U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 40-F

 


 

o REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

OR

 

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

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007

Commission File No.:  0-30718

 

SIERRA WIRELESS, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Canada

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

 

Primary Standard Industrial Classification Doe (if applicable): 3663

 

I.R.S. Employer Identification Number (if applicable): 94-3338019

 

13811 Wireless Way, Richmond

British Columbia, Canada  V6V 3A4

(604) 231-1100

(Address and telephone number of principal executive offices)

 

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
1300 SW Fifth Avenue, 24th Floor
Portland, OR  97201

(Agent for service in the United States)

 

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

 

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

Common Shares

(Title of Class)

 

Name of exchange on which securities are registered:
Toronto Stock Exchange, The Nasdaq Global Market

 

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:  None

 

Indicate by check mark the information filed with this Form:

x   Annual  Information Form     x   Audited Annual Financial Statements

 

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report:  31,334,617 Common Shares without par value as at December 31, 2007

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant, by filing the information contained in this Form, is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, If “yes”, is marked, indicate the filing number assigned to the Registrant in connection with such Rule.  o   Yes       82 -                       x   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   x    No   o

 

 



 

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

 

The Registrant’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation and the Registrant’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2007 may be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov and are incorporated by reference herein.

 

UNDERTAKING

 

The Registrant undertakes to make available, in person or by telephone, representatives to respond to inquiries made by the Commission staff, and to furnish promptly, when requested to do so by the Commission staff, information relating to: the securities registered pursuant to Form 40-F; the securities in relation to which the obligation to file an annual report on Form 40-F arises; or transactions in said securities.

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 40-F and has duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized.

 

 

 

SIERRA WIRELESS, INC.

 

(Registrant)

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ DAVID G. MCLENNAN

 

David G. McLennan,

 

Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

 

 

Date:March 26, 2008

 



 

 

Annual Information Form
March 24, 2008

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

1

 

 

CURRENCY

1

 

 

CORPORATE STRUCTURE

1

 

 

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUSINESS

2

 

 

General

2

Industry Background and Future Trends

3

 

 

NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS

5

 

 

Our Solution

5

Our Products

5

Product Development

9

Distribution

10

Marketing

11

Manufacturing

11

Employees

12

Competition

12

Intellectual Property

13

Governmental Regulation

13

Additional Information Concerning Our Business

13

 

 

DIVIDENDS

14

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE

14

 

 

MARKET FOR SECURITIES

14

 

 

DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

15

 

 

Directors

15

Executive Officers

17

 

 

CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS

17

 

 

AUDIT COMMITTEE

18

 

 

Mandate of the Audit Committee

18

Composition of the Audit Committee

23

Relevant Education and Experience

23

Reliance on Certain Exemptions

23

Audit Committee Oversight

23

Pre-approval Policies and Procedures

23

Auditor Independence

24

Auditors’ Fees

24

 



 

EVALUATION OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

24

 

 

Disclosure Controls

24

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

25

 

 

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

26

 

 

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

26

 

 

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

27

 

 

QUORUM EXEMPTION

27

 

 

REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT

27

 

 

MATERIAL CONTRACTS

27

 

 

EXPERTS

28

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

28

 

