This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Certain statements, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to our business plans, objectives, and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believes,” “project,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “strategy,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Our ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and future prospects on a consolidated basis include but are not limited to: changes in economic conditions, legislative/regulatory changes, availability of capital, interest rates, competition, and generally accepted accounting principles. These risks and uncertainties should also be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements.
Item 1. Business
Company Description
iQSTEL Inc. (the “Company”) (OTC Pink: IQST) is a technology company offering a wide array of services to the telecom and Internet industry. iQSTEL, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Etelix.com USA, LLC (Etelix), offers international long-distance voice services for telecommunications operators (ILD Wholesale) and submarine fiber optic network capacity for data carriers and internet service providers both land-based and mobile (4G and 5G).
Etelix.com USA LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of iQSTEL, based in the city of Miami, Florida; funded in 2008 and holder of an International Telecommunications Carrier 214-license issued by the Federal Telecommunications Commission (FCC).
The company operates two websites,
www.iQSTEL
,com and
www.etelix.com
. The information contained on our websites is not incorporated by reference into this annual report, and such information should not be considered to be part of this annual report.
History
iQSTEL, formerly known as PureSnax International, Inc., was incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada on June 24, 2011. PureSnax was previously a wellness brand focused on bringing healthy snacks and foods to consumers. On March 8, 2017, PureSnax exited a previous License Agreement with a Canadian snack food Licensor. From March of 2017 until its recent acquisition of Etelix.com USA, LLC, PureSnax was working to develop its own brand and its own products for manufacture, distribution, sales and marketing of various products within the health foods and snacks industry and to pursue related business opportunities. PureSnax acquired Etelix.com USA, LLC on June 25, 2018, as disclosed in the 8-K the company filed on June 28, 2018 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In August 30, 2018, PureSnax changed its name to “iQSTEL Inc.” and received a new CUSIP number: 46265G107, as well as a new trading symbol “IQST” in order to better resemble its new name. iQSTEL also changed the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC Code) to 4813, Telephone Communications, Except Radiotelephone.
PureSnax
PureSnax International Inc. was a wellness brand focused on bringing healthy snacks and foods to consumers. PureSnax planned to offer a wide assortment of sugar free, vegan, peanut free, Kosher, low fat, low sodium and Non-GMO certified products. With new nutritional standards being rolled out through schools in the United States, PureSnax believed to have been poised to capitalize on this new regulation by offering good-for-you, functional foods and snacks that met these new regulatory standards. Product categories include marshmallow squares (Vegan-made and Gelatin free), protein bars, mints, gums and various condiments as well as offering Xylitol, a natural, diabetic-friendly, sweetener.
PureSnax intended to distribute delicious tasting, healthy snack foods meeting the highest of standards and compliance for the US consumers with plans to evolve into an international audience. With a socially responsible mandate supported by education and driven by integrity and sincerity, PureSnax planned to provide people with healthier snack and food choices by utilizing wholesome, natural, high quality ingredients that promote a healthier lifestyles. PureSnax chose to specialize in the development, sourcing, branding and distribution of high quality, healthy food and snack products. It was management’s vision to brand PureSnax International as one of the trusted names in the health food and snack industry.
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With major illnesses, such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, and heart disease on the rise, people are looking for ways to minimize the risks of developing these diseases. People are starting to read and understand labels, looking for healthier choices. PureSnax believed that the demand for healthier products is driving a fundamental change in the food and snack markets. PureSnax believed the demand would provide enormous opportunities for PureSnax International to position itself in the healthy food and snack industry.
After exiting a previous License Agreement with a Canadian snack food Licensor, and until its recent acquisition of Etelix.com USA, LLC, Puresnax was working to develop its own brand and its own products for manufacture, distribution, sales and marketing of various products within the health foods and snacks industry and to pursue related business opportunities. PureSnax was working to become pioneers in a dynamic and growing segment of the industry where management believed future demand would be. PureSnax believed that the snack products developed must not only meet healthy product guidelines but also taste good. Its Marshmallow Squares are sugar-free, Gluten-free, vegan, low-salt. kosher, nut free and taste great. PureSnax reported that it was developing and was constantly continuing to work on other recipes for healthier products that meet the highest standards of quality.
During this new product developing stage, the opportunity to acquire Etelix.com USA, LLC, was presented to management and the board of directors of Puresnax International. After certain phone meetings with representatives of management and business plan presentations, management believed that, even though this acquisition represented a departure from the PureSnax’s business plan and core expertise, it was a better opportunity to create shareholder value, not just in the immediate but in the mid and long term than its current business. It was this thought process that Puresnax decided to enter the telecom industry and thus become a Telecommunications Service company. PureSnax acquired Etelix.com USA, LLC on June 25, 2018, and thus in that moment the company left the healthy snacks and foods business to focus on Telecommunications Business.
Transaction with Etelix.com USA LLC
On June 25, 2018, PureSnax entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with Etelix.com USA, LLC, a privately held limited liability company incorporated under the laws of Florida (“Etelix”), and the members of Etelix. As a result of the transaction, Etelix became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. In accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement, at the closing an aggregate of 13,751,875 shares of the PureSnax’s common stock were issued to the holders of Etelix in exchange for their membership interests of Etelix.
