FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS – TRENDS, RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES
This “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contains forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. We May Fail to Bring the TracVision A5 Mobile Satellite Antenna to Market Successfully Developed as part of our Mobile Broadband initiative, the TracVision A5 low-profile satellite TV antenna is intended to provide in-motion access to satellite television services and, potentially, high-speed, two-way Internet, to the video and computer systems aboard SUVs, mini-vans and other passenger vehicles. We are currently beginning production of our TracVision A5 satellite TV antenna and starting a broad marketing effort. The project involves significant technical advances. To date, phased-array antennas have been developed at prices far in excess of what is practical in the automotive marketplace. There is no guarantee that we can successfully design and manufacture a phased-array solution within the pricing and technical parameters necessary to be successful in the automotive marketplace. While the TracVision A5 has functioned properly in the lab and in controlled vehicle environments, there can be no assurance that we will successfully produce this product in high-volume production. The success of the TracVision A5 in the consumer marketplace will depend upon consumers’ response to the product and their assessment of whether or not the TracVision A5 met their expectations for performance, quality, price and form factor. In addition, we can give no assurance that the automotive market will respond favorably to live satellite TV in the car. Manufacturing or product design issues could delay the initial volume shipments of the finished product beyond our anticipated target of the third quarter 2003. If we are delayed in the production of the TracVision A5, or we are not first to market with this technology, we may be unable to achieve significant market share in the automotive mobile satellite communications market. 12
The Success of the TracNet Mobile High-speed Internet System Depends on the Performance and Quality of Other Service Providers The TracNet service is designed to provide mobile high-speed Internet access to vehicles and vessels throughout North America and as far as 100 miles off the coast of North America. A European variant was recently introduced to that market. TracNet’s successful operation depends on the use of KVH’s antenna and other services and equipment of third-party suppliers. TracNet relies upon the services offered by the satellite Internet provider (e.g. Bell ExpressVu of Canada), as well as the equipment and services of cellular and satellite return link communications suppliers.
Globalstar Satellite Communications Services, which KVH uses as the satellite return link supplier for TracNet, filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on February 15, 2002 and currently is operating its business as a debtor-in-possession. On April 28, 2003, Globalstar, L.P. and ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Limited announced they have received court approval for ICO to acquire a majority interest in a reorganized Globalstar. The ICO/Globalstar transaction has been approved by ICO’s board of directors, as well as by both Globalstar’s general partners’ committee and its creditors’ committee. Globalstar will file a plan of reorganization with the Bankruptcy Court, and expects to complete its Chapter 11 process later this year. Should Globalstar or one of the other vendors integral to TracNet’s operation be unable to fulfill its obligations, KVH would seek an alternate supplier, and KVH may have to carry out any necessary hardware and software retrofits or upgrades that may be required to ensure the continued operation of the TracNet system. In such event, KVH may not be successful identifying and entering into appropriate agreements with replacement suppliers, which would impair our ability to offer the TracNet service. We May Fail to Complete Our Photonic Fiber Development Initiative Successfully Our photonic fiber project is currently in the development stage. Our proposed optical fiber technology would serve as the foundation for a variety of electro-optic components built within or on a strand of optical fiber. Potential applications for this technology include its use in KVH’s existing fiber optic gyros, navigation systems and satellite communications products. A future application could also include high-speed, in-fiber modulators that would greatly enhance the speed of transmissions over fiber optic networks. We may never complete the technological development necessary to realize the full commercial potential of the project. Our current approach utilizes a proprietary electro-optic polymer and our D-fiber technology. This initiative depends on significant technical advances, and there can be no assurance that we will achieve the intended form factor. Optical fiber telecommunications solutions are not currently and may never be economically viable solutions and the timing or magnitude of future market demand for telecommunications components is not known. Because the foreseeable demand for such components has dramatically decreased, we have scaled back our investment in option telecommunications components. Research and Development Expenditures Could Lead to Continuing Operating Losses Since 2001 we made significant investments in new product research and development, which contributed to operating losses in both 2001 and 2002. In May 2001, we completed a series of private placements that raised $17.5 million, net of transaction costs, to accelerate our research into two key