ii



 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

Certain statements in this Annual Information Form, or incorporated by reference herein, that are not based on historical facts, constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (“forward-looking statements”). These forward-looking statements are not promises or guarantees of future performance but are only predictions that relate to future events, conditions or circumstances or our future results, performance, achievements or developments and are subject to substantial known and unknown risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance, achievements or developments in our business or in our industry to differ materially from those expressed, anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include all disclosure regarding possible events, conditions, circumstances or results of operations that are based on assumptions about future economic conditions, courses of action and other future events. We caution you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. These forward-looking statements appear in a number of different places in this Annual Information Form and can be identified by words such as “may”, “estimates”, “projects”, “expects”, “intends”, “believes”, “plans”, “anticipates”, or their negatives or other comparable words. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the outlook for our future operations, plans and timing for the introduction or enhancement of our services and products, statements concerning strategies, developments, statements about future market conditions, supply conditions, end customer demand conditions, channel inventory and sell through, revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, profits, forecasts of future costs and expenditures, the outcome of legal proceedings, and other expectations, intentions and plans that are not historical fact. The risk factors and uncertainties that may affect our actual results, performance, achievements or developments are many and include, amongst others, our ability to develop, manufacture, supply and market new products that we do not produce today that meet the needs of customers and gain commercial acceptance, our reliance on the deployment of next generation networks by major wireless operators, the continuous commitment of our customers, increased competition and other risks detailed herein under the heading “Risk Factors”. Many of these factors and uncertainties are beyond the control of the Company. Consequently, all forward-looking statements in this Annual Information Form, or the documents incorporated by reference herein, are qualified by this cautionary statement and there can be no assurance that actual results, performance, achievements or developments anticipated by the Company will be realized. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should the assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change, except as required by law.

 

CURRENCY

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all figures are stated in U.S. dollars.

 

CORPORATE STRUCTURE

 

Unless the context otherwise indicates, references to “we”, “our”, “us”, “the Company”, “the Corporation” or “Sierra Wireless” in this Annual Information Form means Sierra Wireless, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

Sierra Wireless was incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act on May 31, 1993. The Articles of Sierra Wireless were amended by a Certificate of Amendment issued March 29, 1999 to remove the private company provisions and restrictions on share transfer. The Articles of the Company were further amended by Certificates of Amendment issued May 13, 1999 and May 14, 1999 to: (i) re-designate and change all existing common shares in the capital of the Company to new common shares in the capital of the Company (the “Common Shares”); (ii) change the rights attached to all preference

 



 

shares in the capital of the Company (the “Preference Shares”) and to remove each existing series of Preference Shares; and (iii) consolidate the Common Shares on the basis of one post-consolidation Common Share for 1.5 pre-consolidation Common Shares.

 

The Company’s registered and records office is located at Suite 2600, Three Bentall Centre, 595 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V7X 1L3 and its head office and principal place of business is located at 13811 Wireless Way, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, V6V 3A4.

 

The following table lists subsidiaries of Sierra Wireless and their jurisdictions of incorporation or organization. All such entities are 100% owned, directly or indirectly, by Sierra Wireless.

 

 

Name

 

Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization

 

 

 

Sierra Wireless America, Inc.

 

Delaware, U.S.A.

 

 

 

Sierra Wireless (UK) Limited

 

United Kingdom

 

 

 

Sierra Wireless (Asia-Pacific) Limited

 

Hong Kong

 

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUSINESS

 

General

 

We provide leading edge wireless wide area modem solutions for the mobile computing, rugged mobile and machine-to-machine (“M2M”) markets. We develop and market a range of products that include wireless modems for mobile computers, embedded modules for original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, and high value fixed and mobile wireless data solutions for industrial, commercial and public safety applications. We also offer professional services to OEM customers during their product development, leveraging our expertise in wireless design and integration to provide built-in wireless connectivity for notebook computers and other mobile computing devices. Our products and solutions connect people, their mobile computers and fixed terminals to wireless voice and mobile broadband networks around the world.

 

We believe that wide area wireless for mobile computing and wireless M2M are both rapidly growing markets. We believe that the key growth enablers for these markets include the continued deployment of mobile broadband networks around the world, aggressive promotion of mobile broadband services by wireless operators, attractive mobile broadband rate plans, growing customer awareness of mobile broadband and compelling return on investment rationale for users.

 

Our mobile computing products are used by businesses, consumers and government organizations to enable high speed wireless access to a wide range of applications, including the Internet, e-mail, corporate intranet, remote databases and corporate applications. Our rugged mobile and M2M products are primarily used in the public safety, oil & gas, utility, mobile data, transportation and transaction processing markets. We sell our products primarily through indirect channels, including wireless operators, value added resellers and OEMs.