Further and as a result of the Purchase Agreement, as set forth in more detail below, the previous officers and directors of PureSnax resigned and certain principals of Etelix have been appointed as officers and directors of the PureSnax.
PureSnax entered into certain ancillary agreements noted in the Purchase Agreement, consisting of three Conversion Agreements PureSnax executed with Carmen Cabell, Patrick Gosselin and Mark Engler. These Conversion Agreements converted a portion of the Series A Preferred Stock held by these shareholders into shares of the PureSnax’s common stock, and canceled the balance of the Series A Preferred Stock held by these shareholders. Following the execution of the Conversion Agreements, Mr. Gosselin owned 250,032 shares of common stock and no shares of preferred stock in PureSnax; Mr. Cabell owned 250,080 shares of common stock and no shares of preferred stock in PureSnax; and Mr. Engler owned 250,032 shares of common stock and no shares of preferred stock in PureSnax.
In addition, PureSnax entered into Employment Agreements with the following persons: (i) Leandro Iglesias as President, CEO and Chairperson of the PureSnax’s Board of Directors with an annual salary of $54,000; (ii) Juan Carlos Lopez Silva as Chief Commercial Officer with an annual salary of $54,000; and Alvaro Quintana Cardona as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer with an annual salary of $30,000. The Employment Agreements have a term of 36 months, are renewable automatically for 24 month periods, unless PureSnax gives written notice at least 90 days prior to termination of the initial 36 month term. PureSnax shall have the right to terminate any of the employment agreements at any time without prior notice, but in that event, PureSnax shall pay these persons salaries and other benefits they are entitled to receive under their respective agreements for three years.
As a result of their new Employment Agreements with PureSnax, Messrs. Iglesias, Silva and Quintana waived all rights to their existing employment agreements in Etelix.
Reference is made to a certain Transaction Agreement dated April 10, 2017, between Metrospaces, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Leandro Jose Iglesias in representation of the shareholders of Etelix.com USA LLC. Certain provisions from the Transaction Agreement, which all parties agree has been terminated, were made part of the Purchase Agreement, as follows:
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Under the Transaction Agreement, Metrospaces, Inc. agreed to pay Mr. Iglesias $2,040,000 USD in a combination of cash and stock for its 51% ownership interest in Etelix.com USA LLC. Of that amount, Metrospaces, Inc. has paid Mr. Iglesias $180,000 USD to date. The remaining amount of $1,860,000 USD will be payable by Metrospaces, Inc. to Mr. Iglesias in the form of a stock purchase agreement for $150,000 USD worth of stock in Metrospaces, Inc. and the balance in the form of a convertible promissory note in favor of Mr. Iglesias in the amount of $1,710,000 USD secured by a pledge of shares of common stock in the Company that Metrospaces, Inc. shall receive in connection with the Purchase Agreement; and
Mr. Iglesias agrees to reinvest into Puresnax a total of $520,000 USD within a reasonable period of time, but no later than 30 days, upon receipt from Metrospaces, Inc. the payment of $1,710,000 USD under the convertible promissory note described above.
iQSTEL Business Plan
iQSTEL, in addition to collaborating with the growth and development of the business of its subsidiary Etelix.com LLC., is planning to expand its services to the retail market offering International Long-Distance voice communications to Corporate, Small Business and Individuals (ILD retail), supported in part on its current infrastructure.
iQSTEL is also exploring plans to enter in new business areas and markets, such as Satellite Communications; Mobile Services under the figure of a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO); Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and Data Centers. These new ventures are expected to be developed either through mergers or acquisitions, or through strategic partnerships.
iQSTEL is planning to allocate resources to develop a Blockchain Payment Solution to facilitate the settlement of exchanged traffic among international carriers based on smart contracts.
As a result of the purchase of Etelix, iQSTEL intends to carry on the business of Etelix as its primary line of business. iQSTEL has relocated its principal executive offices to Coral Gables, FL.
Etelix.com USA, LLC
Etelix.com USA, LLC is a Miami, Florida-based international telecom carrier founded in 2008 that provides telecom and technology solutions worldwide, with commercial presence in North America, Latin America and Europe.
Enabled by its 214-license granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Etelix provides International Long-Distance voice services for Telecommunications Operators (ILD Wholesale), and Submarine Fiber Optic Network capacity for internet (4G and 5G).
Description of Etelix’s Facilities
Etelix operates from four facilities in connection with its business. Our principal executive offices are located at 300 Aragon Avenue, Suite 375 Coral Gables, FL 31334 of shared use with our resident agent for a monthly fee of $274.
Etelix has rented a facility comprised of approximately 700 square feet office space located at 18650 NE 28th Ct. in Aventura, Florida. This office serves as Etelix’s commercial office. The rent per month is $1,200.
Additionally, Etelix has rented another facility comprised of approximately 875 square feet office space located at Avenida de Buenos Aires, 5-6 piso 1, 1-B, in La Coruna, Spain. This office serves as Etelix’s main sales office. The rent per month is $700.
