially decrease our operating income and net income and result in lower asset values on our balance sheet.

Significant estimates and assumptions that we must make in estimating the fair value of acquired technology, customer lists, and other identifiable intangible assets include future cash flows that we expect to generate from the acquired assets. If the subsequent actual results and updated projections of the underlying business activity change compared with the assumptions and projections used to develop these values, we could record impairment charges. In addition, we have estimated the economic lives of certain acquired assets and these lives are used to calculate depreciation and amortization expense. If our estimates of the economic lives change, depreciation or amortization expenses could be accelerated or slowed. 

Intangible Assets and Impairment of Long Lived Assets

In accordance with ASC 350, intangible assets are carried at cost less accumulated amortization and impairment charges. Intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected useful lives of the assets, between three and ten years. Other intangible assets are reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC 350, on an annual basis, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Measurement of any impairment loss for long-lived assets and identifiable intangible assets that management expects to hold and use is based on the amount of the carrying value that exceeds the fair value of the asset. This is a critical accounting policy because of the judgement and estimates involved.

Impact of Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” (“ASU 2016-13”) which requires measurement and recognition of expected versus incurred credit losses for financial assets held. ASU 2016-13 is effective for the Company’s annual and interim reporting periods beginning January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted on January 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on its consolidated financial statements; however at the current time the Company has not determined what impact the adoption will have on its consolidated financial statements, financial condition or results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU 2016-09”). The updated guidance changes how companies account for certain aspects of share-based payment awards to employees, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The update to the standard was effective for the Company’s annual and interim reporting periods beginning January 1, 2017. The Company has evaluated the impact of ASU 2016-09 on its consolidated financial statements and has determined that the impact of adopting of ASU 2016-09 did not have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements, financial condition or results of operations.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). This update outlines a new, single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. This new revenue recognition model provides a five-step analysis in determining when and how revenue is recognized. The new model will require revenue recognition to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration a company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. ASU 2014-09 is now effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. We adopted Topic 606 as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. This update requires expanded disclosures relating to the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. Additionally, qualitative and quantitative disclosures are required for customer contracts, significant judgments and changes in judgments, and assets recognized from the costs to obtain or fulfill a contract.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” (ASU 2016-02), which together with subsequent amendments, modified lessee accounting guidance under Topic 840. This ASU requires the Company to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leases with terms of more than twelve months. This ASU also requires disclosures enabling the users of financial statements to understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This new standard will become effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 (including interim reporting periods within those periods). Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company will adopt the new standard in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2019 using the optional transition method allowed by ASU 2018-11. The Company will elect not to reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, not to reassess the lease classification for any expired or existing leases, not to reassess initial direct costs for any existing leases, and not to separate non-lease components from lease components and instead account for each separate lease component and the non-lease components associated with that lease component as a single lease component for new or modified leases. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to a material effect on its financial statements for existing leases as of January 1, 2019. However, as a result of the iPass acquisition, the Company expects to record a Right of Use asset and related liability for the existing iPass leases subject to ASU 2016-02.

In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-01, “Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10).” ASU 2016-01 enhances the reporting model for financial instruments to provide users of financial statements with more decision-useful information by addressing certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. The amendments simplify certain requirements and also reduce diversity in current practice for other requirements. ASU 2016-01 is effective for public companies’ fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Except for the early application guidance specifically allowed in ASU 2016-01, early adoption is not permitted. The Company has determined that there was no material effect as a result of the adoption of ASU 2016-01 on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force.” This standard requires restricted cash and cash equivalents to be included with cash and cash equivalents on the statement of cash flows under the retrospective transition approach. The guidance will become effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has retrospectively adopted this standard and the effects of the adoption including restricted cash and cash equivalents with cash and cash equivalents are reflected on the statement of the cash flows.

Item 7A.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined by regulation S-K and as such, are not required to provide the information contained in this item pursuant to regulation S-K.  

Item 8.  Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Pareteum Corporation

AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Pareteum Corporation 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Pareteum Corporation and its subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit) and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements (collectively, the financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (Untied States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013. Our report dated March 18, 2019 expressed an opinion that the Company had not maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018 based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2014.

Los Angeles, California

March 18, 2019

Pareteum Corporation and Subsidiaries

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2018 AND 2017

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

Pareteum Corporation and Subsidiaries

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018 AND 2017

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Pareteum Corporation and Subsidiaries

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

Pareteum Corporation and Subsidiaries

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018 AND 2017

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

Note 1. Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business

Pareteum has developed a Communications Cloud Services Platform, providing (i) Mobility, (ii) Messaging and (iii) Security services and applications, with a Single-Sign-On, API and software development suite.

