[June
11, 1999]
LHS Group Completes Acquisition Of Priority Call Management
LHS Group Inc. and Priority Call Management, Inc. announced the
completion of the acquisition of Priority Call.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, all shares and options of Priority Call will
be exchanged for approximately 5.2 million fully diluted LHS shares. Based on LHS' June 9,
1999 closing price of $29.13 per share, the transaction is valued at approximately $151
million.
"We are pleased to have this second LHS acquisition completed and to include
Priority Call's products in our global marketing strategy", states Hartmut
Lademacher, LHS Chairman of the Board, CEO.
The acquisition brings LHS a commercially proven prepaid and enhanced services solution
for our wireless and wireline customers worldwide. The combined companies generated 1998
revenues of approximately $194 million and employed a global workforce of more than 1,400.
When integrated with LHS' BSCS, Priority Call's ORYX platform will allow LHS' existing
and new customers worldwide to offer numerous differentiated services, such as prepaid
calling, credit/debit card calling, enhanced messaging and one-number "follow
me" services. These value-added services will help LHS customers retain subscribers,
increase current revenue per subscriber, attract new customers, and increase network
usage. The Priority Call platform and application suite will continue to be offered on a
stand-alone basis.
"One way we've consistently talked about increasing the value of LHS is through
strategic acquisitions," said Hartmut Lademacher, Chairman and CEO. "Prepaid
solutions are playing an increasingly important role in the future of mobile services.
This investment furthers the strategic growth of LHS, allowing us to give customers
pre-paid functionality now. The acquisition of Priority Call Management is another step
toward our goal of becoming an end-to-end solution provider for the global
telecommunications industry."
"Joining forces with LHS is a tremendous opportunity for Priority Call," said
Andrew D. Ory, founder and chief executive officer of Priority Call. "We are excited
about the opportunities this acquisition provides for both companies. By combining two
strong companies with similar strategic philosophies, Priority Call will instantly expand
its global presence, and LHS will gain additional, value-added functionality to offer its
global customers. We look forward to working successfully with the LHS management team and
to continuing to serve our customers by providing them expanded product solutions."
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