Lastly, Etelix has rented a third facility comprised of approximately 2500 square feet office space located at 199 E. Flagler Street, Suite 655 in Miami, Florida. This facility adapts to current needs and it is the location where all of Etelix’s telecommunications equipment is located. The facility stores the equipment, provides broadband and constant electricity and other utilities needed to properly run the equipment. This facility also offers onsite personnel support for necessary downtime or the rebooting of systems. The rent per month is $5,500.
These facilities are suitable for Etelix’s business as International Long-Distance Telecommunications (ILD Wholesale) Operator.
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Description of Etelix’s Equipment
The below is a description of the equipment Etelix uses in its business
Description
|
|
Date in Service
|
|
Acquisition Cost in US$
|
Telecommunication Equipment
|
|
2/31/13
|
|
157,184
|
Computer Equipment
|
|
12/31/13
|
|
5,728
|
Equipment (Telecom)
|
|
1/01/14
|
|
32,735
|
Equipment/Software
|
|
2/01/15
|
|
33,500
|
Telecommunication Equipment
|
|
1/01/16
|
|
6,113
|
Software Telecommunication
|
|
6/01/15
|
|
5,000
|
Equipment (Servers)
|
|
12/31/17
|
|
5,000
|
Telecommunication Software
|
|
12/31/13
|
|
387,603
|
Telecommunication Software
|
|
02/01/14
|
|
13,300
|
Etelix as International Long-Distance voice services (ILD Wholesale) Operator:
Etelix provides International Long-Distance voice termination in the ILD Wholesale market through over 200 interconnections with telecommunication carriers, PSTNs, PTTs, Mobile Operators, Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), Long Distance Operators and Long Distance Wholesale Carriers; supplying international connectivity and international call transit among all countries of the world.
Etelix is interconnected to the most important players in the industry, among which it is worth mentioning the following: Verizon, KDDI, PCCW, Hutchinson, Flow Jamaica (Cable and Wireless Caribbean), Cable and Wireless Panama, Millicom (TIGO), Telefonica de España (Movistar), Telecom Italia (TIM), Portugal Telecom (MEU), Optimus (NOS), Belgacom (BICS), Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone India, Airtel, Reliance, Viettel, TATA Communications, iBasis, Orbitel, Entel, China Telecom, among many others.
The company provides 24x7 network monitoring through two Network Operation Centers (NOCs), one located in America and another one in Europe, with bilingual staff (English- Spanish). All network platforms (switches, billing platform, router engines, session border controllers, Data Base servers, ERP platform) are located in Miami Downtown, FL, and are accessed remotely from all employees around the world using a secure data connection.
The Industry ILD Wholesale
The International Long-Distance traffic market size is estimated at $13 Billion in annual revenue, with 552 Billion Minutes exchanged yearly (Note 1) (Note 2). It is estimated that Wholesale Carriers have a 68% total market share, carrying over 375 Billion Minutes per year (Note 1). The number of minutes carried by wholesale carriers has been increasing during the last few years mostly due to retail service providers, such as mobile operators, calling-card providers, and new VoIP-based market entrants, relying heavily on wholesale carriers to transport and terminate their customers’ international calls.
Since the year 2013 the market of traditional international long distance calls has been reducing its size in about 2-3% per year (Note 1) (Note 3). This recent decline comes to the hands of over-the-top (OTT) communication and app services. Consumers can choose from a broad range of smartphone based communications apps, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Viber, and Apple’s Facetime, among others.
However, the market is not experiencing a total migration of users to the new communication solutions; since the numbers reveal that the existence of these new services has increased the total number of international calls. In fact, it is estimated that today OTT applications account for a volume slightly higher than 550 million minutes per year on cross-border communications (Note 1). Which means that the market has doubled its total numbers to the existing ones before the appearance of these new solutions.
While average prices have been declining globally, rates to a few destinations particularly mobile in some emerging market countries remain high, strengthening wholesale revenues. A route-by-route comparison of international traffic with international wholesale revenues reveals destinations for which wholesale revenues are disproportionately high. For example, the France to Tunisia route accounts for 1.5% of revenues, but only 0.25% of volume. Similarly, The United States to Cuba route accounts for close to 2.6% of revenues while making up around 0.15% of volume. Africa accounted for approximately 10% of wholesale traffic, but 33% of wholesale revenues (Note 1).
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Note 1
: source Telegeography a Telecommunications market research and consulting firm (www.telegeography.com), year 2017
Note 2
: source International Telecommunications Union (www.itu.int). Key 2005-2017 ICT Data
Note 3
: source Hot Telecom a Telecom Research and Consulting firm (www.hottelecom.com), The Future of International carrier report 2017.
ILD Wholesale Competitors
The wholesale industry is full of companies of all sizes and with many different business strategies and focus. We can classify the market in three segments:
Operators:
in this segment are allocated the telecom companies with global presence like Verizon, Telefonica of Spain (Movistar), Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM), Vodafone, Orange, British Telecom, Telia, Deutsche Telekom, among few others. These companies are the most important traffic generators. These are the companies that account for most end users (individuals, small and home business, as well as, big corporations). Their main business is not international voice traffic, therefore their wholesale divisions are small business units in their structure. They hold the strongest position in the market, since they own the traffic and the most extended networks, but they do not really complete in the wholesale business, on the contrary, they are the potential customers that all wholesale carries want to be interconnected with.