 

Throughout 2004 we experienced stronger than expected demand primarily as a result of our strong market position in CDMA EV-DO Release 0 PC cards and our CDMA 1X embedded module sales to palmOne. Customer concentration increased our revenue base during 2004. Following our considerable

 

2



 

revenue and earnings growth in 2004, we experienced a significant reduction in our business in 2005 relative to 2004 due to, among other things, increased competition for certain of our PC card products, a reduction in embedded module business volumes as a result of the completion of shipments to a key customer at the end of 2004 and some weakness in our product portfolio.

 

In order to address this change in our business, we restructured our operations in June 2005, which included exiting our Voq professional phone initiative. Since the mid-2005 restructuring, we have re-focused our business on our core PC card and embedded module segments, including the development of new products and the expansion of markets for these products. Our launch of several new UMTS/HSDPA and CDMA EV-DO Revision A products resulted in strong revenue growth during 2006. We also expanded our global channels of distribution, adding important wireless operator channels like Orange, O2, Telefonica and Telstra, while solidifying our position with key existing customers such as AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. We also expanded our OEM channels and by the end of 2006 had design wins with twelve PC OEM customers across multiple airlinks.

 

In 2007, we achieved record annual revenue of $439.9 million driven by the launch of nine new products for both UMTS/HSPA and CDMA EV-DO Rev A networks across all of our product lines. We expanded our product footprint with key existing customers such as AT&T, Sprint and Verizon and significantly grew our European and Asia Pacific business, while maintaining profitability. In May 2007, we completed the acquisition of AirLink Communications, Inc. (“AirLink”), a privately held developer and supplier of high value fixed and mobile wireless data solutions. In October 2007, we closed our bought deal common share offering (the “Offering”) of 3,500,000 common shares at a price of US$22.40 per share. Under the Offering, which included 300,000 shares issuable upon the exercise by the underwriters of the over-allotment option, we sold 3,800,000 common shares from treasury. Gross proceeds of this Offering were $85.1 million and net proceeds were $80.9 million.

 

See “Narrative Description of Business - Our Products” for discussion of specific product development initiatives.

 

Significant Acquisitions

 

On May 25, 2007, we completed the acquisition of AirLink, a privately held developer and supplier of high value fixed and mobile wireless data solutions. The acquisition of AirLink is consistent with our strategy of renewing and strengthening our emphasis on higher gross margin products and solutions. The acquisition of AirLink also strengthens our position in the rugged mobile and M2M segments, both of which represent potentially high growth opportunities. We paid cash consideration of $12.0 million and issued approximately 1.3 million common shares of Sierra Wireless to the shareholders of AirLink. A business acquisition report on Form 52-102F4 was filed on July 30, 2007.

 

Industry Background and Future Trends

 

Wireless Data Growth

 

We provide a broad range of products, including wireless modems for mobile computers, embedded modules for laptop and vertical OEM wireless applications and high value fixed and mobile wireless data solutions for industrial, commercial and public safety applications. We believe that wide area wireless for mobile computing and wireless M2M are both rapidly growing markets. We believe that the key growth enablers for these markets include the continued deployment of mobile broadband networks around the world, aggressive promotion of mobile broadband services by wireless operators, attractive mobile broadband rate plans, growing customer awareness of mobile broadband and compelling return on investment rationale for users. Cellular network technologies such as CDMA EV-DO Revision A and

 

3



 

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”)/High Speed Downlink Packet Access (“HSDPA”)/High Speed Uplink Packet Access (“HSUPA”) are expected to support much of this growth.

 

Market segments for wireless data consist of corporations, public organizations and individuals seeking to improve customer service and productivity. Increased cellular network coverage and speeds, significant technological improvements to wireless data networks, devices and software, and price reductions for data communications services have also contributed to growth in the wireless data communications industry. The ability to meet the demand for anytime, anyplace communications is made possible by the convergence of trends in mobile computing, the growth of the Internet, and wireless communications.

