UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 20202023

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _________ to _________ 

Commission File Number 000-53461

SPECTRUM GLOBAL SOLUTIONS, INC.High Wire Networks, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, $0.00001 par valueNone 

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

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  ☒

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  ☒  No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 229.405232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes  ☒  No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the 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, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See 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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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

The aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 20202023 based on the closing sales price of the Common Stock as quoted on the OTC PinkOTCQB was $459,890.$23,786,061. For purposes of this computation, all officers, directors, and 5 percent beneficial owners of the registrant are deemed to be affiliates. Such determination should not be deemed an admission that such directors, officers, or 5 percent beneficial owners are, in fact, affiliates of the registrant.

As of March 26, 2021,April 15, 2024, there were 21,613,914240,620,455 shares of registrant’s common stock outstanding.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not directly or exclusively relate to historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “predicts,” “potential,” or the negative of those terms, and similar expressions and comparable terminology. These include, but are not limited to, statements relating to future events or our future financial and operating results, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these expectations may not be achieved. Forward-looking statements represent our intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors outside of our control that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements.

You should consider the areas of risk described in connection with any forward-looking statements that may be made herein. You should also consider carefully the statements under Item 1A. Risk Factors appearing in this report, which address additional factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include:

These risk factors also should be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that we or persons acting on our behalf may issue. All written and oral forward looking statements made in connection with this report that are attributable to our company or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Given these uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements and you should carefully review this report in its entirety. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report, and you should not rely on these statements without also considering the risks and uncertainties associated with these statements and our business.

Except for our ongoing obligations to disclose material information under the Federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements, to report events or to report the occurrence of unanticipated events. We do not undertake any obligation to review or confirm analysts’ expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

PART I

Unless specifically set forth to the contrary, when used in this report the terms “we,” “our,”“we”, “our”, the “Company” and similar terms refer to Spectrum Global Solutions,High Wire Networks, Inc., a Nevada Corporationcorporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

The information that appears on our website at www.SpectrumGlobalSolutions.comwww.HighWireNetworks.com is not part of this report.

ITEM 1 –1. BUSINESS

Business Overview

HWN, Inc., (d/b/a High Wire Network Solutions, Inc.) (“HWN”) was incorporated in Delaware on January 20, 2017. HWN is a global provider of managed cybersecurity, managed networks, and tech enabled professional services delivered exclusively through a channel sales model. Our Overwatch managed security platform-as-a-service offers organizations end-to-end protection for networks, data, endpoints and users via multiyear recurring revenue contracts in this fast-growing technology segment. HWN has continuously operated under the High Wire Networks brand for 23 years.

HWN and JTM Electrical Contractors, Inc. (“JTM”), an Illinois Corporation, entered into an operating agreement through which High Wire owned 50% of JTM. On February 5, 2018,15, 2022, HWN sold its 50% interest in JTM.

On June 16, 2021, we completed our corporate jurisdiction continuation froma merger with Spectrum Global Solutions, Inc. On January 7, 2022, Spectrum Global Solutions, Inc. legally changed its name to High Wire Networks, Inc. (“High Wire”). The merger was accounted for as a reverse merger. At the jurisdictiontime of the Province of British Columbia toreverse merger, High Wire’s subsidiaries included ADEX Corporation, ADEX Puerto Rico LLC, ADEX Canada, ADEX Towers, Inc. and ADEX Telecom, Inc. (collectively “ADEX” or the jurisdiction of the State of Nevada in accordance with the Articles of Conversion and the Articles of Incorporation filed with the Nevada Secretary of State. Our principal offices are located at 980 N. Federal Highway, Suite 304, Boca Raton, Florida 33432. Our telephone number is (407) 512-9102. On January 2, 2018, we changed our fiscal year end to December 31.

Our telecommunications and technology division, which was acquired on April 25, 2017, is supported by its subsidiaries:“ADEX Entities”), AW Solutions Puerto Rico, LLC (“AWS PR”), and Tropical Communications, Inc. (collectively known as “AWS” or(“Tropical”). For accounting purposes, HWN is the “AWS Entities”) andsurviving entity. On March 6, 2023, HWN divested the ADEX CORP and ADEX Puerto Rico LLC (acquired February 27, 2018) and ADEX Canada (formed in September 2019), (collectively known as “ADEX” orEntities. On July 31, 2023, HWN paused the “ADEX Entities”operations of its AWS PR subsidiary. On November 3, 2023, HWN paused the operations of its Tropical subsidiary.

On November 4, 2021, we closed on the acquisition of Secure Voice Corp (“SVC”). The closing of the acquisition was facilitated by a senior secured promissory note which has been repaid.

On August 4, 2023, we formed a new entity – incorporated as Overwatch Cyberlab, Inc. (“OCL”) – which is 80% owned by our company and 20% owned by John Peterson.

Our AWS Entities provide a broad range ofPR and Tropical subsidiaries are professional services and solutions to top tier communication carriers and Fortune 1000 enterprise customers. The telecommunication division offers carriers, service providers and enterprise customers professional contractingorganizations that deliver services to include: infrastructure audits; site acquisition; architectural, structural and civil design and analysis; construction management; construction; installation; warehousing and logistics; maintenance services, that support the build-out and upgrade and operation of some of the most advanced networks, small cell, Wi-Fi, fiber and distributed antenna system (DAS) networks. We believe the expansion and migration of these next-generation networks, our long-term relationships supported by multiyear Master Service Agreements (MSA) and multi-year service contracts with major wireless, commercialfor Enterprise clients as well as wireline and wireless operators, DAS operators, tower companies, original equipment manufacturers (OEM’s) and prime contractor/project management organization provides us a significant opportunitycarriers. These subsidiaries are operated as a long term leading and well respected industry leader in this marketplace. ADEXpart of our Technology segment. Our SVC subsidiary is a leading outsourcewholesale network services provider of engineering and installation services, professional services, staffing solutionswith network footprint in the Northeast United States. This network carries VoIP and other services which include consultingtraffic for other service providers. OCL has not begun to the telecommunications and technology industry, service providers and Enterprise customers. ADEX’s managed solutions diversifies the ability to service customers domestically and internationally throughout the project lifecycle. ADEX customers include many leading wireless and wireline telecommunications providers, cable broadband MSOs and Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEM”). On a weekly basis, we deploy hundredsgenerate revenue as of telecommunication professionals in support of its customers. We believe that our global footprint of support is a differentiating factor for national and international-based customers needing a broad range of technical expertise for management of their legacy and next generation networks. Our company seeks to assist our customers throughout the entire life cycle of a network deployment via our comprehensive suite of managed solutions that include Consulting and Professional Staffing services to service providers as well as Enterprise customers, Network Implementation, Network Installation, Network Upgrades, Rebuilds, Design, Engineering and Integration Wireless Network Support, Wireless Network Integration, Wireless and Wireline Equipment Installation & Commissioning, Wireless Site Development & Construction Management, Network Engineering, Project Management, Disaster Recovery design engineering and integration.December 31, 2023.