Big Carriers:
here are companies like TATA, iBasis, IDT, BTS, BICS (Belgacom). These are companies with global operations. Their only focus in on the wholesale industry and have no retail business at all or the offer on the retail segment is very limited. These companies have been expanding their commercial offerings including solutions for international roaming, international peering, SMS hubbing. They continue competing in the carrier business, but year after year, the contribution of the carrier business to their revenues is being lower; prioritizing the new business areas.
Medium and Small Carriers:
this is the segment where Etelix is. This is the segment where we find the most amount of companies. The majority of these companies have a limited offer in terms of routes and capacity. Most of them work in two or three geographical markets (America and Asia; or Africa and Asia; Europe and America), but not all of them offer global coverage. In this segment we can find companies, like us, with a business strategy focused on becoming carriers with a real global offering, with termination capacity in all countries and commercial presence in every geographical market (America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa).
Etelix is very well positioned to compete in the
Medium and Small Carriers
market segment. The Company is fully interconnected with dozens of Operators that have commercial presence in more than one geographical markets, thus allowing Etelix to offer a truly international and global voice service. Etelix business strategy is benchmarked against the Top 10 Big Carries in order to allow Etelix to grow into this top 10 carriers in next few years.
Etelix ILD Wholesale Business Plan
Etelix’s current market share is less than 0.1%; consequently, Etelix has space to grow to several times its current size. With a methodical execution of its business plan and an adequate level of capitalization, the company believes that Etelix can maintain a steady growth rate (>45% year over year) well beyond 2018.
Etelix has outlined a business plan based on the following lines of actions:
Strengthen the commercial position in Latin America where the company has developed deep commercial and personal relationships since its inception.
Latin America, including the Caribbean region, concentrates 28% (*) of the termination traffic in the industry. For that reason, the company plans to continue working on keeping a strong presence in the region.
Deepen market presence in Asia and Africa:
These are new markets for the company. Africa is currently the market with the highest contribution to operating margins and Asia concentrates one third of the termination traffic in the industry. In 2016 the Company established a new office in Europe (La Coruña, Spain) making this the first move in our strategy to penetrate these two new markets. Estimations show that 56% (Note 4) of the traffic terminating in Africa is originated from customers in Europe, so establishing a commercial point of presence in Europe is designed to put the company closer to the customer traffic.
The new office in Spain is also believed to strengthen the development of the Asian market
, since 37% (Note 4) of the traffic that terminates in that region is originated in Europe while 62% (Note 4) is originated from America where company already has a strong presence.
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Continue working on establishing global recognition to facilitate new markets presence.
Develop new products associated with the wholesale business.
Strengthen commercial relations with the main international traffic generators.
Note 4:
source International Telecommunications Union (www.itu.int) Key 2005-2017 ICT Data
Etelix as Submarine Fiber Optic Network capacity provider for 4G and 5G
An important milestone in the evolution of Etelix was in 2013, when the company was part of a consortium of major carriers for the upgrade of the Maya-1 submarine cable systems that runs from Hollywood, Florida to the city of Tolu in Colombia. This consortium was led by Orange Telecom and Orbitel, where Etelix participated with 10 Gbps of capacity. The bulk of this contract was sold to Millicom (Tigo Costa Rica). This capacity considerably enhanced Tigo’s ability to deploy world-class 4G services to its customers in Costa Rica.
The growing demand for internet connections in 4G and 5G in Latin America opened the need to increase the connectivity between Latin America and the USA, which is where most of the internet content that users are looking for in Latin America is. This is the reason that Etelix will focus on finding business opportunities to acquire capacity in submarine cables in the region, participating as an Internet provider for 4G and 5G networks deployments in Latin America.
Etelix Operational and Commercial Highlights from Jan 2018 to December 2018
With the entrance to new technologies as over-the-top (OTT) communication and app services. Consumers can choose from a broad range of smartphone based communications apps, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Viber, and Apple’s Facetime, among others, the variety and quality of services of telecommunications companies have increased and profit margins have decreased, therefore, telecommunications companies have been forced in all areas to innovate in their products and how to do business and adapt their organizations creating better and more efficient tools to maintain organizational flexibility and serve to their customers.
In the particular case of Etelix we have not been oblivious to the reality of the market and that has forced us to reorganize operationally and commercially to respond more efficiently to the needs of our customers, optimizing our costs, striving for the implementation of modern management tools and obviously innovating in the development of new products; search for new clients and ways of doing business. On that regards we want to highlight the following:
i.
Evolution in Management Tools:
a)
Implementation of the most up-to-date version of the traffic quality monitoring system Arptel, which has allowed us to be more efficient in the quality monitoring of our clients' services.
b)
Definition of internal needs, evaluation of existing tools in the market and selection of a telecommunication voice exchange platform for the management of company's business, which is expected to be implemented in the first half of 2019. The implementation of this new state-of-the-art platform will allow us to integrate most of our technical, commercial, accounting and financial activities, responding in a more efficient and effective way to our clients and reducing in approx. 9% of the company's operating costs.
ii.