Pareteum has developed a Communications Cloud Services Platform, providing (i) Mobility, (ii) Messaging and (iii) Security services and applications, with a Single-Sign-On, API and software development suite. The Pareteum platform hosts integrated IT/Back Office and Core Network functionality for mobile network operators, and for enterprises implement and leverage mobile communications solutions on a fully outsourced SaaS, PaaS and/or IaaS basis: made available either as an on-premise solution or as a fully hosted service in the Cloud depending on the needs of our customers. Pareteum also delivers an Operational Support System (“OSS”) for channel partners, with Application Program Interfaces (“APIs”) for integration with third party systems, workflows for complex application orchestration, customer support with branded portals and plug-ins for a multitude of other applications. These features facilitate and improve the ability of our channel partners to provide support and to drive sales. As of October 1, 2018, the Company now includes Artilium plc, which operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Artilium is a software development company active in the enterprise communications and core telecommunications markets delivering software solutions which layer over disparate fixed, mobile and IP networks to enable the deployment of converged communication services and applications.  As of February 26, 2019, the Company now includes iPass Inc., which operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. iPass is a cloud-based service provider of global mobile connectivity, offering Wi-Fi access on any mobile device through its SaaS platform.

Liquidity

As reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, the Company reported net loss of $12,974,650 and $12,462,979 for the years ended 2018 and 2017, respectively, and had an accumulated deficit of $312,625,383 as of December 31, 2018. The cash balance including restricted cash of the Company at December 31, 2018 was $6,482,364.

Management has evaluated the Company’s Going Concern risk as the Company continues to operate on an annual basis at a loss for the past several years and has also been operating cash flow negative during those years.

During 2018, Pareteum raised over $6.1 million primarily through the sale of common stock equivalents and an additional $6.1 million cash exercise or exchange of warrants.

As of December 31, 2018, and currently Pareteum has no Senior Secured Debt, having paid off the Senior Secured Loan balance of $7.64 million during Q4 2017. The repayment of the debt freed up over $100,000 of interest and fees that were paid each month to the senior secure lender in addition to the debt service. The Company did not enter any debt or line of credit arrangements in 2018. A credit facility of up to $50 million was secured on February 26, 2019 and $25 million of debt proceeds was received by the company of which $11 million was used to pay off the Fortress debt from the iPass acquisition, which closed on February 12, 2019. Professional fees related to this transaction were $1.7 million, leaving the Company with $12.3 million in cash from the initial $25 million is debt proceeds.

Equity or Debt Financing

On December 31, 2018, we had $6,482,364 in cash and restricted cash. Based on our current expectations with respect to our revenue and expenses, we expect that our current level of cash and cash equivalents should be sufficient to meet our liquidity needs for the next twelve months. If our revenues do not grow as expected and if we are not able to manage expenses sufficiently, we may be required to obtain additional equity or debt financing. Although we have previously been able to attract financing as needed, such financing may not continue to be available at all, or if available, on reasonable terms as required. Further, the terms of such financing may be dilutive to existing shareholders or otherwise on terms not favorable to us or existing shareholders. If we are unable to secure additional financing, as circumstances require, or do not succeed in meeting our sales objectives, we may be required to change or significantly reduce our operations or ultimately may not be able to continue our operations.

Dawson James Public Offering

On May 9, 2018, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with select accredited investors relating to a registered direct offering, issuance and sale of an aggregate of 2,440,000 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $2.50 per share for gross proceeds before deducting estimated offering expenses of $6,100,002. The shares were issued pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 9, 2016, as amended October 21, 2016 and November 10, 2016 and declared effective November 14, 2016. Dawson James Securities, Inc. (the “Placement Agent”) acted as placement agent on a best-efforts basis in connection with the offering, pursuant to a placement agency agreement that was entered into on May 9, 2018. We also agreed to pay the Placement Agent a commission, to reimburse the Placement Agent’s out-of-pocket expenses, to issue the Placement Agent, in a private transaction, a warrant to purchase 122,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price equal to 125% of the offering price per share, and to indemnify the Placement Agent against certain liabilities.

Artilium Acquisition

On October 1, 2018 we completed our previously announced Artilium Acquisition. In connection with the Artilium Acquisition, the Company issued an aggregate of 37,511,447 shares of the Company’s common stock to Artilium shareholders. At which time, the Company cancelled 3,200,332 shares of common stock that were held by Aritilium pre-acquisition, for a net of 34,311,115 newly-issued shares of the Company’s common stock. Following the Artilium Acquisition, Artilium operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and Artilium’s direct subsidiaries operate as indirect subsidiaries of the Company, wholly-owned by Artilium. Artilium is a software development company active in the enterprise communications and core telecommunications markets delivering software solutions which layer over disparate fixed, mobile and IP networks to enable the deployment of converged communications services and applications. 

iPass Acquisition

On November 12, 2018, we entered into the iPass Merger Agreement by and among iPass, and TBR. Pursuant to the iPass Merger Agreement, TBR commenced the iPass Offer for all of the outstanding shares of iPass’ common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, for 1.17 shares of the Company’s common stock, together with cash in lieu of any fractional shares, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. The iPass offer and withdrawal rights expired at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on February 12, 2019, and promptly following such time TBR accepted for payment and promptly paid for all validly tendered iPass shares in accordance with the terms of the iPass Offer. In aggregate, the Company issued 9,867,041 shares of common stock to the iPass shareholders in March 2019. iPass is a leading provider of global mobile connectivity, offering simple, secure, always-on Wi-Fi access on any mobile device. Built on a software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) platform, the iPass cloud-based service keeps its customers connected by providing unlimited Wi-Fi connectivity on unlimited devices. iPass is the world’s largest Wi-Fi network, with more than 68 million hotspots globally, at airports, hotels, train stations, convention centers, outdoor venues, inflight on more than 20 leading airlines, and more.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Pareteum and its subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“US GAAP”). All intercompany transactions and account balances have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company’s subsidiaries are:

• its wholly owned subsidiary Pareteum North America Corp. with its wholly owned subsidiary, Pareteum UK Ltd.;

• its wholly owned subsidiary Pareteum Asia PTE. Ltd.;

• its wholly owned subsidiary TBR Inc. (special purpose vehicle for iPass acquisition);

• its wholly-owned subsidiary Pareteum Europe B.V. (fka Elephant Talk Europe Holding B.V.) and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Elephant Talk Mobile Services B.V., Elephant Talk PRS Netherlands BV, Elephant Talk Deutschland GmbH (dormant), Elephant Talk Middle East & Africa (Holding) W.L.L., Elephant Talk Luxembourg SA (dormant), Guangzhou Elephant Talk Information Technology Limited (dormant), Elephant Talk Communications Italy S.R.L. (dormant), Elephant Talk Business Services W.L.L., Elephant Talk Middle East & Africa (Holding) Jordan L.L.C. (dormant).;

• its wholly owned Elephant Talk Communications Holding AG and its wholly owned subsidiaries Pareteum Spain SLU and ETC Carrier Services GmbH.;

• Pareteum Europe B.V. majority-owned subsidiaries Elephant Talk Bahrain W.L.L. (99%), ET de Mexico S.A.P.I. de C.V. (99.998%), ET-UTS NV; (51%) and LLC Pareteum (Russia) (50%) Elephant Talk;

• Elephant Talk Telecomunicação do Brasil LTDA, is owned 90% by Pareteum Europe B.V. and 10% by Elephant Talk Communication Holding AG;

• its wholly-owned subsidiary Elephant Talk Limited (“ETL”) and its wholly owned ET Guangdong Ltd. and its majority owned (50.54%) subsidiary Elephant Talk Middle East & Africa FZ-LLC.;

• Asesores Profesionales ETAK S. de RL. de C.V. is owned 99% by Pareteum Europe B.V.; and

• its wholly owned subsidiary Artilium Group Ltd. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Artilium NV, Speak UP BVBA, Ello Mobile BVBA, Artilium UK Ltd., Comsys Telecom & Media BV, Portalis BV, Comsys Connect GmbH, United Telecom N.V., Talking Sense BVBA, Wbase Comm. V, Artilium Trustee Company Limited, Comsys Connect BV, Livecom International BV, Comsys Connect AG and United Telecom BV.

Foreign Currency Translation

The functional currency is Euros for the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Pareteum Europe B.V. and its subsidiaries. The financial statements of the Company were translated to USD using period-end exchange rates as to assets and liabilities and average exchange rates as to revenues and expenses, and capital accounts were translated at their historical exchange rates when the capital transaction occurred. In accordance with ASC 830, Foreign Currency Matters, net gains and losses resulting from translation of foreign currency financial statements are included in the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity as other comprehensive income (loss). Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, under the line item ‘other income and (expense), net’. 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements conforms with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. and requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and intangible assets acquired in our acquisition of Artilium. Significant estimates include the bad debt allowance, revenue recognition, impairment of long-lived assets, valuation of financial instruments, useful lives of long-lived assets and share-based compensation. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents. The Company has full access to the whole balance of cash and cash equivalents on a daily basis without any delay. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had no cash equivalents.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $430,655 and $199,776 respectively and consists of cash deposited in blocked accounts as bank guarantees for corporate credit cards and a portion of the 2018 balance relates to a Letter of Credit issued to a vendor.

Accounts Receivables, net

The Company’s customer base consists of a geographically dispersed customer base. The Company maintains an allowance for potential credit losses on accounts receivable. The Company makes ongoing assumptions relating to the collectability of our accounts receivable. The accounts receivable amounts presented on our consolidated balance sheets include reserves for accounts that might not be collected. In determining the amount of these reserves, the Company considers its historical level of credit losses. The Company also makes judgments about the creditworthiness of significant customers based on ongoing credit evaluations, and the Company assesses current economic trends that might impact the level of credit losses in the future. The Company’s reserves have generally been adequate to cover its actual credit losses. However, since the Company cannot reliably predict future changes in the financial stability of its customers, it cannot guarantee that its reserves will continue to be adequate. If actual credit losses are significantly greater than the reserves, the Company would increase its general and administrative expenses and increase its reported net losses. Conversely, if actual credit losses are significantly less than our reserve, this would eventually decrease the Company’s general and administrative expenses and decrease its reported net losses. Allowances are recorded primarily on a specific identification basis. See Note 2 of the Financial Statements for more information. 