We provide the following categories of offerings to our customers:

As of

Our Technology Solutions division is supported by our subsidiaries: HWN, Inc.; AW Solutions Puerto Rico, LLC and Tropical Communications, Inc. (collectively known as “AWS” or the date of this report, all but one of the closing conditions of the merger have been satisfied or waived by the parties. The lone remaining closing condition concerns a pending Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application submitted by one of our subsidiaries. Closing the merger after Small Business Administration (SBA) forgiveness prevents a change of control event under SBA rules that would jeopardize the forgiveness“AWS Entities”); and impact our statement of operations for 2021. We submitted our forgiveness application in accordance with Paycheck Protection Program rules and expect forgiveness to be received in the second quarter of 2021.SVC.

Our Operating Units

Our company is comprised of the following:

Our Industry

Advances inAs technology evolves, the demand for more robust networks, faster speeds, better experiences, and communications architectures as well asprotection from the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape continues to grow at a robust pace. This demand outlookhas been compounded by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid transition to “work from home” for large swaths of the telecommunicationglobal workforce. Remote learning, remote video meetings, collaboration software, increased email volumes, all have transformed the way we share information, and created strain on the way business used to be done. Nearly two years later, the technology industry is generating remarkable spending trends at top tier carriersdemands are yet again changing as businesses are calling staff back to the office and enterprise customers. Innovativeneeding to refresh, redesign, and secure their networks. Next generation networks rely on cloud, on-premise, and remote work models, which brings new technologies, rising network utilizationcomplexity and dwindling broadband capacity are fueling the fundamental need for infrastructure expansion. The adoption of next generation technologies, quality of service and network availability will be key drivers in enabling service providersrequires new strategies to enjoy continued subscriber growth and market competitiveness.defend this ever expanding attack surface.

Wireless infrastructure which has been in place sinceWith the 1980’s includes towers, buildings, telephone polesrapid proliferation of device connectivity and other facilitiesthe transition of the workforce to place critical antennasremote or hybrid, the demands on Enterprise networks and associated electronics to support a wind range of wireless protocols including WiMax, LTE and now 5G technologies. These wireless trends combinedall traditional networks have shifted. Cyber security risks have proliferated right along with the wireline transition from copper to fiber, and its corresponding order of magnitude change in bandwidth, are occurring to satisfy the world’s ever-increasing demand for data, which are significant long term drivers of our business model and continued success.it. According to iSuppli, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) will garner the largest shareIBM “Cost of wireless infrastructure capital spending through 2019 with 5G enhanced mobile technologies trials commencingData Breach” report, the average cost of a data breach in the United States is now $9.4 million, 113% higher than the global average for the 12^th year in 2017a row. Cyber risk is now something that every business is forced to address around the globe. Allianz Global and deployment past 2025. This important transition will accelerate migrationSpecialty Report 2023 indicates that cyber incidents are the number one source of business disruption at 44% of reported claims. Closer to the next generation standard that allows for higher capacity, lower latency, and the architecture required to support new applications. The roll-outhome, a patchwork of enhanced mobile broadband, small cell architectures, 5G services and billions of new Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices greatly increases the need to modernize networks to accommodate this new breed of connectivity. This long-term trend is a significant enduring opportunity for companies like ours. The transition from trial-based deployments of 5G to a full nationwide implementation is expected to continue beyond 2025. Necessary investments in supporting infrastructure such as fiber optic backhaul is expected by Deloitte Consulting LLP to require $130-$150 Billion over the next 5-7 years to adequately support the consumer demand for broadband and wireless densification projectslegislation has emerged in the United States alone. Itwith various states enacting different requirements for protection of sensitive data, networks, and adding duties to disclose. Congress has yet to enact federal laws mandating cyber security protections thus far, but there have been many discussions, task forces, and the Department of Defense has updated standards for private sector companies doing business with them.

Global Cyber Security spending is mission-criticalexpected to reach $376 billion annually by 2029, a 13.9% CAGR according to Fortune Business Insighted (March ’22). Service Providers, Wireless Providers, and Managed Service Providers are all working at a feverish pace to keep up with emerging threats. There are over 4000 different “point” solutions on the market today. Most focused on a single part of the problem or “attack surface”. Traditional solutions require a lot of work to deploy, constant monitoring, and well-trained people to interpret the massive amounts of data they produce. This sets the stage for managed service solutions that meld best in breed tools together into a comprehensive solution, manage the solution 24x7x365, to detect and respond to threats.

High Wire Networks, Inc. was recently recognized by Frost and Sullivan in the 2023 Frost Radar: America’s Top Professional and Managed Cybersecurity Companies, as one of the top 12 companies in the Americas. This was based on a number of criteria around growth and innovation, ranking us amongst the largest and best companies in the industry. One of these providers to deliver broadband capacity, reliably, securelycriteria is identification and cost-effectivelyexploitation of mega trend opportunities in the space. Our Overwatch Managed Cybersecurity platform is built around an open ecosystem that is vendor and technology agnostic, and built for scale around extensive automation capabilities. Identifying that customers need vendors that can “meet them exactly where they are at” and truly operationalize cybersecurity for them in a solutionway that supportsthey often cannot themselves, resonates with customers as they seek to better improve their security posture.