Operational and Commercial Reorganization:
a) Restructuring of the operations team and network management in the sense of optimizing its size, guaranteeing first and foremost the provision of the service 24/7 365 days and providing the necessary backups to operate in case of any contingency.
b) Restructuring of the commercial management team in order to ensure faster customer service, adequate support in the pre-sales and after-sales processes, and reducing the communication problems due to time zone location to our customers located in America, and those located into the time zone in Europe, Africa or Asia.
c)
Review of the variable compensation systems for the commercial team in such a way that the growth of the businesses is stimulated within the sales force.
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iii.
New products and customers and innovation in the way of doing business:
a)
Review of the schemes to do business with our clients with a clear orientation to the minimization of the portfolio risk, reduction of the rotation times of accounts receivable and stabilization of the rotation times of accounts payable.
b)
Development of new destinations for international long distance traffic in Africa and Asia such as Yemen, Eritrea, UAE, Ghana, Saudi Arabia among others.
c)
Establishment of commercial relationships with important players in the telecommunications market, among which we highlight Vodafone India and Shenglitel,
d)
Reactivation of business relationships with leading global telecommunications operators, among which we highlight the cases of Airtel, Reliance, China Telecom, Hutchinson, with whom business relationships were quite diminished.
e)
Establishment of long distance voice products adjusted to operators that exclusively provide services to call centers.
As a result of the tasks mentioned above and the management developed by the entire Etelix team in 2018, we would like to highlight the following facts:
i.
Growth of destinations and volumes of international voice traffic for companies specialized in providing call center services which allowed the growth of our services in countries such as Peru, USA, UK, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore.
ii.
Consolidation of Etelix as a leading player in the international voice transit markets in African destinations such as Eritrea and Madagascar, which were instrumental in growing the company's revenues in 2018.
iii.
Reduction of almost 50% in the indicator related to billing losses and / or non-recovered portfolio.
Finally, we would like to highlight the company's participation in some important industry events during 2018, such as:
i.
International Telecoms Week, May 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Chicago USA.
ii.
Andicom, October 2018 at the Convention Center Cartagena, Colombia
iQSTEL Blockchain Payment Solution Project (Blockchain PSP)
iQSTEL plans to take advantage of the experience Etelix has in the Telecommunications business specifically in ILD Wholesale market to develop a payment platform for the International Long-Distance Telecommunications (ILD Wholesale) Operators through the use of “iQSTEL Token” for payments among Operators reducing the time and costs of payments, settlement and reconciliation for ILD Wholesale voice exchange services, thanks to the use of the Blockchain protocol on-line/real-time, using the iQSTEL Blockchain PSP.
In order to be part of the iQSTEL Blockchain PSP ecosystem the Operators need to have the iQSTEL Blockchain PSP installed in connection with its voice exchange switching system and iQSTEL Token wallet with positive balance. Only iQSTEL will process the exchange for the iQSTEL Tokens into US$ and/or Euros.
Estimated Benefits of iQSTEL Blockchain PSP
Reduction of credit risk, since all sales can be considered as “cash sales”.
Reduction of losses due to bad debts, since the collection is in real time.
Elimination of bank transfer fees, since they disappear with the use of iQSTEL Token.
Elimination of all costs related to the use of trade insurance policies since they are no longer necessary. All sales are “cash sales” on-line/real-time.
Reduction of losses due to disputes, since all sale will be cashed in real time. Potential disputes are detected very early in the settlement process.
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Blockchain PSP Business Opportunity
The total revenue in the ILD Wholesale industry is approximately $13 Billion per year. Our own estimations indicate the industry is spending about 0.7% of revenue ($91 Million per year) on costs associated to bad debt collections, disputes, bank transfer fees, trade insurance policies, among other concepts. The company believes that iQSTEL strategy will be offering the Blockchain PSP providing huge savings, faster process, and secure exchange to the ILD Wholesale industry to get a participation of the $91 Million per year that the ILD Wholesale industry spends.
iQSTEL Blockchain knowledge
Management and current staff of the Company do not have all the necessary knowledge to develop the Blockchain PSP on their own. The identified business opportunity has been made based on the operational knowledge of the ILD business that Etelix has and based on conceptual knowledge of blockchain.
In this sense, for the development of this iQSTEL PSP Project, the Company will require the incorporation of tools, personnel and specific knowledge on blockchain applications; security, transfer and registration of digital assets in blockchain, and smart contracts, among other technical elements.
Initially a proof of concept will be developed in order to estimate the necessary time and total costs for the complete development of the project.
iQSTEL Blockchain PSP Risks
It is appropriate to emphasize that iQSTEL cannot assure the delivery of a Blockchain PSP project fully operational and also cannot assure that potential users of the Blockchain PSP will recognize its usefulness, will trust in it and adopt it.
Blockchain PSP Timing
iQSTEL plans to begin with the design of the Blockchain PSP by 2Q of 2019.