Leasing Arrangements

At the inception of a lease covering equipment or real estate, the lease agreement is evaluated under the criteria of ASC 840, Leases. Leases meeting one of the four key criteria are accounted for as capital leases and all others are treated as operating leases. Under a capital lease, the discounted value of future lease payments becomes the basis for recognizing an asset and a borrowing, and lease payments are allocated between debt reduction and interest. For operating leases, payments are recorded as rent expense. Criteria for a capital lease include (i) transfer of ownership during the lease term; (ii) existence of a bargain purchase option under terms that make it likely to be exercised; (iii) a lease term equal to 75 percent or more of the economic life of the leased equipment; and (iv) minimum lease payments that equal or exceed 90 percent of the fair value of the property. Subsequent to initial recognition, the asset is accounted for in accordance with the accounting policy applicable to that type of asset. The assets are amortized as per our accounting policy for property & equipment, and intangibles, as applicable.

Revenue Recognition and Net billings in Excess of Revenues

Revenue primarily represents amounts earned for our mobile and security solutions. Our mobile and security solutions are hosted software where the customer does not take possession of the software and are therefore accounted for as subscriptions. We also offer customer support and professional services related to implementing and supporting our suite of applications. Revenues generally are recognized net of any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to governmental authorities.

The Company enters into arrangements that include various combinations of hosting subscriptions and services, where elements are delivered over different periods of time. Such arrangements are accounted for in accordance with ASC 605 “Revenue Recognition-Multiple Element Arrangements” for revenue recorded prior to the adoption of ASC Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” as discussed below. Revenue recognition for multiple-element arrangements requires judgment to determine if multiple elements exist, whether elements can be accounted for as separate units of accounting, and if so, the fair value for each of the elements.

The elements in a multiple element arrangement are identified and are separated into separate units of accounting at the inception of the arrangement and revenue is recognized as each element is delivered. Delivered item or items are considered a separate unit of accounting when both of the following criteria are met: (i) the delivered item or items have value to the customer on a stand-alone basis, meaning the delivered item or items have value on a standalone basis if it sold separately by any vendor or the customer could resell the delivered item or items on a stand-alone basis, and (ii) if the arrangement includes a general right of return related to the delivered item, delivery or performance of the undelivered item or items are considered probably and substantially in the control of the Company. Total consideration of a multiple-element arrangement is allocated to the separate units of accounting at the inception of the arrangement based on the relative selling price method using the hierarchy prescribed in ASC 605. In accordance with that hierarchy if vendor specific objective evidence (VSOE) of fair value or, third-party evidence (TPE) does not exist for the element, then the best estimated selling price (BESP) is used. Since the Company does not have VSOE or TPE, the Company uses BESP to allocate consideration for all units of accounting in our hosting arrangements. In determining the BESP, the Company considers multiple factors which include, but are not limited to the following: (i) gross margin objectives and internal costs for services; (ii) pricing practices and market conditions; (iii) competitive landscape; and (iv) growth strategy.

In the paragraphs below we explain the revenue recognition policy for each element.

For the mobile solutions services the Company recognizes revenues from customers accessing our cloud-based application suite in two different service offerings, namely managed services and bundled services. 

For managed services, revenues are recognized for network administration services provided to end users on behalf of Mobile Network Operators (MNO) and virtual Mobile Network Operators (MVNO’s). Managed service revenues are recognized monthly based on an average number of end-users managed and calculated on a pre-determined service fee per user. For bundled services, the Company provides both network administration as well as mobile airtime management services. Revenues for bundled services are recognized monthly based on an average number of end-users managed and mobile air time, calculated based on a pre-determined service fee. Technical services that meet the criteria to be separated as a separate unit of accounting are recognized as the services are performed. Services that do not meet the criteria to be accounted for as a separate unit of accounting are deferred and recognized ratably over the estimated customer relationship. Our arrangements with customers do not provide the customer with the right to take possession of the software supporting the cloud-based application service at any time.

Telecommunication revenues are recognized when delivery occurs based on a pre-determined rate and number of user minutes and calls that the Company has managed in a given month.

Professional services and other revenue include fees from consultation services to support the business process mapping, configuration, data migration, integration and training. Amounts that have been invoiced are recorded in accounts receivable and in net billings in excess of revenues or revenue, depending on whether the revenue recognition criteria have been met. Revenue for professional and consulting services in connection with an implementation or implantation of a new customer that is deemed not to have stand-alone value is recognized over the estimated customer relationship commencing when the subscription service is made available to the customer. Revenue from other professional services that provide added value such as new features or enhancements to the platform that are deemed to have standalone value to the customer are recognized when the feature is activated. 

Adoption of ASC Topic 606, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers"

On January 1, 2018, we adopted Topic 606 using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under Topic 605.

We recorded a net increase to opening accumulated deficit of $107,520 as of January 1, 2018 due to the cumulative impact of adopting Topic 606, with the impact primarily related to our installation revenues that were previously deferred for which the performance obligation was determined to be complete as of the date of adoption. The impact to revenues to be recognized for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 was a decrease of $107,520 as a result of applying Topic 606, relating to the aforementioned installation revenues and an increase to the accumulated deficit.