In 2020, companies around the massiveworld shifted their technology spend to rapidly enable work from home capabilities for data consumption of emerging applications such as: augmented reality/virtual reality, video streaming, mobile advertising, IoT, self-driving cars, personalized health monitoringtheir workforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic waned in late 2022, companies began revisiting their workforce needs and much more. The explosion of devices harnessing distributed mobility will require, innovative approaches like small cellplanning for significant return to the office migrations. Over those three years, infrastructure upgrades were infrequent or non-existent. Companies are confronted with the need for technology refresh deployments to handlereplace or upgrade outdated infrastructure or infrastructure components that are no longer deemed secure. With the continued sprawl of business applications and cloud native operations, networking connectivity and security are front of mind and point to increased demands on both the wireline and wireless delivery networks.

The outlook indicator and anticipated growth in the telecommunications sector is at a faster rate over the next five (5) years to 2025 than experienced in the previous five (5) year period. Industry revenue is forecastedspending cycles for the next five (5) years is to grow at an annual rate between 5%-7%. As a result, major carriers and enterprises are increasingly requiring rapid deployment of broadband solutions and network infrastructure upgrades to support an evolving array of communication technologies that attempt to cope with the mounting demand for higher mobile traffic capacity and coverage.foreseeable future.

INDUSTRY TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Competitors

We provide, professionalmanaged and infrastructureprofessional services to carriers, service provider, utilities and enterprise clients on a national and international basis. Demand for our services is strong and growing in all segments of the business. Our primary business market is somewhat consolidated, and the business is characterized by several large companies, however the market servicing the telecommunications sector is fragmented with a large numberchannel-oriented sales model provides for very rapid expansion within our clients as they win contracts, develop new programs, build out their own suite of small, privately held, local competitors.services, or leverage our portfolio to expand their own under private label.

Our currentManaged Services is a very competitive market and potential larger competitors include MasTec, Dycom Industries, Inc., Goodman Networks, Inc., Ericsson,as such, our strategy to work exclusively through distribution channels with existing customer bases and Black and Veatch. A significant portionrobust sales organizations that can provide rapid growth. Most of our services revenue is currently derived from MSAs and price is often an important factor in awarding such agreements. Accordingly, our competitors may underbid us if they elect to price their services aggressively to procure such business. It must be recognized that while these companies are competitors, under the right circumstance theynot channel only, but rather serve customers directly as well as have a channel component. Many are also wed to their own software, which makes it challenging to pivot as threats change. Some of our clients or potential clients. Oursignificant competitors may also developwould be Arctic Wolf, Herjevic Group, SecureWorks, and numerous smaller competitors. This space is rapidly evolving and hiring and retaining talent can be challenging. The company that develops a competitive edge in recruitment and employee retention will have a significant advantage. In a crowded and evolving landscape, there will be a continued need to spend on marketing and sales to acquire partners and help them convert and acquire new customers. We believe that with the expertise, experience and resourcescombination of businesses we have, we are able to provide services that are equal or superior in both price todifferentiate our services and we may not be able to maintain or enhance our competitive position based on thresholds for margin and profitability that has been established as benchmarks within our telecommunications division. The principal competitive factors for our professional services include; agility to respond, geographic presence, breadth of service offerings, technical skills “in-house” professional licenses, price, quality of service, safety record, proven performance and industry reputation. We believe we compete favorably with our competitors on the basis of all of these factors.aggressively in this market. 

Our Competitive Strengths

On the telecommunication sector weWe believe our market advantage is our positioning as a trusted authority in the space and the long-term relationships, Master Service Agreements (MSAs), industry leading provider of wireless and wireline solutions and a reputationsreputation and track record of our ability to perform with agility, quality on a seamless and flawless manner for our clients is key in our success to date. Spectrum Global’sHigh Wire’s ability to provide a wide range of services in a turn-key integrated solution is critical to our clients. Our highly experienced and professional team provide such services as: RF, civil, electrical, architectural engineeringManaged Services, Cyber security services, and design, structural engineering, analysis and design, value engineering, network engineering services, network planning, site acquisition, land use planning, feasibility/environmental studies, lease/contract negotiations, Build-To-Suit (BTS) services, audits functions, program planning, professional services, product development, construction and installation, technical services, warehouse and logistics, network decommissioning and maintenance.high Technology Enabled Professional Services.

We believe our additional strengths described below will enable us to continue to compete effectively and to take advantage of anticipated growth in the telecommunications industry segment:opportunities:

SAMPLE CUSTOMERS

Sample Customers

KEY ASPECTS

Our Growth Strategy

Our Services

We are a leading provider of professionalprovide award winning managed cyber security solutions, managed services, and wholesale communications exclusively through our channel partners around the world. We leverage state of the art cyber security tools to deliver these services. We have built out extensive data center/cloud infrastructure solutionsenabling our partners to bothprovide concierge level security services and extend their value proposition to their own clients with a high degree of certainty. Our U.S. based Security Operations Center (SOC) provides SOC as a Service (SOCaaS) to manage all of the telecommunicationstools 24x7x365. Our cybersecurity operations are 100% U.S. based with no offshore presence, entirely provided by our own employees. Our open architecture ecosystem is vendor and technology industry, utility entitiesagnostic and enterprises sectors. Our engineering, design, construction, installation, maintenance service offerings supported by our professional teamsallows us to support the build-out, maintenance, upgradeintegrate and operationautomate with a nearly limitless number of some of the most advanced fiber optic, Ethernet, copper, wireless, wireline, utilitysecurity tools and enterprise networks. Our breadth of comprehensive services enables our customers to selectively augment existing services or to outsource entire projects or operational functions. We divide our service offering into Infrastructure and Professional Services.solutions.

We offer a full array of operations, construction, project and program management professional required to facilitate the full turn-key completion of networks from the design and planning phase, engineer evaluation and sign off, regulatory, installation, commissioning and maintain various types of Wi-Fi and wide-area networks, DAS networks, and small cell distribution networks for incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), telecommunications original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), cable broadband multiple system operators (MSOs) and enterprise customers. Our services andTechnology Services teams support the deployment of new networks and technologies, expand and maintain existing networks, as well as decommissioning obsolete legacy networks. We also design, install and maintain hardware solutions for the leading OEMs that support voice, data and optical networks. Our consulting and professional solutions to the service-provider and enterprise market in support of all facets of telecommunications and next-generation networks, including project management, network implementation, network installation, network upgrades, rebuilds, maintenance and consulting services. Our global certified professional services organization offers consulting, design, engineering, integration, implementation and ongoing support of all solutions offered by our company. We believe our ability to respond rapidly is a differentiating factor for national and international-based customers needing a broad range of our services and solutions.