Acquisitions
On April 1, 2019, we entered into a Company Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) by and between the our company and the Ralf Kohler (the “Seller”), which agreement provides for the purchase of 51% of the equity and certain assets of SwissLink Carrier AG (“SwissLink”) (www.swisslink-carrier.com), a Swiss corporation, by our company.
The consideration for the acquisition consists of $500,000 USD, payable as follows:
$50,000 USD shall be paid in cash upon execution of the Purchase Agreement; and
The balance of $450,000 USD shall be paid at Closing in the form of 187,500 shares of common stock in our company based upon an agreed upon price of $2.40 per share. Additional shares may be payable at Closing, if our stock is valued at less than $2.40 per share, to account for the full $450,000 USD.
Under the Purchase Agreement, the acquisition includes both the 51% equity interest in SwissLink and what are referred to as Additional Assets, which include telecommunications equipment, telecommunications platform software for international long distance voice exchange (VAMP) designed by Swisslink, intellectual rights of the VAMP, receivables, cash in banks, interconnection and service agreements, company information in file and telecommunication license rights for Switzerland.
SwissLink is indebted to the Seller in the principal amount of CHF 200,000 (approximately $ 200,514.19 USD) as evidenced by a loan agreement dated December 22th, 2019. Under the Purchase Agreement, SwissLink is to repay the full amount of principal plus interest in two years from execution of the Purchase Agreement.
At the execution of this Purchase Agreement, SwissLink has a debt with the Seller of CHF 1,937,077 (approximately $1,941,893.41 USD) by December 31th 2018. With the acquisition of the 51% of the equity of SwissLink, we are acquiring 51% of the loan for the payment of CHF 0.51 (approximately $ 0.51 USD) to the Seller, meaning that after the execution of this Purchase Agreement, SwissLink owes to the Seller CHF 949,167.73 (approximately $ 951,432.22 USD) that represent the 49% of the debt, and at the same time, Swisslink owes us CHF 987,909.27 (approximately $ 990,236.62 USD) that represent the 51% of this debt.
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Further under the Purchase Agreement, we have secured an option to, exercisable at 365 days from Closing, to acquire the remaining 49% interest in SwissLink. The Purchase Agreement outlines the purchase price, which is estimated at minimum of $750,000 USD.
The parties to the Purchase Agreement further agreed to extend employment agreements of SwissLink to two individuals at SwissLink for a period of three years, and to Mr. Ralf Kohler (The Seller) for a period of five years as CEO/COO. We believe these positions will allow for a continuity of operations of SwissLink.
There shall be three directors of SwissLink, two of whom will be Messrs. Leandro Iglesias and Alvaro Quintana Cardona, officers of our Company. Mr. Ralf Kohler will also be a member of the board of directors of SwissLink.
The Purchase Agreement may be terminated if either us or SwissLink are deemed economically unviable or bankrupt; if during due diligence process there is discovered a material impact on the valuation of SwissLink; or the parties mutually agreed to terminate the Purchase Agreement.
The Closing of the Purchase Agreement is scheduled for 90 days from execution, and is subject to conditions, which include the following:
The Company’s board of directors approving the transaction;
Satisfactory due diligence of SwissLink by the Company;
SwissLink has prepared financial statements that are auditable by a PCAOB auditor.
If the Purchase Agreement does not close on account of the foregoing conditions, the $50,000 paid at execution of the Purchase Agreement shall be returned to us.
The transfer of shares from Seller to Buyer, corresponding to 51% affected by this transaction will take place at Closing.
Regulations
Telecommunications services are subject to extensive government regulation in the United States. Any violations of the regulations may subject us to enforcement actions, including interest and penalties. The FCC has jurisdiction over all telecommunications common carriers to the extent they provide interstate or international communications services, including the use of local networks to originate or terminate such services
Regulation of Telecom by the Federal Communications Commission
Telecommunication license
Anyone seeking to conduct telecommunications business where the telecommunication services will transpire between the United States and an international destination must obtain a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This particular license is named a Section 214 license, after the section in the Communications Act of 1934.
Etelix.com USA, LLC was authorized by the Federal Communications Commission to provide facility-based services in accordance with section 63.18(e)(1) of the Commission’s rules; and also to provide resale services in accordance with section 63.18(e)(2) under license number ITC-214-20090625-00303.
Since Etelix has no other network infrastructure outside the United States, no other licenses are required to us to operate as an international carrier service provider.
Universal Service and Other Regulatory Fees and Charges
In 1997, the FCC issued an order, referred to as the Universal Service Order, which requires all telecommunications carriers providing interstate telecommunications services to contribute to universal service support programs administered by the FCC (known as the Universal Service Fund). These periodic contributions are currently assessed based on a percentage of each contributor’s interstate and international end user telecommunications revenues reported to the FCC. Etelix also contribute to several other regulatory funds and programs, most notably Telecommunications Relay Service and FCC Regulatory Fees (collectively, the Other Funds). Due to the manner in which these contributions are calculated, we cannot be assured that we fully recover from our customers all of our contributions.
