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Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2013 Results
[February 25, 2014]

Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2013 Results


(GlobeNewswire - Canada Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Fourth Quarter 2013 Preliminary Financial Highlights: Revenues increased to $76.5 million Adjusted EBITDA was up 14% to $28.6 million Operating income was $16.3 million Net income from continuing operations attributable to ATN's stockholders was $16.2 million, or $1.02 per diluted shareFull Year 2013 Preliminary Financial Highlights: Gain on the sale of Alltel operations attributable to ATN's stockholders was $278.2 million, net of tax Revenues increased 5% to $292.3 million Adjusted EBITDA was up 16% to $114.7 million Operating income increased 14% to $64.4 million Net income from continuing operations attributable to ATN's stockholders was $29.0 million, or $1.83 per diluted share, inclusive of transaction-related and debt repayment charges of $12.8 million BEVERLY, Mass., Feb. 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATNI) today reported results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2013. Unless otherwise indicated, the discussion of the Company's results is focused on its continuing operations, and comparisons are to the same period in the prior year. The Company's results are preliminary and may be subject to adjustment as the results of its International Integrated Telephony segment are finalized. The Company currently does not expect such adjustment, if any, to be material to its consolidated results of operations. Results for all periods presented reflect classification of the Company's U.S. retail wireless business operated under the "Alltel" name as discontinued operations as a result of the completion of the Company's sale of this business to AT&T Mobility LLC on September 20, 2013.



Fourth Quarter 2013 Financial Results "We ended 2013 with another quarter of solid revenue growth driven by the continued strong performance of our domestic wholesale wireless business and our Island wireless operations," said Michael Prior, Chief Executive Officer. "Higher data traffic across our expanded U.S. wholesale wireless network more than compensated for the sale of Midwest U.S. spectrum and related assets that took place in last year's fourth quarter. International wireless revenues benefitted from continued subscriber growth, particularly in our Island Wireless markets, and our wireline revenue remained stable with the comparable year-ago period. All of our business segments posted improved EBITDA performance reflecting an ability to increase volumes without a commensurate increase in costs." Fourth quarter revenues were $76.5 million, 9% above the $69.9 million reported for the fourth quarter of 2012. Adjusted EBITDA1 for the 2013 fourth quarter was $28.6 million, a 14% increase over the $25.1 million for the 2012 fourth quarter. Operating income was $16.3 million, compared to last year's $21.1 million, which benefitted from the net positive effect of an $11.6 million gain on disposal of long-lived assets and a $3.4 million intangible asset impairment charge. Net income from continuing operations attributable to ATN's stockholders was $16.2 million, or $1.02 per diluted share, and included a one-time income tax benefit of approximately $8.4 million. Net income from continuing operations attributable to ATN's stockholders in last year's fourth quarter was $7.5 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, which included the afore-mentioned gain on sale of long-lived assets and impairment charge.

Full Year 2013 Financial Results Commenting on full year results, Mr. Prior stated, "2013 was a transformational year for ATN, as we completed the sale of our Alltel domestic retail wireless business. The pre-tax gain on the sale of $503 million allowed us to utilize $261 million of the net proceeds to retire all of the Company's long term debt in advance of redeploying the funds, and build our cash position to over $400 million at year-end. At the same time, we succeeded in growing our domestic and international wireless businesses, posting a 14% increase in operating income and 16% increase in Adjusted EBITDA. It will be challenging to replicate this rate of growth in 2014, but we see opportunities to improve these businesses over the longer term.


"Capital expenditures in our U.S. wholesale wireless operation continue to provide solid returns on our investments, and our 2014 plans call for additional capital outlays that, similar to 2013, will be heavily weighted to further expanding our U.S. Wireless network. At the same time, we continue to evaluate opportunities to re-invest the proceeds from the Alltel sale in acquisitions, ventures and projects that have the potential for significant growth in cash flow over the intermediate to long term.

"In September 2013, our Board of Directors approved ATN's 15th consecutive annual increase in the Company's dividend, to $0.27 per share per quarter," added Mr. Prior.

Revenues were $292.3 million, 5% above the $277.8 million reported for 2012. Adjusted EBITDA was $114.7 million, up 16% from $99.0 million in the prior year; operating income increased 14% to $64.4 million; and net income from continuing operations attributable to ATN's stockholders was $29.0 million, or $1.83 per diluted share. 2013 results included a $1.1 million gain on the sale of long-lived assets, $2.7 million of transaction-related charges and an income tax benefit of approximately $8.4 million related to an intercompany note receivable write down. In addition, 2013 results included a $5.4 million loss on interest rate swap contracts and a $4.7 million charge to interest expense for the write-off of deferred financing costs, both related to the prepayment of the Company's long term debt under its credit facility. In the comparable 2012 period, net income from continuing operations attributable to ATN's stockholders was $20.8 million, or $1.33 per diluted share, which included a gain on the sale of long-lived assets of $11.6 million and an intangible asset impairment charge of $3.4 million.