Revenue Recognition

Our revenues represent amounts earned for our mobile and security solutions. Our solutions take many forms but our revenue generally consists of fixed and/or variable charges for services delivered monthly under a combined services and SaaS model. We also offer discrete (one-time) services for implementation and for development of specific functionality to properly service our customers.

The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by revenue source:

Monthly services revenues are recognized at a point in time and amounted to $28,467,985 and $12,540,377 for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Installation and software development revenues are recognized over time and amounted to $3,967,751 and $1,007,130 for years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by geography, based on the billing addresses of our customers

Monthly Service Revenues

The Company’s performance obligations in a monthly Software as a Service (SaaS) and service offerings are simultaneously received and consumed by the customer and therefore, are recognized over time. For recognition purposes, we do not unbundle such services into separate performance obligations. The Company typically bills its customer at the end of each month, with payment to be received shortly thereafter. The fees charged may include a combination of fixed and variable charges with the variable charges tied to the number of subscribers or some other measure of volume. Although the consideration may be variable, the volumes are estimable at the time of billing, with “true-up” adjustments occurring in the subsequent month. Such amounts have not been historically significant.

Installation and Software Development Revenues

The Company’s other revenues consist generally of installation and development projects.

Installation represents the activities necessary for a customer to obtain access and connectivity to the Company’s monthly SaaS and service offerings. While installation may require separate phases, it represents one promise within the context of the contract.

Development consists of programming and other services to add new, additional or customized functionality to a customer’s existing service offerings. Each development activity is typically its own performance obligation.

Revenue is recognized over time if the installation and development activities create an asset that has no alternative use for which the Company is entitled to receive payment for performance completed to date. If not, then revenue is not recognized until the applicable performance obligation is satisfied.

Arrangements with Multiple Performance Obligations

The Company’s contracts with customers may include multiple performance obligations. For such arrangements, the Company allocates revenue to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. The Company generally determines standalone selling prices based on the prices charged to customers.

Net Billings in Excess of Revenues

The Company records net billings in excess of revenues when payments are made in advance of our performance, including amounts which are refundable. Net billings in excess of revenues was $927,780 as of December 31, 2018, an increase of $684,794, as compared to $242,986 for December 31, 2017.

Payment terms vary by the type and location of our customer and the products or services offered. The term between invoicing and when payment is due is not significant. For certain products or services and customer types, payment is required before the products or services are delivered to the customer.

Contract Assets

Given the nature of the Company’s services and contracts, it has no contract assets.

Cost of Revenues and Operating Expenses

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues includes origination, termination, network and billing charges from telecommunications operators, costs of telecommunications service providers, network costs, data center costs, facility cost of hosting network and equipment and cost in providing resale arrangements with long distance service providers, cost of leasing transmission facilities, international gateway switches for voice, data transmission services, and the cost of professional services of staff directly related to the generation of revenues, consisting primarily of employee-related costs associated with these services, including share-based expenses and the cost of subcontractors. Cost of revenues excludes depreciation and amortization.

Reporting Segments

ASC 280, Segment Reporting (“ASC 280”), defines operating segments as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performances. The business operates as one single segment and discrete financial information is based on the whole, not segregated; and is used by the chief decision maker accordingly.

Financial Instruments

The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, notes receivable, promissory notes (payable) and customer deposits approximate their fair values based on their short-term nature. The recorded values of long-term debt approximate their fair values, as interest approximates market rates. The Company’s conversion feature, a derivative instrument, is recognized in the balance sheet at its fair values with changes in fair market value reported in earnings.

Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820”), the Company defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available.

Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s assumptions about the inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.

The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as follows:

Level 1 – Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reported date.

Level 2 – Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices in active markets, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reported date. The nature of these financial instruments includes cash instruments for which quoted prices are available but are traded less frequently, derivative instruments whose fair values have been derived using a model where inputs to the model are directly observable in the market and instruments that are fair valued using other financial instruments, the parameters of which can be directly observed.

Level 3 – Instruments that have little to no pricing observability as of the reported date. These financial instruments are measured using management’s best estimate of fair value, where the inputs into the determination of fair value require significant management judgment or estimation.

The degree of judgment exercised by the Company in determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3. In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls in its entirety is determined by the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The Company has the following asset groups that are valued at fair value categorized within Level 3: Goodwill and intangibles (non-recurring measurements) for the impairment test. Below are discussions of the main assumptions used for the recurring measurements.

The Company used the Monte Carlo valuation model to determine the value of the outstanding warrants and conversion feature from the “Offering”. Since the Monte Carlo valuation model requires special software and expertise to model the assumption to be used, the Company hired a third party valuation expert. Because tradenames, customer relationships and the technology acquired as part of the acquisition of Artilium required expertise to model the assumptions to be used, the Company hired a third party valuation expert.

Recurring Measurement - Warrant Derivative Liabilities and Conversion Feature Derivative (see also Note 11 and 16)

Number of Outstanding Warrants and/or Convertible Notes

The number of outstanding warrants and/or convertible notes is adjusted every re-measurement date after deducting the exercise or conversion of any outstanding warrants convertible notes during the previous reporting period.