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In addition, based on the nature of our current business, we receive certain exemptions from federal Universal Service Fund contributions. Changes in our business could eliminate our ability to qualify for some or all of these exemptions. Changes in regulation may also have an impact on the availability of some or all of these exemptions. If even some of these exemptions become unavailable, they could materially increase our federal Universal Service Fund or Other Funds’ contributions and have a material adverse effect on the cost of our operations and, therefore, on our ability to continue to operate profitably, and to develop and grow our business. We cannot be certain of the stability of the contribution factors for the Other Funds. Significant increases in the contribution factor for the Other Funds in general and the Telecommunications Relay Service Fund in particular can impact our profitability. Whether these contribution factors will be stable in the future is unknown, but it is possible that we will be subject to significant increases.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Risks Relating to Business and Financial Condition
Our business, operating results or financial condition could be materially adversely affected by any of the following risks.
Risk Factors Related to the Business of the Company
Because our auditor has issued a going concern opinion regarding our company, there is an increased risk associated with an investment in our company.
We have limited cash as of December 31, 2018 of $4,570, and we have continually operated at a loss with an accumulated deficit of $2,667,388 as of December 31, 2018. We have not attained profitable operations and are dependent upon obtaining financing or generating revenue from operations to continue operations for the next twelve months. Our future is dependent upon our ability to obtain financing or upon future profitable operations. We reserve the right to seek additional funds through private placements of our common stock and/or through debt financing. Our ability to raise additional financing is unknown. We do not have any formal commitments or arrangements for the advancement or loan of funds. For these reasons, our auditors stated in their report that they have substantial doubt we will be able to continue as a going concern. As a result, there is an increased risk that you could lose the entire amount of your investment in our company.
Our telecommunications line of business is highly sensitive to declining prices, which may adversely affect our revenues and margins.
The telecommunications industry is characterized by intense price competition, which has resulted in declines in both our average per-minute price realizations and our average per-minute termination costs.
A reduction of our prices to compete with any other offers in the market will not always guarantee and increase in the traffic, which may result in a reduction of revenue. If these trends in pricing continue or accelerate, it could have a material adverse effect on the revenues generated by our telecommunications businesses and/or our gross margins.
The continued growth of Over-The-Top calling and messaging services, such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber has adversely affected the use of traditional phone communications. We expect this IP-based services which offer voice communications for free to continue to increase, which may result in increased substitution on our service offerings.
The termination of our carrier agreements or our inability to enter into new carrier agreements in the future could materially and adversely affect our ability to compete, which could reduce our revenues and profits.
We rely upon our carrier agreements in order to provide our telecommunications services to our customers. These carrier agreements are in most cases for finite terms and, therefore, there can be no guarantee that these agreements will be renewed at all or on favorable terms to us. Our ability to compete would be adversely affected if our carrier agreements were terminated or we were unable to enter into carrier agreements in the future to provide our telecommunications services to our customers, which could result in a reduction of our revenues and profits.
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Our customers, could experience financial difficulties, which could adversely affect our revenues and profitability if we experience difficulties in collecting our receivables.
As a provider of international long-distance services, we depend upon sales of transmission and termination of traffic to other long distance providers and the collection of receivables from these customers. The wholesale telecommunications market continues to feature many smaller, less financially stable companies. If weakness in the telecommunications industry or the global economy reduces our ability to collect our accounts receivable from our major customers our profitability may be substantially reduced. While our most significant customers, from a revenue perspective, vary from quarter to quarter, our seven largest customers (4.75% of our total customer base) collectively accounted for 71% of total consolidated revenues in fiscal year 2018. This concentration of revenues increases our exposure to non-payment by our larger customers, and we may experience significant write-offs if any of our large customers fail to pay their outstanding balances, which could adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
Natural disasters, terrorist acts, acts of war, cyber-attacks or other breaches of network or information technology security may cause equipment failures or disrupt our operations.
Our inability to operate our telecommunications networks because of such events, even for a limited period of time, may result in loss of revenue, significant expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We could be harmed by network disruptions, security breaches, or other significant disruptions or failures of our IT infrastructure and related systems. To be successful, we need to continue to have available a high capacity, reliable and secure network for our and our customers’ use. As any other company, we face the risk of a security breach, whether through cyber-attacks, malware, computer viruses, sabotage, or other significant disruption of our IT infrastructure and related systems. There is a risk of a security breach or disruption of the systems we operate, including possible unauthorized access to our proprietary or classified information. We are also subject to breaches of our network resulting in unauthorized utilization of our services, which subject us to the costs of providing those services, which are likely not recoverable. The secure maintenance and transmission of our information is a critical element of our operations. Our information technology and other systems that maintain and transmit customer information may be compromised by a malicious third-party penetration of our network security, or impacted by advertent or inadvertent actions or inactions by our employees, or those of a third party service provider or business partner. As a result, our or our customers’ information may be lost, disclosed, accessed or taken without the customers’ consent, or our services may be used without payment.
Although we make significant efforts to maintain the security and integrity of these types of information and systems, there can be no assurance that our security efforts and measures will be effective or that attempted security breaches or disruptions would not be successful or damaging, especially in light of the growing sophistication of cyber-attacks and intrusions. We may be unable to anticipate all potential types of attacks or intrusions or to implement adequate security barriers or other preventative measures. Certain of our business units have been the subject of attempted and successful cyber-attacks in the past. We have researched the situations and do not believe any material internal or customer information has been compromised.