For 2013, net income from discontinued operations attributable to ATN's stockholders was $4.6 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, and the net gain attributable to ATN's stockholders on the disposal of the Alltel business was $278.2 million, or $17.59 per share Fourth Quarter 2013 Operating Highlights U.S. Wireless Revenues U.S. wireless revenues primarily consist of voice and data revenues from the Company's wholesale roaming operations. Total revenues from the U.S. wireless business were $27.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2013, an increase of 10% from the $24.8 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2012. This strong revenue performance was driven by increased data traffic, which more than offset the sale of certain spectrum and related assets in the Midwest U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2012. Data revenues accounted for 61% of the U.S. wireless revenues in the fourth quarter, compared to 41% in the prior year. The Company ended the fourth quarter with 640 base stations in service compared to 569 base stations in service at the end of last year's fourth quarter.

International Wireless Revenues International wireless revenues include retail and wholesale voice and data wireless revenues from international operations in Bermuda and the Caribbean. International wireless revenues were $24.8 million, an increase of 16% over the $21.3 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2012. The fourth quarter results included a benefit of approximately $1.8 million of previously unrecorded revenues that were related to earlier periods in 2013. The remainder of the increase was largely due to retail revenue growth within the Island Wireless segment. At the end of 2013, the Company had approximately 325,000 international wireless subscribers of which 88% were prepaid subscribers compared to 333,000 (88% prepaid) reported at the end of 2012.

Wireline Revenues The Company's wireline revenues are generated by the Company's wireline operations in Guyana, including international telephone calls into and out of that country, by its integrated voice and data and wholesale transport operations in New England and New York State, and by its U.S.-based wholesale long-distance voice services. Wireline revenues were $21.6 million, a 1% increase from the $21.4 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2012. The increase was primarily a result of higher wholesale long-distance voice service revenue, as well as increased broadband revenue in Guyana, partially offset by declines in local and international voice revenue in that market.

Reportable Operating Segments The Company has four reportable segments: (i) U.S. Wireless; (ii) International Integrated Telephony, which operates in Guyana; (iii) Island Wireless, which generates its revenues and has its assets located in Bermuda and the Caribbean (including the U.S. Virgin Islands); and (iv) U.S. Wireline. Financial data on our reportable operating segments for the three months ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows (in thousands): For the three months ended December 31, 2013:                              U.S. WirelessInternational Integrated Telephony Island Wireless U.S. Wireline Reconciling Items 2 Total               Total Revenue  $ 27,638  $ 24,970  $ 17,352  $ 6,565  $ --   $ 76,525 Adjusted EBITDA   16,584  12,840  3,983  641  (5,453)  28,595 Operating Income (Loss)  12,978  8,341  1,384  (289)  (6,076)  16,338              For the three months ended December 31, 2012:                              U.S. WirelessInternational Integrated Telephony Island Wireless U.S. Wireline Reconciling Items 2 Total               Total Revenue  $ 25,135  $ 23,556  $ 15,855  $ 5,366  $ --   $ 69,912 Adjusted EBITDA   15,324  10,769  2,958  (101)  (3,802)  25,148 Operating Income (Loss)  23,256  6,230  (3,015)  (826)  (4,525)  21,120              Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Highlights Cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2013 were $356.6 million.  In addition, $78.0 million of the proceeds from the sale of Alltel are being held in escrow and are included in current and long-term restricted cash as of December 31, 2013. The Company repaid all outstanding debt ($261.0 million) under its credit facility during 2013. Net cash used in operating activities of continuing operations was $131.4 million, which included $256.8 million in cash paid for income taxes, primarily related to taxes owed on the gain on the sale of the Alltel business. Capital expenditures related to continuing operations were $69.3 million in 2013.  The Company expects 2014 capital expenditures in the range of $65.0 to $70.0 million.

Conference Call Information Atlantic Tele-Network will host a conference call on Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) to discuss its 2013 fourth quarter and full year results. The call will be hosted by Michael Prior, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Justin Benincasa, Chief Financial Officer. The dial-in numbers are US/Canada: (877) 734-4582 and International: (678) 905-9376, conference ID 21006268. A replay of the call will be available at ir.atni.com beginning at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, February 26, 2014.