We seek to assistCustomers

On behalf of our customers throughoutclients, we provide services for most of the entire life cycle of a network deployment via its comprehensive suite of managed solutions and Professional Staffing services. We actively maintain a Proprietary Candidate Database with profiles of more than 138,000 telecommunications professionals. The database contains domestic and international based telecommunications professionals of all levels. Our recruiters are able to search the database by any number of criteria including, but not limited to: technical skill sets, equipment types, technology experience, education, years of experience, past employment history, geographic location.

Customers

Our customers include many Fortune 1000 enterprises and the like, software and hardware OEMs, wireless and wireline service providers, cable broadband MSOs and telecommunications OEMs. Our current service provider and OEM customers include leading telecommunications companies, such as Ericsson, Inc., Verizon Communications, T-Mobile/Sprint Corporationthe largest resellers of technology in the world, technology manufacturers, telecom carriers, and AT&T.over 230 managed service providers.

During the yearyears ended December 31, 2020,2023 and 2022, our top four customers Ericsson, Inc., Frontier Communications, CBM of America, Inc., and Sullivan & Powers, Inc. accounted for approximately 66%57% and 46%, respectively, of our total revenues. During the year ended December 31, 2019, our top four customers, Ericsson, Inc., AT&T, SAC Wireless, and Frontier Communications accounted for approximately 82% of our total revenues.

A substantial portion of our revenue is derived from work performed under multi-year master service agreements and multi-year service contracts. We have entered into master service agreements, or MSAs, with numerous service providers and OEMs, and generally have multiple agreements with each of our customers. MSAs are generally the contracting vehicle with work awarded primarily through a competitive bidding process based on the depth of our service offerings, experience, price, geographic coverage and capacity. MSAs generally contain customer-specified service requirements, such as discrete pricing for individual tasks, but do not require our customers to purchase a minimum amount of services. To the extent that such contracts specify exclusivity, there are often a number of exceptions, including the ability of the customer to issue work orders valued above a specified dollar amount to other service providers, perform work with the customer’s own employees and use other service providers. Most of our MSAs may be cancelled by our customers upon minimum notice (typically 60 days), regardless of whether we are or are not in default. In addition, many of these contracts permit cancellation of particular purchase orders or statements of work without any prior notice but do allow for payment for services performed up to the point of hold or cancellation.

Suppliers and Vendors

We have supply agreements with major technology vendors and material supply houses. However, for a majority of the professional services we perform, our customers supply the necessary major equipment and materials. We expect to continue to further develop our relationships with our technology vendors and to broaden our scope of work with each of our partners. In many cases, our relationships with our partners have extended for over a decade, which we attribute to our commitment to excellence. It is our objective to selectively expand our partnerships moving forward in order to expand our service offerings.

Safety and Risk Management

We require our employees to participate in internal training and service programs from time to time relevant to their employment and to complete any training programs required by law. The telecommunications division has not had any OSHA recordable incidents, lost workdays or fatalities since inception which includes: 2006 through 2020.2023. Our policy is to review accidents and claims from our operations, examine trends and implement changes in procedures to address safety issues. We have no Claims in our business related to: workers’ compensation claims, general liability and damage claims, or claims related to vehicle accidents, including personal injury and property damage. We insure against the risk of loss arising from our operations up to certain deductible limits in all of the states in which we operate. In addition, we retain risk of loss, up to certain limits, under our employee group health plan. We evaluate our insurance requirements on an ongoing basis to help ensure we maintain adequate levels of coverage internally and externally for our clients.

Our internal policy is to carefully monitor claims and actively participate with our insurers in determining claims estimates and adjustments. The estimated costs of claims are accrued as liabilities and include estimates for claims incurred but not reported. If we experience future insurance claims in excess of our umbrella coverage limit, our business could be materially and adversely affected.

Employees

As of December 31, 2020,2023, we had 15672 full-time employees and 25 part-time employees, of whom 258 were in administration and corporate management, 4 were accounting personnel, 516 were sales personnel and 12449 are engaged in professional engineering, operations, project managerial and technical roles.

We maintain a core of professional, technical, and managerial personnel and add employees as deemed appropriate to address operational and scale requirementrequirements related to growth. Additionally, we will “flex” our work force through the use of temporary or agency staff and through subcontractors.

Environmental Matters

A portion of the work related to the telecommunication division which is work associated with above ground and underground networks of our customers. As a result, we are potentially subject to material liabilities related to encountering underground objects that may cause the release of hazardous materials or substances. We are subject to federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, including those regarding the removal and remediation of hazardous substances and waste. These laws and regulations can impose significant fines and criminal sanctions for violations. Costs associated with the discharge of hazardous substances may include clean-up costs and related damages or liabilities. These costs could be significant and could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

Regulation

Our operations are subject to various federal, state, local and international laws and regulations, including licensing, permitting and inspection requirements applicable to electricians and engineers; building codes; permitting and inspection requirements applicable to construction and installation projects; regulations relating to worker safety and environmental protection; telecommunication regulations affecting our wireless, wireline and fiber optic business; labor and employment laws; laws governing advertising, and laws governing our public business.

Our Corporate Information

Our principal offices are located at 30 North Lincoln Street, Batavia, Illinois 60510. Our telephone number is (952) 974-4000. 

ITEM 1A –1A. RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and all other information contained in this report before purchasing our securities. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose some or all of your investment.

In addition to the other information in this annual report, you should carefully consider the following factors in evaluating us and our business. This annual report contains, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results could differ materially. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed below, as well as those discussed elsewhere in this annual report, including the documents incorporated by reference.

There are risks associated with investing in companies such as ours. In addition to risks which could apply to any company or business, you should also consider the business we are in and the following:

Risks Related to Our Financial Results and Financing Plans

We have a history of losses and may continue to incur losses in the future.

We have a history of losses and may continue to incur losses in the future, which could negatively impact the trading value of our common stock. We incurred losses from operations of $4,304,782$13,002,932 and $3,490,021$13,101,920 for the years ended December 31, 20202023 and 2019,2022, respectively. In addition, we incurred a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $17,710,296$14,486,000 and $6,322,330$19,035,088 for the years ended December 31, 20202023 and 2019,2022, respectively. We may continue to incur operating and net losses in future periods. These losses may increase, and we may never achieve profitability for a variety of reasons, including increased competition, decreased growth in the unified communications industry, and other factors described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. If we cannot achieve sustained profitability, our stockholders may lose all or a portion of their investment in our company.

If we are unable to grow our revenue, we may never achieve or sustain profitability.

To become profitable, we must, among other things, continue increase our revenues. We had experienced significant growth in recent years, primarily due to our strategic acquisitions. However, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a decline in revenues. Our total revenues decreasedincreased modestly from $25,496,071$26,766,795 in the year ended December 31, 20192022 to $18,677,444$26,992,550 in the year ended December 31, 2020.2023. In order to become profitable and maintain our profitability, we must, among other things, continue to increase our revenues. We may be unable to sustain our recent revenue growth, particularly if we are unable to develop and market our telecommunications, increase our sales to existing customers or develop new customers. However, even if our revenues continue to grow, they may not be sufficient to exceed increases in our operating expenses or to enable us to achieve or sustain profitability.

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to meet our payment obligations.

As of December 31, 2020,2023, we had total indebtedness of $7,488,336,$6,879,572, consisting of $1,304,420$2,090,561 of convertible debentures, $3,491,380$3,092,355 of loans payable, $577,925$335,000 of convertible loans payable to related parties, and $1,914,611$1,361,656 of factor financing. $3,990,286$5,659,572 of this debt is due within the twelve monthsyear ending December 31, 2021.2024. Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences to our stockholders. For example, it could:

A high level of indebtedness would increase the risk that we may default on our debt obligations. Our ability to meet our debt obligations and to reduce our level of indebtedness will depend on our future performance. General economic conditions and financial, business, and other factors affect our operations and our future performance. Many of these factors are beyond our control. We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to pay the interest on our debt and future working capital, borrowings or equity financing may not be available to pay or refinance such debt. Factors that will affect our ability to raise cash through an offering of our capital stock or a refinancing of our debt include our ability to access the public equity and debt markets, financial market conditions, the value of our assets and our performance at the time we need capital.

Risks RelatedRelating to Our Business

Our inability to obtain additional capital may prevent us from completing our acquisition strategy and successfully operating our business; however, additional financings may subject our existing stockholders to substantial dilution.

We expect to finance our anticipated future strategic acquisitions through public or private equity offerings or debt financings. Additional funds may not be available when we need them on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate one or more strategic acquisitions or business plans. To the extent that we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience significant dilution. In addition, debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants. We may seek to access the public or private capital markets whenever conditions are favorable, even if we do not have an immediate need for additional capital at that time. Our access to the financial markets and the pricing and terms we receive in the financial markets could be adversely impacted by various factors, including changes in financial markets and interest rates.

Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to, the costs and timing of our future acquisitions.

A failure to successfully execute our strategy of acquiring other businesses to grow our company could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We intend to continue pursuing growth through the acquisition of companies or assets to expand our product offerings, project skill sets and capabilities, enlarge our geographic markets, and increase critical mass to enable us to bid on larger contracts. However, we may be unable to find suitable acquisition candidates or to complete acquisitions on favorable terms, if at all. Moreover, any completed acquisition may not result in the intended benefits. For example, while the historical financial and operating performance of an acquisition target are among the criteria we evaluate in determining which acquisition targets we will pursue, there can be no assurance that any business or assets we acquire will continue to perform in accordance with past practices or will achieve financial or operating results that are consistent with or exceed past results. Any such failure could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, any completed acquisition may not result in the intended benefits for other reasons and our acquisitions will involve a number of other risks, including:

Any of these risks could prevent us from executing our acquisition growth strategy, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our engagements can require longer implementations and other professional services engagements.

Our implementations can involve a longer period of delivery of telecommunication and infrastructure services and technologies. In addition, existing customers for other professional services projects often retain us for those projects sometime beyond an initial implementation. A successful implementation or other professional services project requires a close working relationship between us, the customer and often third- party consultants and systems integrators who assist in the process. These factors may increase the costs associated with completion of any given project award/sale, increase the timeline risks of collection of amounts due during implementations or other professional services projects, and increase risks of delay of such projects. Delays in the completion of an implementation or any other professional services project may require that the revenues associated with such implementation or project be recognized over a longer period than originally anticipated, or may result in disputes with customers, third-party consultants or systems integrators regarding performance as originally anticipated. Such delays in the implementation may cause material fluctuations in our operating results. In addition, customers may defer implementation projects or portions of such projects and such deferrals could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our future success is substantially dependent on third-party relationships.

An element of our strategy is to establish and maintain alliances with other companies, such as suppliers of products and services for construction and maintenance. These relationships enhance our status in the marketplace, which generates new business opportunities and marketing channels and, in certain cases, additional revenue and profitability. To effectively generate revenue out of these relationships, each party must coordinate and support required hence the sales and marketing efforts of the other, often including making a sizable investment in such sales and marketing activity. Our inability to establish and maintain effective alliances with other companies could impact our success in the marketplace, which could materially and adversely impact our results of operations. In addition, as we cannot control the actions of these third-party alliances, if these companies suffer business downturns or fail to meet their objectives, we may experience a resulting diminished revenue and decline in results of operations.

If we do not accurately estimate the overall costs when we bid on a contract that is awarded to us, we may achieve a lower than anticipated profit or incur a loss on the contract.

A portion of our telecommunications revenues from our engineeringtechnology and professional services offerings are derived from fixed unit price contracts that require us to perform the contract for a fixed unit price irrespective of our actual costs. We bid for these contracts based on our estimates of overall costs, but cost overruns may cause us to incur losses. The costs incurred and any net profit realized on such contracts can vary, sometimes substantially, from the original projections due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

These factors may cause actual reduced profitability or losses on projects, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our contracts may require us to perform extra or change order work, which can result in disputes and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our contracts generally require us to perform extra or change order work as directed by the customer, even if the customer has not agreed in advance on the scope or price of the extra work to be performed. This process may result in disputes over whether the work performed is beyond the scope of the work included in the original project plans and specifications or, if the customer agrees that the work performed qualifies as extra work, the price that the customer is willing to pay for the extra work. Even when the customer agrees to pay for the extra work, we may be required to fund the cost of such work for a lengthy period of time until the change order is approved by the customer and we are paid by the customer.

To the extent that actual recoveries with respect to change orders or amounts subject to contract disputes or claims are less than the estimates used in our financial statements, the amount of any shortfall will reduce our future revenues and profits, and this could adversely affect our reported working capital and results of operations. In addition, any delay caused by the extra work may adversely impact the timely scheduling of other project work and our ability to meet specified contract milestone dates.

We derive a significant portion of our revenue from a few customers and the loss of one of these customers, or a reduction in their demand for our services, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our customer base on the telecommunication sector is highly concentrated. Due to the size and nature of our contracts, one or a few customers have represented a substantial portion of our consolidated revenues and gross profits in any one year or over a period of several consecutive years. Our top four customers accounted for approximately 66%57% and 82%46% of our revenue in the years ended December 31, 20202023 and 2019,2022, respectively. Revenues under our contracts with significant customers may continue to vary from period to period depending on the timing or volume of work that those customers order or perform with in-house service organizations. A limited number of customers may continue to comprise a substantial portion of our revenue for the foreseeable future.

Because we do not maintain any reserves for payment defaults, a default or delay in payment on a significant scale could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We could lose business from a significant customer for a variety of reasons, including:

Since many of our customer contracts allow our customers to terminate the contract without cause, our customers may terminate their contracts with us at will, which could impair our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our failure to adequately expand our direct sales force will impede our growth.

We will need to continue to expand and optimize our sales infrastructure in order to grow our customer base and our business. We plan to continue to expand our account management/sales force, both domestically and internationally. Identifying and recruiting qualified personnel and training them requires significant time, expense, and attention. If we are unable to hire, develop and retain talented account management/sales personnel or if the personnel are unable to achieve desired productivity levels in a reasonable period of time, we may not be able to realize the intended benefits of this investment or increase our revenue.

If we are unable to attract and retain qualified executive officers and managers, we will be unable to operate efficiently, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We depend on the continued efforts and abilities of our management, as well as the senior management of our subsidiaries, to establish and maintain our customer relationships and identify strategic opportunities. The loss of any one of them could negatively affect our ability to execute our business strategy and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Competition for managerial talent with significant industry experience is high and we may lose access to executive officers for a variety of reasons, including more attractive compensation packages offered by our competitors. Although we have entered into employment agreements with certain of our senior level management, we cannot guarantee that any of them or other key management personnel will remain employed by us for any length of time.

We derive a significant portion of our revenues from master service agreements that may be cancelled by customers on short notice, or which we may be unable to renew on favorable terms or at all.

During the years ended December 31, 20202023 and 20192022 we derived approximately 100%substantially all of our revenues from master service agreements and long-term contracts, none of which require our customers to purchase a minimum amount of services. The majority of these contracts may be cancelled by our customers upon minimal notice (typically 60 days), regardless of whether or not we are in default. In addition, many of these contracts permit cancellation of particular purchase orders or statements of work without any notice.

These agreements typically do not require our customers to assign a specific amount of work to us until a purchase order or statement of work is signed. Consequently, projected expenditures by customers are not assured until a definitive purchase order or statement of work is placed with us and the work is completed. Furthermore, our customers generally require competitive bidding of these contracts. As a result, we could be underbid by our competitors or be required to lower the prices charged under a contract being rebid. The loss of work obtained through master service agreements and long-term contracts or the reduced profitability of such work could adversely affect our business or results of operations.

Unanticipated delays due to adverse weather conditions, global climate change and difficult work sites and environments may slow completion of our contracts, impair our customer relationships and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Because some of our work in the telecommunication sector is performed outdoors, our business is impacted by extended periods of inclement weather and is subject to unpredictable weather conditions, which could become more frequent or severe if general climatic changes occur. Generally, inclement weather is more likely to occur during the winter season, which falls during our first and fourth fiscal quarters. Additionally, adverse weather conditions can result in project delays or cancellations, potentially causing us to incur additional unanticipated costs, reductions in revenues or the payment of liquidated damages. In addition, some of our contracts require that we assume the risk that actual site conditions vary from those expected. Significant periods of bad weather typically reduce profitability of affected contracts, both in the current period and during the future life of affected contracts, which can negatively affect our results of operations in current and future periods until the affected contracts are completed.

Some of our projects involve challenging engineering, procurement and construction phases that may occur over extended time periods, sometimes up to several years. We may encounter difficulties in engineering, delays in designs or materials provided by the customer or a third party, equipment and material delivery delays, schedule changes, delays from customer failure to timely obtain rights-of-way, weather-related delays, delays by subcontractors in completing their portion of the project and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, but which may impact our ability to complete a project within the original delivery schedule. In some cases, delays and additional costs may be substantial, and we may be required to cancel a project and/or compensate the customer for the delay. We may not be able to recover any of these costs. Any such delays, cancellations, defects, errors or other failures to meet customer expectations could result in damage claims substantially in excess of revenue associated with a project. These factors could also negatively impact our reputation or relationships with our customers, which could adversely affect our ability to secure new contracts.

Environmental and other regulatory matters could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business and could require expenditures that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our operations are subject to laws and regulations relating to workplace safety and worker health that, among other things, regulate employee exposure to hazardous substances. While immigration laws require us to take certain steps intended to confirm the legal status of our immigrant labor force, we may nonetheless unknowingly employ illegal immigrants. Violations of laws and regulations could subject us to substantial fines and penalties, cleanup costs, third- party property damage or personal injury claims. In addition, these laws and regulations have become, and enforcement practices and compliance standards are becoming, increasingly stringent. Moreover, we cannot predict the nature, scope or effect of legislation or regulatory requirements that could be imposed, or how existing or future laws or regulations will be administered or interpreted, with respect to products or activities to which they have not been previously applied. Compliance with more stringent laws or regulations, as well as more vigorous enforcement policies of the regulatory agencies, could require us to make substantial expenditures for, among other things, pollution control systems and other equipment that we do not currently possess, or the acquisition or modification of permits applicable to our activities.

Fines, judgments, and other consequences resulting from our failure to comply with regulations or adverse outcomes in litigation proceedings could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

From time to time, we may be involved in lawsuits and regulatory actions, including class action lawsuits that are brought or threatened against us in the ordinary course of business. These actions may seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, workers’ compensation, violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws, employment discrimination, breach of contract, property damage, punitive damages, civil penalties, and consequential damages or other losses, or injunctive or declaratory relief. Any defects or errors, or failures to meet our customers’ expectations could result in large damage claims against us. Claimants may seek large damage awards and, due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings. Any failure to properly estimate or manage cost, or delay in the completion of projects, could subject us to penalties.

The ultimate resolution of these matters through settlement, mediation or court judgment could have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Regardless of the outcome of any litigation, these proceedings could result in substantial cost and may require us to devote substantial resources to defend ourselves. When appropriate, we establish reserves for litigation and claims that we believe to be adequate in light of current information, legal advice and professional indemnity insurance coverage, and we adjust such reserves from time to time according to developments. If our reserves are inadequate or insurance coverage proves to be inadequate or unavailable, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may suffer.

If we are required to reclassify independent contractors as employees, we may incur additional costs and taxes which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We use a significant number of independent contractors in our operations for whom we do not pay or withhold any federal, state or provincial employment tax. There are a number of different tests used in determining whether an individual is an employee or an independent contractor and such tests generally take into account multiple factors. There can be no assurance that legislative, judicial, or regulatory (including tax) authorities will not introduce proposals or assert interpretations of existing rules and regulations that would change, or at least challenge, the classification of our independent contractors. Although we believe we have properly classified our independent contractors, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or other U.S. federal or state authorities or similar authorities of a foreign government may determine that we have misclassified our independent contractors for employment tax or other purposes and, as a result, seek additional taxes from us or attempt to impose fines and penalties. If we are required to pay employer taxes or pay backup withholding with respect to prior periods with respect to or on behalf of our independent contractors, our operating costs will increase, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our dependence on subcontractors and suppliers could increase our cost and impair our ability to complete contracts on a timely basis or at all.

We rely on third-party subcontractors to perform some of the work on our contracts. We also rely on third-party suppliers to provide materials needed to perform our obligations under those contracts. We generally do not bid on contracts unless we have the necessary subcontractors and suppliers committed for the anticipated scope of the contract and at prices that we have included in our bid. Therefore, to the extent that we cannot engage subcontractors or suppliers, our ability to bid for contracts may be impaired. In addition, if a subcontractor or third-party supplier is unable to deliver its goods or services according to the negotiated terms for any reason, we may suffer delays and be required to purchase the services from another source at a higher price. We sometimes pay our subcontractors and suppliers before our customers pay us for the related services. If customers fail to pay us and we choose, or are required, to pay our subcontractors for work performed or pay our suppliers for goods received, we could suffer an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our insurance coverage may be inadequate to cover all significant risk exposures.

We will be exposed to liabilities that are unique to the services we provide. While we intend to maintain insurance for certain risks, the amount of our insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover all claims or liabilities, and we may be forced to bear substantial costs resulting from risks and uncertainties of our business. It is also not possible to obtain insurance to protect against all operational risks and liabilities. The failure to obtain adequate insurance coverage on terms favorable to us, or at all, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

A portion of our operations are subject to hazards that may cause personal injury or property damage, thereby subjecting us to liabilities and possible losses, which may not be covered by insurance.

Our workers are subject to hazards associated with providing construction and related services on construction sites. For example, some of the work we perform is underground. If the field location maps supplied to us are not accurate, or if objects are present in the soil that are not indicated on the field location maps, our underground work could strike objects in the soil containing pollutants that could result in a rupture and discharge of pollutants. In such a case, we may be liable for fines and damages. These operating hazards can cause personal injury and loss of life, damage to or destruction of property, plant and equipment and environmental damage. Even though we believe that the insurance coverage we maintain is in amounts and against the risks that we believe are consistent with industry practice, this insurance may not be adequate to cover all losses or liabilities that we may incur in our operations. To the extent that we experience a material increase in the frequency or severity of accidents or workers’ compensation claims, or unfavorable developments on existing claims, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as amended, or OSHA, establishes certain employer responsibilities, including the maintenance of a workplace free of recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious injury, compliance with standards promulgated by the Occupational Health and Safety and Health Administration and various recordkeeping, disclosure, and procedural requirements. While we have invested, and will continue to invest, substantial resources in occupational health and safety programs, serious accidents or violations of OSHA rules may subject us to substantial penalties, civil litigation, or criminal prosecution, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. However, our record to date has had no incidents or losses and we are in full compliance with a 100% safety record.

DefectsErrors in our specialty contracting services may give rise to claims against us, increase our expenses, or harm our reputation.

Our specialty contracting services are complex and our final work product may contain defects.errors. We have not historically accrued reserves for potential claims as they have been immaterial. The costs associated with such claims, including any legal proceedings, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

The extent to which the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak and measures taken in response thereto impact our business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.

Global health concerns relating to the coronavirus outbreak have been weighing on the macroeconomic environment, and the outbreak has significantly increased economic uncertainty. Risks related to consumers and businesses lowering or changing spending, which impact domestic and international spend. The outbreak has resulted in authorities implementing numerous measures to try to contain the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter in place orders, and business shutdowns. These measures have not only negatively impacted consumer spending and business spending habits, they have also adversely impacted and may further impact our workforce and operations and the operations of our customers, suppliers and business partners. These measures may remain in place for a significant period of time and they are likely to continue to adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The spread of the coronavirus has caused us to modify our business practices (including employee travel, employee work locations, and cancellation of physical participation in meetings, events and conferences), and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers and business partners. There is no certainty that such measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks posed by the virus or otherwise be satisfactory to government authorities.