We operate a global business that exposes us to currency, economic and regulatory.
Our revenue comes primarily from sales outside the U.S. and our growth strategy is largely focused on emerging markets. Our success delivering solutions and competing in international markets is subject to our ability to manage various risks and difficulties, including, but not limited to:
our ability to effectively staff, provide technical support and manage operations in multiple countries;
fluctuations in currency exchange rates;
timely collecting of accounts receivable from customers located outside of the U.S.;
trade restrictions, political instability, disruptions in financial markets, and deterioration of economic conditions;
compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and other anti-bribery laws and regulations;
variations and changes in laws applicable to our operations in different jurisdictions, including enforceability of intellectual property and contract rights; and
compliance with export regulations, tariffs and other regulatory barriers.
Tax Risks
We are subject to tax and regulatory audits which could result in the imposition of liabilities that may or may not have been reserved. We are subject to audits by taxing and regulatory authorities with respect to certain of our income and operations. These audits can cover periods for several years prior to the date the audit is undertaken and could result in the imposition of liabilities, interest and penalties if our positions are not accepted by the auditing entity.
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We may be unable to achieve some, all or any of the benefits that we expect to achieve from our plan to expand our operations.
In the future we may require additional financing for capital requirements and growth initiatives. Accordingly, we will depend on our ability to generate cash flows from operations and to borrow funds and issue securities in the capital markets to maintain and expand our business. We may need to incur debt on terms and at interest rates that may not be as favorable. If additional financing is not available when required or is not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to operate our business as planned or at all, fund our expansion, successfully promote our business, develop or enhance our products and services, take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations
Risks Relating to Our Securities
If a market for our common stock does not develop, shareholders may be unable to sell their shares.
Our common stock is quoted under the symbol “IQST” on the OTCPink operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc., an electronic inter-dealer quotation medium for equity securities. We do not currently have an active trading market. There can be no assurance that an active and liquid trading market will develop or, if developed, that it will be sustained.
Our securities are very thinly traded. Accordingly, it may be difficult to sell shares of our common stock without significantly depressing the value of the stock. Unless we are successful in developing continued investor interest in our stock, sales of our stock could continue to result in major fluctuations in the price of the stock.
The market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could fluctuate widely in price in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Our stock price is subject to a number of factors, including:
Technological innovations or new products and services by us or our competitors;
Government regulation of our products and services;
The establishment of partnerships with other telecom companies;
Intellectual property disputes;
Additions or departures of key personnel;
Sales of our common stock;
Our ability to integrate operations, technology, products and services;
Our ability to execute our business plan;
Operating results below or exceeding expectations;
Whether we achieve profits or not;
Loss or addition of any strategic relationship;
Industry developments;
Economic and other external factors; and
Period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results.
Our stock price may fluctuate widely as a result of any of the above. In addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Because we are subject to the “Penny Stock” rules, the level of trading activity in our stock may be reduced.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted regulations which generally define "penny stock" to be any listed, trading equity security that has a market price less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exemptions. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document that provides information about penny stocks and the risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction, and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. In addition, the penny stock rules generally require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock, the broker-dealer make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for a stock that becomes subject to the penny stock rules which may increase the difficulty Purchasers may experience in attempting to liquidate such securities.
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We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. Any return on investment may be limited to the value of our common stock.
We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends on our common stock will depend on earnings, financial condition and other business and economic factors affecting it at such time as the board of directors may consider relevant. If we do not pay dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because a return on your investment will occur only if our stock price appreciates.
Provisions in the Nevada Revised Statutes and our Bylaws could make it very difficult for an investor to bring any legal actions against our directors or officers for violations of their fiduciary duties or could require us to pay any amounts incurred by our directors or officers in any such actions.
Members of our board of directors and our officers will have no liability for breaches of their fiduciary duty of care as a director or officer, except in limited circumstances, pursuant to provisions in the Nevada Revised Statutes and our Bylaws as authorized by the Nevada Revised Statutes. Specifically, Section 78.138 of the Nevada Revised Statutes provides that a director or officer is not individually liable to the company or its shareholders or creditors for any damages as a result of any act or failure to act in his or her capacity as a director or officer unless it is proven that (1) the director’s or officer’s act or failure to act constituted a breach of his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer and (2) his or her breach of those duties involved intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law. This provision is intended to afford directors and officers protection against and to limit their potential liability for monetary damages resulting from suits alleging a breach of the duty of care by a director or officer. Accordingly, you may be unable to prevail in a legal action against our directors or officers even if they have breached their fiduciary duty of care. In addition, our Bylaws allow us to indemnify our directors and officers from and against any and all costs, charges and expenses resulting from their acting in such capacities with us. This means that if you were able to enforce an action against our directors or officers, in all likelihood, we would be required to pay any expenses they incurred in defending the lawsuit and any judgment or settlement they otherwise would be required to pay. Accordingly, our indemnification obligations could divert needed financial resources and may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, and adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock.