NII
HOLDINGS AND TELEVISA AGREE TO TELEVISA
INVESTMENT IN NEXTEL
MEXICO
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Alliance positions NII Holdings and Televisa to
provide new and innovative services and bundled service offerings to
customers in Mexico
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Reston, Va and Mexico City, Mexico.
– February
15, 2010 – NII
Holdings, Inc. [NASDAQ: NIHD] and Grupo Televisa,
S.A.B. [BMV:TLEVISA CPO; NYSE: TV] today announced that they have signed
a definitive agreement under which Televisa will acquire an equity stake in NII
Holding’s operating subsidiary in Mexico, Comunicaciones Nextel de Mexico, S.A.
de C.V. Under the agreement, Televisa will invest $1.44 billion in cash for an
initial 30% equity stake in Nextel Mexico, which reflects an implied
pre-investment value of Nextel Mexico of $4.3 billion. Televisa will also be
granted an option to acquire an additional 7.5% equity interest in Nextel Mexico
that will be exercisable on either the 3rd or
4th
anniversary of the completion of the initial investment. NII Holdings
will continue to hold the remaining equity interests in Nextel Mexico and Nextel
Mexico’s proven management team led by Peter Foyo will continue to manage the
wireless operation.
The
combination of Nextel Mexico’s differentiated wireless services and capabilities
and Televisa’s market leading programming, content and multiple distribution
channels, and the resources of its cable and satellite television businesses,
will position the new venture to support a wide range of innovative
telecommunications and media services. These new service offerings could include
the first quadruple play of converged services including wireless, television,
broadband data, and fixed voice services as well as innovative converged
services designed to meet the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses, large
enterprises as well as consumers. These offerings would build upon
the unique capabilities of both companies and would further enhance Televisa and
Nextel as the premier brands in pay television and wireless services in
Mexico.
“We are
thrilled to be moving forward with this exciting joint venture with Televisa,
both because of the new opportunities it will create for our wireless business
in Mexico and because of its potential to transform our business for the
future,” said Steve Dussek, Chief Executive Officer of NII Holdings. “We believe
that the powerful combination of NII’s expertise in the wireless communications
business and Televisa’s extensive offerings as a market leader in broadcast
media services, programming and content, broadband data, and fixed telephony,
will create a first of its kind opportunity to provide customers in Mexico the
broadest selection of high quality communications and media products and
services. Televisa’s investment in Nextel Mexico is proof of the value that our
team in Mexico has created and will position Nextel Mexico to pursue its plans
to acquire spectrum in the upcoming auctions and, if we are successful, to
develop and deploy 3G network capabilities, all with a goal of continuing our
profitable growth strategy in the future,” he added.
“The
combined strength of our brands, products and services, and people creates a new
force in the telecommunication and media industry in Mexico,” said Peter Foyo,
President of Nextel Mexico. “I am proud to be working with our new
partner Televisa -- one of the most respected media and communications
companies in the world -- to lead the broadband revolution and bring the highest
quality, cost effective services to the people of Mexico. Together
with the skills and talents of our combined organizations, we will strive to
accomplish this goal," he added.
“With
this partnership, we are accessing a platform with an experienced management
team and a solid track record in the Mexican telecommunications industry,” said
Emilio Azcárraga Jean, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Televisa.
“There are significant synergies between Nextel Mexico’s wireless offerings and
our extensive base of pay TV subscribers. With this venture we will be able to
offer to our customer base the first quadruple play in Mexico, which paves the
way for a successful integrated media and telecom strategy. In addition, with
the various Televisa properties, Nextel Mexico will have access to an
unparalleled media and marketing platform.”
Key Elements of the
Transaction
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Televisa
will acquire a 30% equity stake in Nextel Mexico for $1.44
billion.
|
o
|
Implies
a pre-investment value of Nextel Mexico of $4.3
billion.
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o
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Initial
investment of $1.14 billion with the remaining investment made in three
equal annual installments.
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·
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Televisa
is granted an option to acquire an additional 7.5% equity stake in Nextel
Mexico on either the 3rd
or 4th
anniversary of closing of the initial investment, for an exercise price
based on the fair market value of Nextel Mexico on those
dates.
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·
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Televisa
is granted the right to appoint two out of six Nextel Mexico board members
as well as special approval rights for specified significant decisions,
transactions and corporate events.
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·
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NII
Holdings retains 70% of the equity in Nextel Mexico and will appoint the
remaining four Nextel Mexico board
members.
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·
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Investment
Agreement provides for the negotiation of commercial arrangements between
Nextel Mexico and Televisa and its affiliates to develop and offer new and
innovative value added services and service bundles that capitalize on
Televisa’s extensive programming and media content, distribution channels,
backbone and backhaul network assets, and Nextel
Mexico’s extensive wireless network infrastructure and
expertise in operating wireless
networks.
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Televisa's
investment and the other transactions contemplated by the investment agreement
are conditioned upon the Nextel/Televisa consortium being awarded licenses to
use specified amounts of spectrum in the upcoming spectrum auctions in Mexico
and other customary closing conditions.
Conference
Call Information
Executives
from NII Holdings and Televisa will each host conference calls to discuss this
announcement.
NII
Holdings will host its conference call on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 8:30
a.m. EDT. The call in numbers are: Domestic 866-730-5764 or
International +1 857-350-1588. The conference call passcode is
13546277. The call will be available for replay shortly after the
conclusion of the call. The replay numbers are as
follows: Domestic 888-286-8010 and International
+1 617-801-6888 pass-code 12525491.
Grupo
Televisa will host a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday,
February 16, 2010 to discuss the agreement. To access the conference call, dial
800-322-9079 domestic and 973-582-2717 internationally. A replay of the call
will be available until midnight Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 800-642-1687
domestically and 706-645-9291 internationally. The conference ID number for the
conference call, as well as for the replay, is 57445561.
About
NII Holdings, Inc.
NII
Holdings, Inc., a publicly held company based in Reston, Va., is a leading
provider of mobile communications for business customers in Latin America. NII
Holdings, Inc. has operations in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile
offering a fully integrated wireless communications tool with digital cellular
voice services, data services, wireless Internet access and Nextel Direct
Connect® and International Direct ConnectTM, a
digital two-way radio feature. NII Holdings, Inc., a Fortune 1000 company,
trades on the NASDAQ market under the symbol NIHD and is a member of the NASDAQ
100 Index. Visit the Company's website at http://www.nii.com.
Nextel,
the Nextel logo, and Nextel Direct Connect are trademarks and/or service marks
of Nextel Communications, Inc.
About
Televisa S.A.B
Grupo
Televisa S.A.B. is the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world and a
major participant in the international entertainment business. It has interests
in television production and broadcasting, production of pay-television
networks, international distribution of television programming, direct-to-home
satellite services, cable television and telecommunication services, magazine
publishing and publishing distribution, radio production and broadcasting,
professional sports and live entertainment, feature-film production and
distribution, the operation of a horizontal internet portal, and gaming. Grupo
Televisa also owns an unconsolidated equity stake in La Sexta, a free-to-air
television venture in Spain.
Televisa
S.A.B.
Av.
Vasco de Quiroga 2000
Col.
Santa Fe CP. 01210
http://www.televisa.com
Investor
Relations:
Carlos
Madrazo
María
José Cevallos
(5255)
5261-2445
ir@televisa.com.mx
http://www.televisair.com
Media
Relations:
Manuel
Compeán
(5255)
5728-3815
mcompean@televisa.com.mx
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NII
Holdings Inc.
1875
Explorer Street, Suite 1000
Reston,
VA. 20190
(703)
390-5100
http://www.nii.com
Investor Relations:
Tim Perrott
(703)
390-5113
tim.perrott@nii.com
Media Relations:
Claudia E. Restrepo
(786) 251-7020
claudia.restrepo@nii.com
|
SAFE
HARBOR
This news
release includes “forward-looking statements” regarding the proposed business
venture, investment, auction participation, future service offerings, business
outlook and future performance, as well as other statements that are not
historical or current facts and deal with potential future circumstances and
developments. Forward-looking statements are qualified by the inherent
risk and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally and may
materially differ from actual future experience. Risks and uncertainties that
could affect the forward-looking statements in this release include: the failure
to successfully close the transactions contemplated by the investment agreement,
including due to a failure to obtain the necessary spectrum in the upcoming
auctions or the failure to meet other closing conditions; inability to reach
agreements on other commercial arrangements; inability to realize operational
efficiencies; unexpected costs or liabilities; the impact of more intense
competitive conditions and changes in economic conditions in the Mexican
telecommunications market; the impact on our financial results, and potential
reductions in the recorded value of our assets, that may result from
fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and, in particular, fluctuations
in the relative values of the currencies of the countries in which we operate
compared to the U.S. dollar; the risk that our network technologies will not
perform properly or support the services our customers want or need, including
the risk that technology developments to support our services will not be timely
delivered; the risk that customers in the markets we serve will not find our
services attractive; and the additional risks and uncertainties that are
described from time to time in NII Holdings' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, NII Holdings’ Current Report on Form
8-k that was filed on August 5, 2009 and, when filed, our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, as well as in other reports
filed from time to time by NII Holdings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. This press release speaks only as of its date, and NII
Holdings disclaims any duty to update the information herein, except as required
by law.
This
press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Grupo Televisa’s
results and prospects. Actual results could differ materially from these
statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release should be read
in conjunction with the factors described in “Item 3. Key Information –
Forward-Looking Statements” in Televisa’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, which,
among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contained in forward-looking statements made in this press release and in oral
statements made by authorized officers of Televisa. Readers are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of
their dates. Televisa undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.