The extent to which the coronavirus outbreak impacts our business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including, but not limited to, the duration and spread of the outbreak, its severity, the actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume. Even after the coronavirus outbreak has subsided, we may continue to experience materially adverse impacts to our business as a result of its global economic impact, including any recession that has occurred or may occur in the future.

There are no comparable recent events which may provide guidance as to the effect of the spread of the coronavirus and a global pandemic, and, as a result, the ultimate impact of the coronavirus outbreak or a similar health epidemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of the impacts on our business, our operations or the global economy as a whole. However, the effects could have a material impact on our results of operations, and we will continue to monitor the coronavirus situation closely. As of March 2021, multiple variants of the COVID-19 virus are circulating globally that are highly transmissible, and there is uncertainty around vaccine effectiveness on the new strains of the virus. Uncertainty around vaccine distribution, supply and effectiveness will impact when the negative economic effects as a result of COVID-19 will abate or end and the timing of such recovery may affect our financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Industry

Our industry is highly competitive, with a variety of larger companies with greater resources competing with us, and our failure to compete effectively could reduce the number of new contracts awarded to us or adversely affect our market share and harm our financial performance.

The contracts on which we bid are generally awarded through a competitive bid process, with awards generally being made to the lowest bidder, but sometimes based on other factors, such as shorter contract schedules, larger scale to complete projects or prior experience with the customer. WithinManaged Services is a very competitive market and as such, our markets, we competestrategy to work exclusively through distribution channels with many national, regional, localexisting customer bases and international service providers, including Dycom Industries, Inc., Ericssonrobust sales organizations that can provide rapid growth. Most of our competitors are not channel only, but rather serve customers directly as well as have a channel component. Many are also wed to their own software, which makes it challenging to pivot as threats change. Some of our significant competitors would be Arctic Wolf, Herjevic Group, SecureWorks, and Frontier Communications. Pricenumerous smaller competitors. In some segments of our business, price is often the principalan important factor in determining which service provider is selected by our customers, especially on smaller, less complex projects. As a result, any organization with adequate financial resources and access to technical expertise may become a competitor. Smaller competitors are sometimes able to win bids for these projects based on price alone because of their lower costs and financial return requirements. Additionally, our competitors may develop the expertise, experience and resources to provide services that are equal or superior in price to our services, and we may not be able to maintain or enhance our competitive position.

Some of our competitors have already achieved greater market penetration than we have in the markets in which we compete, and some have greater financial and other resources than we do. A number of national companies in our industry are larger than we are and, if they so desire, could establish a presence in our markets and compete with us for contracts. As a result of this competition, we may need to accept lower contract margins in order to compete against competitors that have the ability to accept awards at lower prices or have a pre-existing relationship with a customer. If we are unable to compete successfully in our markets, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.

Many of the industries we serve are subject to consolidation and rapid technological and regulatory change, and our inability or failure to adjust to our customers’ changing needs could reduce demand for our services.

We derive, and anticipate that we will continue to derive, a substantial portion of our revenue from customers in the telecommunications and utilities industries. The telecommunications and utilities industries are subject to rapid changes in technology and governmental regulation. Changes in technology may reduce the demand for the services we provide. For example, new or developing technologies could displace the wireline systems used for the transmission of voice, video and data, and improvements in existing technology may allow telecommunications providers to significantly improve their networks without physically upgrading them. Alternatively, our customers could perform more tasks themselves, which would cause our business to suffer. Additionally, the telecommunications and utilities industries have been characterized by a high level of consolidation that may result in the loss of one or more of our customers. Our failure to rapidly adopt and master new technologies as they are developed in any of the industries we serve or the consolidation of one or more of our significant customers could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Further, many of our telecommunications customers are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, or the FCC, and other international regulators. The FCC and other regulators may interpret the application of their regulations in a manner that is different than the way such regulations are currently interpreted and may impose additional regulations, either of which could reduce demand for our services and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Economic downturns could cause capital expenditures in the industries we serve to decrease, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

The demand for our services has been, and will likely continue to be, cyclical in nature and vulnerable to general downturns in the United States economy. The current election cycle may cause economic uncertainty. The wireless and wireline telecommunications industry are cyclical in nature and vulnerable to general downturns in the United States and international economies. Our customers are affected by economic changes that decrease the need for or the profitability of their services. This can result in a decrease in the demand for our services and potentially result in the delay or cancellation of projects by our customers. Slow-downs in real estate, fluctuations in commodity prices and decreased demand by end-customers for services could affect our customers and their capital expenditure plans. As a result, some of our customers may opt to defer or cancel pending projects. A downturn in overall economic conditions also affects the priorities placed on various projects funded by governmental entities and federal, state, and local spending levels.

In general, economic uncertainty makes it difficult to estimate our customers’ requirements for our services. Our plan for growth depends on expanding our company both in the United States and internationally. If economic factors in any of the regions in which we plan to expand are not favorable to the growth and development of the telecommunications industries in those countries, we may not be able to carry out our growth strategy, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Other Risks Relating to Our Company and Results of Operations

Our operating results may fluctuate due to factors that are difficult to forecast and not within our control.

Our past telecommunications operating results may not be accurate indicators of future performance, and you should not rely on such results to predict our future performance.

Our operating results have fluctuated and could fluctuate in the future. Factors that may contribute to fluctuations include:

Actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions that we use to prepare our financial statements.

To prepare financial statements in conformity with GAAP, management is required to make estimates and assumptions as of the date of the financial statements that affect the reported values of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. Areas requiring significant estimates by our management include:

At the time the estimates and assumptions are made, we believe they are accurate based on the information available. However, our actual results could differ from, and could require adjustments to, those estimates.

We exercise judgment in determining our provision for taxes in the Canada, United States and Puerto Rico that are subject to tax authority audit review that could result in additional tax liability and potential penalties that would negatively affect our net income.

The amounts we record in intercompany transactions for services, licenses, funding, and other items affects our potential tax liabilities. Our tax filings are subject to review or audit by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and state, local and foreign taxing authorities. We exercise judgment in determining our worldwide provision for income and other taxes and, in the ordinary course of our business, there may be transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Examinations of our tax returns could result in significant proposed adjustments and assessment of additional taxes that could adversely affect our tax provision and net income in the period or periods for which that determination is made.