About Atlantic Tele-Network Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATNI), headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts, provides telecommunications services to rural, niche and other under-served markets and geographies in the United States, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Through our operating subsidiaries, we provide both wireless and wireline connectivity to residential and business customers, including a range of mobile wireless solutions, local exchange services and broadband internet services and are the owner and operator of terrestrial and submarine fiber optic transport systems. For more information, please visit www.atni.com.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other matters, our future financial performance and results of operations; the competitive environment in our key markets, demand for our services and industry trends; the outcome of regulatory matters; our continued access to the credit and capital markets; the pace of our network expansion and improvement, including our level of estimated future capital expenditures and our realization of the benefits of these investments; and management's plans and strategy for the future. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates, projections, beliefs, and assumptions and are not guarantees of future events or results.  Actual future events and results could differ materially from the events and results indicated in these statements as a result of many factors, including, among others, (1)  the general performance of our operations, including operating margins, wholesale revenues, and the future growth and retention of our subscriber base; (2) regulatory changes affecting our businesses, including the loss of certain FCC and other telecommunications licenses; (3) economic, political and other risks facing our foreign operations; (4) our ability to maintain favorable roaming arrangements; (5) our ability to upgrade our networks and IT platforms efficiently and cost-effectively so as to address  rapid and significant technological changes in the telecommunications industry; (6) the loss of or our inability to recruit skilled personnel in our various jurisdictions, including key members of management; (7) our ability to find investment or acquisition or disposition opportunities that fit our strategic goals for the Company; (8) increased competition; (9) our reliance on a limited number of key suppliers and vendors for timely supply of equipment and services relating to our network infrastructure; (10) the adequacy and expansion capabilities of our network capacity and customer service system to support our customer growth; (11) the occurrence of severe weather and natural catastrophes; (12) our continued access to capital and credit markets; and (13) our ability to realize the value that we believe exists in our businesses. These and other additional factors that may cause actual future events and results to differ materially from the events and results indicated in the forward-looking statements above are set forth more fully under Item 1A "Risk Factors" of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, filed with the SEC on March 18, 2013 and the other reports we file from time to time with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors that may affect such forward-looking statements.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this news release also contains non-GAAP financial measures. Specifically, ATN has presented an Adjusted EBITDA measure. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income attributable to ATN stockholders before income from discontinued operations, gain on disposal of discontinued operations, interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, transaction-related charges, impairment of intangible assets, gain on disposition of long-lived assets, other income or expense, and net income attributable to non-controlling interests. The Company believes that the inclusion of this non-GAAP financial measure helps investors to gain a meaningful understanding of the Company's core operating results and enhances comparing such performance with prior periods. ATN's management uses this non-GAAP measure, in addition to GAAP financial measures, as the basis for measuring our core operating performance and comparing such performance to that of prior periods. The non-GAAP financial measure included in this news release is not meant to be considered superior to or a substitute for results of operations prepared in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measure used in this news release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure are set forth in the text of, and the accompanying tables to, this press release.

                                 1 See Table 4 for reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA.2 Reconciling items are comprised of corporate general and administrative costs and transaction-related charges.

     Table 1ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK, INC.Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Preliminary) (in Thousands)         December 31, December 31,   2013 2012 Assets:     Cash and cash equivalents  $ 356,607  $ 136,647 Restricted cash  39,000  --  Assets of discontinued operations  4,748  380,765 Other current assets  69,808  60,846       Total current assets  470,163  578,258       Long-term restricted cash  39,000  --  Property, plant and equipment, net  254,632  238,324 Goodwill and other intangible assets, net  86,988  87,605 Other assets  7,096  6,688       Total assets  $ 857,879  $ 910,875       Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity:     Current portion of long-term debt  $ --   $ 15,680 Income taxes payable  36,080  24,003 Liabilities of discontinued operations  11,187  73,910 Other current liabilities  71,950  56,684       Total current liabilities  119,217  170,277       Long-term debt, net of current portion  --   250,900 Other liabilities  38,791  95,458       Total liabilities  158,008  516,635       Total Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc.'s stockholders' equity  643,346  334,146 Non-controlling interests  56,525  60,094       Total equity  699,871  394,240       Total liabilities and stockholders' equity  $ 857,879  $ 910,875      Table 2ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK, INC.Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Preliminary)(in Thousands, Except per Share Data)         Three Months Ended Year Ended   December 31, December 31,   2013 2012 (a) 2013 2012 (a) Revenues:         U.S. wireless  $ 27,333  $ 24,847  $ 107,930  $ 102,817 International wireless  24,767  21,277  90,929  81,463 Wireline  21,640  21,430  84,585  85,524 Equipment and other  2,785  2,358  8,888  7,992 Total revenue  76,525  69,912  292,332  277,796           Operating expenses:         Termination and access fees  14,979  14,410  55,747  56,814 Engineering and operations  9,777  10,184  38,126  40,018 Sales, marketing and customer service  4,111  4,104  17,757  18,981 Equipment expense  4,826  4,232  12,876  13,381 General and administrative  14,237  11,834  53,093  49,625 Transaction-related charges  38  --   2,712  7 Depreciation and amortization  12,219  12,283  48,737  50,587 Impairment of intangible assets  --   3,350  --   3,350 Gain on disposal of long-lived assets  --   (11,605)  (1,076)  (11,605) Total operating expenses  60,187  48,792  227,972  221,158           Operating income  16,338  21,120  64,360  56,638           Other income (expense):         Interest income (expense), net  193  (2,954)  (11,933)  (13,709) Gain (loss) on interest rate swap contracts  267  --   (5,408)  --  Other income (expense)  (333)  2,309  (530)  1,867 Other income (expense), net  127  (645)  (17,871)  (11,842)           Income from continuing operations before income taxes  16,465  20,475  46,489  44,796 Income tax expense (benefit)  (1,758)  11,799  9,536  20,831           Income from continuing operations  18,223  8,676  36,953  23,965           Income from discontinued operations, net of tax  --   5,775  5,166  29,202 Gain on disposal of discontinued operations, net of tax  1,905  --   307,102  --            Net income  20,128  14,451  349,221  53,167           Net income attributable to non-controlling interests, net of tax:         Continuing operations  (2,055)  (1,130)  (7,989)  (3,145) Discontinued operations  --   (205)  (601)  (1,090) Disposal of discontinued operations  (200)  --   (28,899)  --  Net income attributable to non-controlling interests, net  (2,255)  (1,335)  (37,489)  (4,235)           Net income attributable to Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. stockholders  $ 17,873  $ 13,116  $ 311,732  $ 48,932           Basic net income per weighted average share attributable to Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. stockholders:         Income from continuing operations  $ 1.02  $ 0.48  $ 1.84  $ 1.34 Income from discontinued operations  --   0.36  0.29  1.81 Gain on disposal of discontinued operations  0.11  --   17.72  --  Net income  $ 1.13  $ 0.84  $ 19.85  $ 3.15           Diluted net income per weighted average share attributable to Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. stockholders:         Income from continuing operations  $ 1.02  $ 0.48  $ 1.83  $ 1.33 Income from discontinued operations  --   0.36  0.29  1.80 Gain on disposal of discontinued operations  0.11  --   17.59  --  Net income  $ 1.13  $ 0.84  $ 19.71  $ 3.13           Weighted average common shares outstanding:         Basic  15,783  15,572  15,704  15,531 Diluted  15,896  15,663  15,817  15,619           a)  All previously reported amounts have been reclassified to reflect the Company's Alltel business as a discontinued operation      Table 3ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK, INC.Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statement (Preliminary) (in Thousands)       Year ended December 31,   2013 2012       Net income  $ 349,221  $ 53,167 Gain on disposal of discontinued operations  (307,102)  --  Income from discontinued operations  (5,166)  (29,202) Loss on interest rate swap contracts  5,408  --  Depreciation and amortization  48,737  50,587 Impairment of intangible assets  --   3,350 Gain on disposal of long-lived assets  (1,076)  (11,605) Deferred income taxes  53,707  7,356 Change in prepaid and accrued income taxes  (301,252)  33,107 Change in other operating assets and liabilities  13,957  919 Other  12,170  7,205       Net cash provided by operating activities of continuing operations  (131,396)  114,884 Net cash provided by operating activities of discontinued operations  19,394  72,587 Net cash provided by operating activities  (112,002)  187,471       Capital expenditures  (69,316)  (42,154) Proceeds from disposition of long-lived assets  1,500  15,163       Net cash used in investing activities of continuing operations  (67,816)  (26,991) Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities of discontinued operations  710,934  (35,267) Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities  643,118  (62,258)       Repayments of revolver loan, net of borrowings  --   (28,156) Borrowings under term loans  --   275,000 Principal repayments of term loans  (272,137)  (260,793) Dividends paid on common stock  (12,096)  (18,491) Distributions to non-controlling interests  (26,155)  (2,458) Other  1,592  (1,472)       Net cash used in financing activities of continuing operations  (308,796)  (36,370) Net cash used in financing activities of discontinued operations  (1,678)  (931) Net cash used in financing activities  (310,474)  (37,301)       Effect of foreign currency exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents  (682)  --        Net change in cash and cash equivalents  219,960  87,912       Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period  136,647  48,735       Cash and cash equivalents, end of period  $ 356,607  $ 136,647             Cash paid for income taxes  $ 256,819  $ 8,841                    Table 4ATLANTIC TELE-NETWORK, INC.Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures (Preliminary)(In Thousands)                Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2012 and 2013               Three Months Ended December 31, 2012  U.S. WirelessInternational Integrated Telephony Island Wireless U.S. Wireline Reconciling Items Total              Net income attributable to Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. stockholders            $ 13,116 Net income attributable to non-controlling interests, net of tax            1,335 Income from discontinued operations, net of tax            (5,775) Income tax expense            11,799 Other income            (2,309) Interest expense, net            2,954 Operating income (loss)  $ 23,256  $ 6,230  $ (3,015)  $ (826)  $ (4,525)  $ 21,120 Depreciation and amortization  3,673  4,539  2,623  725  723  12,283 Impairment of intangible assets  --   --   3,350  --   --   3,350 Gain on disposal of long-lived assets  (11,605)  --   --   --   --   (11,605) Adjusted EBITDA  $ 15,324  $ 10,769  $ 2,958  $ (101)  $ (3,802)  $ 25,148                             Three Months Ended December 31, 2013  U.S. WirelessInternational Integrated Telephony Island Wireless U.S. Wireline Reconciling Items Total              Net income attributable to Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. stockholders            $ 17,873 Net income attributable to non-controlling interests, net of tax            2,255 Gain on disposal of discontinued operations, net of tax            (1,905) Income tax benefit            (1,758) Other expense            333 Gain on interest rate swap contracts            (267) Interest income, net            (193) Operating income (loss)  $ 12,978  $ 8,341  $ 1,384  $ (289)  $ (6,076)  $ 16,338 Depreciation and amortization  3,606  4,499  2,599  930  585  12,219 Transaction-related charges  --   --   --   --   38  38 Adjusted EBITDA  $ 16,584  $ 12,840  $ 3,983  $ 641  $ (5,453)  $ 28,595                              Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA for the Years Ended December 31, 2012 and 2013               Year Ended December 31, 2012  U.S. WirelessInternational Integrated Telephony Island Wireless U.S. Wireline Reconciling Items Total              Net income attributable to Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. stockholders            $ 48,932 Net income attributable to non-controlling interests, net of tax            4,235 Income from discontinued operations, net of tax            (29,202) Income tax expense            20,831 Other income            (1,867) Interest expense, net            13,709 Operating income (loss)  $ 60,290  $ 23,203  $ (3,334)  $ (2,481)  $ (21,040)  $ 56,638 Depreciation and amortization  16,072  17,963  11,067  2,860  2,625  50,587 Transaction-related charges  --   --   --   --   7  7 Impairment of intangible assets  --   --   3,350  --   --   3,350 Gain on disposal of long-lived assets  (11,605)  --   --   --   --   (11,605) Adjusted EBITDA  $ 64,757  $ 41,166  $ 11,083  $ 379  $ (18,408)  $ 98,977                             Year Ended December 31, 2013  U.S. WirelessInternational Integrated Telephony Island Wireless U.S. Wireline Reconciling Items Total              Net income attributable to Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. stockholders            $ 311,732 Net income attributable to non-controlling interests, net of tax            37,489 Gain on disposal of discontinued operations, net of tax            (307,102) Income from discontinued operations, net of tax            (5,166) Income tax expense            9,536 Other expense            530 Loss on interest rate swap contracts            5,408 Interest expense, net            11,933 Operating income (loss)  $ 54,867  $ 27,937  $ 8,610  $ (1,076)  $ (25,978)  $ 64,360 Depreciation and amortization  14,308  17,975  10,305  3,182  2,967  48,737 Transaction-related charges  --   --   --   --   2,712  2,712 Gain on disposal of long-lived assets  (1,076)  --   --   --   --   (1,076) Adjusted EBITDA  $ 68,099  $ 45,912  $ 18,915  $ 2,106  $ (20,299)  $ 114,733              CONTACT: Michael T. Prior Chief Executive Officer 978-619-1300 Justin D. Benincasa Chief Financial Officer 978-619-1300 Source: Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc.

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