Stock Price at Valuation Date

The closing stock price at re-measurement date being the last available closing price of the reporting period taken from www.nasdaq.com.

Exercise Price

The exercise price is fixed and determined under the terms of the financing facility it was issued.

Remaining Term

The remaining term is calculated by using the estimated life of the outstanding principal liability at the moment of re-measurement.

Expected Volatility

Management estimates expected cumulative volatility giving consideration to the expected life of the note and/or warrants and calculated the annual volatility by using the continuously compounded return calculated by using the share closing prices of an equal number of days prior to the maturity date of the note (reference period). The annual volatility is used to determine the (cumulative) volatility of the Company´s common stock.

Liquidity Event

We estimate the expected liquidity event considering the average expectation of the timing of fundraises and the need for those funds offset against scheduled repayment dates and the costs and/or savings of the future steps in re-modelling the organization.

Risk-Free Interest Rate

Management estimates the risk-free interest rate using the “Daily Treasury Yield Curve Rates” from the US Treasury Department with a term equal to the reported rate or derived by using both spread in intermediate term and rates, up to the expected maturity date of the derivative involved.

Expected Dividend Yield

Management estimates the expected dividend yield by giving consideration to the Company´s current dividend policies as well as those anticipated in the future considering the Company´s current plans and projections. Management currently does not believe that it is in the best interest of the Company to pay dividends at this time.

Share-based Compensation

The Company follows the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation, (“ASC 718”). Under ASC 718, share-based awards are recorded at fair value as of the grant date and recognized as expense with an adjustment for forfeiture over the employee’s requisite service period (the vesting period, generally up to three years). The share-based compensation cost based on the grant date fair value is amortized over the period in which the related services are received.

To determine the value of our stock options at grant date under our employee stock option plan, the Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The use of this model requires the Company to make many subjective assumptions. The following addresses each of these assumptions and describes our methodology for determining each assumption:

Expected Life

The expected life represents the period that the stock option awards are expected to be outstanding. The Company uses the simplified method for estimating the expected life of the option, by taking the average between time to vesting and the contract life of the award.

Expected Volatility

The Company estimates expected cumulative volatility giving consideration to the expected life of the option of the respective award, and the calculated annual volatility by using the continuously compounded return calculated by using the share closing prices of an equal number of days prior to the grant-date (reference period). The annual volatility is used to determine the (cumulative) volatility of its common stock.

Forfeiture rate

The Company is using the aggregate forfeiture rate. The aggregate forfeiture rate is the ratio of pre-vesting forfeitures over the awards granted (pre-vesting forfeitures/grants). The forfeiture discount (additional loss) is released into the profit and loss in the same period as the option vesting-date. The forfeiture rate is actualized every reporting period and due to the firm reorganization, the forfeiture rate has been set to zero to reflect the current expectation of the number of employees that leave the Company.

Risk-Free Interest Rate

The Company estimates the risk-free interest rate using the “Daily Treasury Yield Curve Rates” from the U.S. Treasury Department with a term equal to the reported rate or derived by using both spread in intermediate term and rates, to the expected life of the award.

Expected Dividend Yield

The Company estimates the expected dividend yield by giving consideration to our current dividend policies as well as those anticipated in the future considering our current plans and projections.

Income Taxes

Current tax is based on the income or loss from ordinary activities adjusted for items that are non-assessable or disallowable for income tax purpose and is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted at the balance sheet date. Deferred tax assets are recognized for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax losses and tax credit carry-forwards. Establishment of a valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that deferred taxes will be realized.

In the ordinary course of a global business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax outcome is uncertain. Some of these uncertainties arise as a consequence of revenue sharing and reimbursement arrangements among related entities, the process of identifying items of revenue and expenses that qualify for preferential tax treatment and segregation of foreign and domestic income and expense to avoid double taxation. 

The Company files federal income tax returns in the U.S., various U.S. state jurisdictions and various foreign jurisdictions. The Company’s income tax returns are open to examination by federal, state and foreign tax authorities, generally for 3 years but can be extended to 6 years under certain circumstances. In other jurisdictions the period for examinations depend on local legislation. The Company’s policy is to record estimated interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits as part of its income tax provision.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company’s comprehensive loss consisted of net losses and foreign currency translation adjustments.

Business Combinations

The acquisition method of accounting for business combinations as per ASC 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”), requires us to use significant estimates and assumptions, including fair value estimates, as of the business combination date and to refine those estimates as necessary during the measurement period (defined as the period, not to exceed one year, in which the Company may adjust the provisional amounts recognized for a business combination).

Under the acquisition method of accounting, the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any non-controlling interests acquired in the acquisition are recognized as of the closing date for purposes of determining fair value. The Company measures goodwill as of the acquisition date as the excess of consideration transferred, over the net of the acquisition date fair value of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Costs that the Company incurs to complete the business combination such as investment banking, legal and other professional fees are not considered part of consideration and the Company charges them to general and administrative expense as they are incurred.

During the measurement period, the Company adjusts the provisional amounts recognized at the acquisition date to reflect new information obtained about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date that, if known, would have affected the measurement of the amounts recognized as of that date. Measurement period adjustments are reflected retrospectively in all periods being presented in the financial statements.

Goodwill

The Company records goodwill when the fair value of consideration transferred in a business combination exceeds the fair value of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Goodwill and other intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives are not amortized, but the Company tests them for impairment annually during its fourth fiscal quarter and whenever an event or change in circumstances indicates that the carrying value of the asset is impaired.

The authoritative guidance for the goodwill impairment model includes a two-step process. First, it requires a comparison of the carrying value of the reporting unit to its fair value. If the fair value is determined to be less than the carrying value, a second step is performed. In the second step, the Company compares the implied fair value of goodwill to its carrying value in the reporting unit. The shortfall of the fair value below carrying value, if any, would represent the amount of goodwill impairment charge. We are using the criteria in ASU no. 2011-08 Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Goodwill for Impairment, which permits the Company to make a qualitative assessment of whether it is more likely than not than not that a reporting unit’s fair value is less than the carrying amount before applying the two-step goodwill impairment test. If the Company concludes that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less that its carrying amount, it would not need to perform the two-step impairment test for that reporting unit. 

The Company tests goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarter of each year, or sooner should there be an indicator of impairment as per ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other. The Company periodically analyzes whether any such indicators of impairment exist. Such indicators include a sustained, significant decline in the Company’s stock price and market capitalization, a decline in the Company’s expected future cash flows, a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate, unanticipated competition, and/or slower growth rate, among others. In the Company’s case, the indicator is the continuing losses.

Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets

In accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (“ASC 350”), intangible assets are carried at cost less accumulated amortization and impairment charges. Intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected useful lives of the assets, between three and ten years. Other indefinite life intangible assets are reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC 350, on an annual basis, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Measurement of any impairment loss for long-lived assets and amortizing intangible assets that management expects to hold and use is tested for impairment when amounts may not be recoverable. Impairment is measured based on the amount of the carrying value that exceeds the fair value of the asset.

Property and Equipment, Internal Use Software and Third Party Software

Property and equipment are initially recorded at cost. Additions and improvements are capitalized, while expenditures that do not enhance the assets or extend the useful life are charged to operating expenses as incurred. Included in property and equipment are certain costs related to the development of the Company’s internally developed software technology platform.

The Company has adopted the provisions of ASC 350-40, Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software developed or obtained for internal use, and therefore the costs incurred in the preliminary stages of development are expensed as incurred. The Company capitalizes all costs related to software developed or obtained for internal use when management commits to funding the project; the preliminary project stage is completed and when technological feasibility is established. Software developed for internal use has generally been used to deliver hosted services to the Company’s customers. Technological feasibility is considered to have occurred upon completion of a detailed program design that has been confirmed by documenting the product specifications, or to the extent that a detailed program design is not pursued, upon completion of a working model that has been confirmed by testing to be consistent with the product design. Once a new functionality or improvement is released for operational use, the asset is moved from the property and equipment category “construction in progress” (“CIP”) to a property and equipment asset subject to depreciation in accordance with the principle described in the previous sentence. In addition, account management also records equipment acquired from third parties, until it is ready for use. Capitalization of costs ceases when the project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. Depreciation is applied using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets once the assets are placed in service.

Management evaluates the useful lives of these assets on an annual basis and tests for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets. In 2018 and 2017, the Company did not record an impairment.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” (“ASU 2016-13”) which requires measurement and recognition of expected versus incurred credit losses for financial assets held. ASU 2016-13 is effective for the Company’s annual and interim reporting periods beginning January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted on January 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on its consolidated financial statements; however at the current time the Company has not determined what impact the adoption will have on its consolidated financial statements, financial condition or results of operations.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU 2016-09”). The updated guidance changes how companies account for certain aspects of share-based payment awards to employees, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The update to the standard was effective for the Company’s annual and interim reporting periods beginning January 1, 2017. The Company has evaluated the impact of ASU 2016-09 on its consolidated financial statements and has determined that the impact of adopting of ASU 2016-09 did not have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements, financial condition or results of operations.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). This update outlines a new, single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. This new revenue recognition model provides a five-step analysis in determining when and how revenue is recognized. The new model will require revenue recognition to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration a company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. ASU 2014-09 is now effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. We adopted Topic 606 as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. This update requires expanded disclosures relating to the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. Additionally, qualitative and quantitative disclosures are required for customer contracts, significant judgments and changes in judgments, and assets recognized from the costs to obtain or fulfill a contract.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” (ASU 2016-02), which together with subsequent amendments, modified lessee accounting guidance under Topic 840. This ASU requires the Company to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leases with terms of more than twelve months. This ASU also requires disclosures enabling the users of financial statements to understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This new standard will become effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 (including interim reporting periods within those periods). Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company will adopt the new standard in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2019 using the optional transition method allowed by ASU 2018-11. The Company will elect not to reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, not to reassess the lease classification for any expired or existing leases, not to reassess initial direct costs for any existing leases, and not to separate non-lease components from lease components and instead account for each separate lease component and the non-lease components associated with that lease component as a single lease component for new or modified leases. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material effect on its financial statements for existing leases as of January 1, 2019. However, as a result of the iPass acquisition, the Company expects to record a Right of Use asset and related liability for the existing iPass leases subject to ASU 2016-02.