product areas, photonic fiber and mobile broadband. If 2003 R&D project expenditures are extended beyond our current projections or the product results of these projects are delayed, it could impact our ability to sustain future profitability. Future Sales Growth Depends on the Continued Expansion of Satellite Communications Revenues The Company’s growth has been largely sustained by a consistent expansion of our satellite communications sales. Our future satellite communications sales growth will be based to a considerable extent upon the successful introduction of new mobile satellite communications products for use in marine and land applications. Our success depends heavily on rapid completion of new products, including worldwide Internet and data applications. However, poor consumer confidence and/or economic conditions could depress product demand. Our success also depends on external variables such as consumers’ access to satellite communication services, which may be hindered because satellite launches and new technology are expensive and subject to failures, which may depress demand for our products. Defense-related Sales Could be Adversely Affected by Procurement Schedules and Political and International Events Recent world events and a shift in military planning to favor rapid deployment and lighter vehicles put a premium on precision navigation, a feature offered by KVH’s integrated tactical navigation systems. However, the growth of the Company’s defense-related revenues could be adversely affected by: delays in the current military procurement schedule; an unexpected shift or reallocation of anticipated funding for military programs; delays in the testing and acceptance of our technological solutions by the military; and sales cycles that are long and difficult to predict in military markets. The rapid growth experienced in 2002 should not be expected in 2003, based upon the cyclical nature of the military order flow. Substantial fluctuations in sales can result quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year. 13
Our Operating Results are Variable Our quarterly operating results have varied in the past and may vary significantly in the future depending upon the risk factors in this section and whether we are successful in managing our assets, revenue growth and the ratio of expenses to revenues. Our Share Price has Displayed Volatility The Company’s stock has, at times, experienced substantial price volatility as a result of variations between our actual and anticipated financial results and as a result of announcements by the Company and our competitors. In addition, the stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected the market price of many technology companies in ways that have not directly been related to the operating performance of these companies. These factors, as well as general economic and political conditions, may materially adversely affect the market price of the Company’s common stock in the future. Our Consumer Product Sales are Dependent on the Financial Strength and Performance of Our Distribution Network Many of our consumer-oriented products are marketed through a worldwide network of third-party value-added resellers, distributors and independent sales representatives. Many of the Company’s resellers operate on narrow product margins, and may distribute products from competing manufacturers. The Company’s business and financial results could be adversely affected if the financial condition of these resellers weakens, if resellers within consumer channels cease distribution of the Company’s products, or if uncertainty regarding demand for the Company’s products causes resellers to reduce their ordering and marketing of the Company’s products. If We Fail to Commercialize New Product Lines, Our Business Will Suffer We intend to continue to develop new product lines and to improve existing product lines to meet our customers’ diverse and changing needs. However, our development of new products and improvements to existing products may not be successful, due to our failure to complete the development of a new product or product improvement; or our failure to sell our new product or improved product because, among other things, the product is too expensive, is defective in design, manufacture or performance, is inferior to similar products on the market, or has been superceded by a superior product or technology. Furthermore, new products require increased sales and marketing, customer support and administrative functions to support anticipated increased levels of operations. We may not be successful in creating this infrastructure, and we may not realize a sufficient increase in gross profit to offset the expenses resulting from this expanded infrastructure. Our Success Depends to a Significant Degree Upon the Protection of Our Proprietary Technology The unauthorized reproduction or other misappropriation of our proprietary technology could enable third parties to benefit from our technology without paying us for it. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. If we resort to legal proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights, the proceedings could be burdensome and expensive and could involve a high degree of risk. Moreover, the laws of other countries in which we market our products may afford little or no effective protection of our intellectual property. Claims by Other Companies that We Infringe Their Copyrights or Patents Could Adversely Affect Our Financial Condition If any of our products violate third-party proprietary rights, we may be required to reengineer our products or seek to obtain licenses from third parties to continue to offer our products. Any efforts to reengineer our products or obtain licenses on commercially reasonable terms may not be successful, and, in any case, would substantially increase our costs and have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. We do not generally conduct comprehensive patent searches to determine whether the technology used in our products infringes patents held by third parties. In addition, product development is inherently uncertain in a rapidly evolving technological environment in which there may be numerous patent applications pending, many of which are confidential when filed, with regard to similar technologies. Although we are generally indemnified against claims that third-party technology that we license infringes the proprietary rights of others, this indemnification is not always available for all types of intellectual property rights (for example, patents may be excluded) and in some cases the scope of such indemnification is limited. Even if we receive broad indemnification, third-party indemnitors are not always well capitalized and may not be able to indemnify us in the event of infringement, resulting in substantial exposure to us. There can be no assurance that infringement or invalidity claims arising from the incorporation of third-party technology in our products, and claims for indemnification from our customers resulting from these claims, will not be asserted or prosecuted against us. These claims, even if not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources in addition to potential product redevelopment costs and delays, all of which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. 14
In addition, any claim of infringement could cause us to incur substantial costs defending against the claim, even if the claim is invalid, and could distract our management from their business. A party making a claim also could secure a judgment that requires us to pay substantial damages. A judgment could also include an injunction or other court order that could prevent us from selling our products. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. Our Future Success Depends to a Significant Degree on the Skills, Experience and Efforts of the Company’s CEO, Martin Kits Van Heyningen, and our Senior Executives The loss of the services of Mr. Kits van Heyningen could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. We also depend on the ability of our executive officers and other members of senior management to work effectively as a team. We do not have employment agreements with any of our executive officers. General Economic Conditions and Current Economic and Political Uncertainty Could Adversely Affect the Company The Company’s operating performance depends significantly on general economic conditions. Demand for some of the Company’s consumer-oriented products displayed slower-than-anticipated growth as a result of worsening global economic conditions. Continued uncertainty about future economic conditions has also made it increasingly difficult to forecast future operating results. Should global and regional economic conditions fail to improve or continue to deteriorate, demand for the Company’s products could be adversely affected, as could the financial health of its suppliers, distributors and resellers. Demand for our products can also be affected by stock market weakness. ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE MARKET RISK DISCLOSURENo material changes have occurred in the quantitative and qualitative market risk disclosure of the Company as presented in KVH’s 2002 Annual Report as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 26, 2003. ITEM 4. EVALUATION OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES(a) Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures. Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report (the “Evaluation Date”). Our disclosure controls and procedures are the controls and other procedures that we designed to ensure that we record, process, summarize and report in a timely manner the information we must disclose in reports that we file with or submit to the SEC. Our disclosure controls and procedures include our internal controls. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective. (b) Changes in internal controls. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no significant changes in our internal accounting controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls. PART II. OTHER INFORMATIONITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGSOn June 20, 2002 Agility Robotics, Inc. (“Agility”) and Ross-Hime Designs, Inc. filed a complaint against us in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota alleging that certain of our products infringe three United States patents held by Agility. We are defending ourselves vigorously against the complaint. In the ordinary course of business, we are party to legal proceedings and claims. In addition, from time to time, the Company has had contractual disagreements with certain customers concerning the Company’s products and services, which, we believe, will not have a material affect on operations or capital resources. ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SHAREHOLDERSAt our 2003 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) held on May 28, 2003, the Company’s stockholders acted upon two proposals: to elect two directors to serve a three-year term, until their successors have been elected; and to approve the 2003 Incentive and Nonqualified Stock Option Plan. The results for each of these proposals were as follows: Proposal 1: To elect two directors to serve a three-year term or, until their successors have been elected:
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