In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-01, “Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10).” ASU 2016-01 enhances the reporting model for financial instruments to provide users of financial statements with more decision-useful information by addressing certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. The amendments simplify certain requirements and also reduce diversity in current practice for other requirements. ASU 2016-01 is effective for public companies’ fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Except for the early application guidance specifically allowed in ASU 2016-01, early adoption is not permitted. The Company has determined that there was no material effect as a result of the adoption of ASU 2016-01 on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force.” This standard requires restricted cash and cash equivalents to be included with cash and cash equivalents on the statement of cash flows under the retrospective transition approach. The guidance became effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has retrospectively adopted this standard and the effects of the adoption are reflected on the accompanying statement of the cash flows.

Note 2. Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Accounts receivable are presented on the balance sheet net of estimated uncollectible amounts. The Company records an allowance for estimated uncollectible accounts in an amount approximating anticipated losses. Individual uncollectible accounts are written off against the allowance when collection of the individual accounts appears doubtful.  The Company recorded an allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,021,179 and $90,173 as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Note 3. Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets

Prepaid expenses and other current assets amounted to $2,083,950 as of December 31, 2018, compared with $900,369 as of December 31, 2017. Prepaid expenses and other current assets consisted primarily of prepaid insurance, other prepaid operating expenses, prepaid taxes and prepaid Value Added Tax (“VAT”).  As of December 31, 2018, $424,167 of the prepaid expenses was related to VAT. On December 31, 2017, prepaid VAT represented $324,092.

Note 4. Other Assets

Other assets at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 are long-term in nature and consist of long-term deposits to various telecom carriers and loans amounting to $45,336 and $91,267, respectively. The deposits are refundable at the termination of the business relationship with the carriers. The primary decrease in other assets was related to the closing of certain entities that were dissolved or are in the process of being dissolved.

Note 5. Note Receivable

The third quarter 2016 sale of ValidSoft for the price of $3,000,000 was completed and the Company received $2,000,000 in cash and a $1,000,000 promissory note. The Principal amount of $1,000,000 together with all interest must be paid by on or before September 30, 2018 bearing interest of 5% per annum. During 2017 we accrued $21,639 for interest, credited $375,594 for Company liabilities assumed by ValidSoft and credited $51,525 as a partial repayment on the principal which results in a remaining outstanding principal amount of $594,520. On July 22, 2018, an agreement was made to extend the maturity date of the note to September 30, 2019. At December 31, 2018 we accrued $4,780 for interest which results in a remaining outstanding principal amount of $576,769.

On November 26, 2018, the Company executed a senior secured promissory note from Yonder Media Mobile (an unrelated entity), with interest accruing at a simple rate of 6% per annum with a maturity date of May 26, 2020. The principal amount is $500,000 and accumulated interest for 2018 was $5,667 which results in a remaining outstanding amount of $505,667. All principal and interest are due on the maturity date.

The total notes receivable held by the Company as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $1,082,436 and $594,520, respectively, and is included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.

Note 6.  Property and Equipment

Property and equipment at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 consisted of:

Computers, communications and network equipment includes the capitalization of our systems engineering and software programming activities. Typically, these investments pertain to the Company’s:

The total amount of product development costs (internal use software costs) that are capitalized in Property and Equipment during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $1,258,085 and $696,401, respectively.

During the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company amortized $900,723 and $896,039 of software development, respectively.

Note 7. Long Term Investments

As of December 31, 2018 the Company no longer holds any long term investments. The long term investment held by the Company as of the year ended December 31, 2017 of $3,230,208 was Artilium common shares, which the Company now owns 100% of and our investment in our subsidiary is eliminated upon consolidation.

Note 8. Net Billings in Excess of Revenues

Because the Company recognizes revenue upon performance of services, net billings in excess of revenues represents amounts received from the customers for which either delivery has not occurred or against future sales of services. As of December 31, 2018, the balance of net billings in excess of revenues was $927,780. For the corresponding period in 2017, the net billings in excess of revenues balance was $242,986.

Note 9. Accrued Expenses

As of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the accrued expenses were comprised of the following:

Accrued taxes include income taxes payable as of December 31, 2018 amounting to $93,883. See Note 21 of the Financial Statements for more information.

Accrued Selling, General and Administrative expenses include social security premiums, personnel related costs such as payroll taxes, provision for holiday allowance, accruals for marketing and sales expenses, and office related expenses.

Note 10. Promissory Notes and Unsecured Convertible Promissory Notes

Promissory Note

The Promissory Notes of $681,220 are 4 bank notes secured through by Artilium with varying maturity dates ranging between 6 and 18 months with an average interest rate of 2%. The notes are not convertible and are not included in any of the tables in the remainder of note 10.

9% Unsecured Convertible Promissory Note

The Unsecured Convertible Promissory Notes is split into a long term part and a short term part, for this year ending only the short term part exists.