 

Mobile Computing. Many business professionals and individuals utilize laptops as their primary computing device. Smaller handheld computers or PDAs continue to be popular, as are newer mobile phones that offer more advanced capabilities, such as access to personal information, Internet, multi-media and email.

 

The Internet. The Internet has become an indispensable tool for many business professionals and individuals, and the volume of Internet traffic continues to grow rapidly. Telecommunications carriers continue to make significant investments in Internet protocol-based networks to handle the expected growth in the volume of data traffic.

 

Wireless Communications. While wireline communications networks were historically dominated by voice traffic, data now comprises more than half of the traffic on these networks. A similar evolution is now occurring on wireless networks as wireless service providers address the growing demand for data communications with additional technical and commercial offerings.

 

Existing Digital Technologies

 

Data communications over cellular networks is currently supported by various digital technologies. Newer, high-speed technologies include CDMA EV-DO Revision A and GSM-based HSDPA and HSUPA.

 

CDMA is a digital technology that significantly improves the capacity and quality of both voice and data communications and supports a broader range of applications, including voice, wireless Internet and multimedia. The deployment of CDMA EV-DO Revision A commercial service, the next generation of EV-DO, continues to expand the market for wireless data products and services. CDMA EV-DO Revision A offers theoretical downlink speeds of 3.1 Mbps, and theoretical uplink speeds of 1.8 Mbps. In North America, Sprint and Verizon are widely deploying CDMA EV-DO Revision A.

 

Leading GSM carriers in North America, Europe and Asia are deploying third generation (“3G”) networks to offer advanced services, including high-speed data, to their customers. 3G systems have been developed and launched to replace and/or complement second generation and 2.5G digital cellular systems.

 

In late 2005, the first network to upgrade to HSDPA, was AT&T (formerly Cingular Wireless) in North America demonstrating speeds between 500-700 kbps with maximum speeds up to 1.8 Mbps. In 2007, AT&T in North America, Telstra in Australia and Bouygues Telecom in France also announced their new high-speed 3G networks that offer uplink data speeds that are significantly faster than earlier network technologies.

 

4



 

NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS

 

Our Solution

 

We provide leading edge wireless wide area modem solutions for the mobile computing, rugged mobile and M2M markets. We develop and market a range of products that include wireless modems for mobile computers, embedded modules for original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, and high value fixed and mobile wireless data solutions for industrial, commercial, public safety and M2M applications. We also offer professional services to OEM customers during their product development, leveraging our expertise in wireless design and integration to provide built-in wireless connectivity for notebook computers and other mobile computing devices. Our products and solutions connect people, their mobile computers and fixed terminals to wireless voice and mobile broadband networks around the world.

 

Our Products

 

Our current product line of wireless modem solutions includes wide-area wireless AirCard products, embedded modules for notebook computers and other electronic devices, vehicle-mounted modems, M2M modems and enabling software. We have a number of new products under development within these product lines.

 

Our professional services team provides OEM customers with wireless product development support to integrate our wireless wide-area products into their products.

 

Sierra Wireless AirCard Products

 

PC and Express Card Modems: In North America, we continued to have a strong position with AT&T with shipments of our UMTS/HSDPA and HSUPA AirCards. HSUPA AirCards offer significant speed advantages over our HSDPA AirCards with a maximum theoretical downlink speed of up to 7.2 Mbps and uplink speed of up to 2 Mbps. During 2007, we maintained a solid position at Sprint with sales of our CDMA EV-DO Rev A AirCard and also shipped this product to Verizon and Telus. Our new CDMA EV-DO Rev A ExpressCards, built for notebook computers with ExpressCard expansion slots also began shipping to Sprint and Telus during 2007.

 

In Europe, we continued to supply our UMTS/HSPA PC cards to several wireless operators in the UK, France, Switzerland, Spain and to several other operators in the EMEA region. We launched our HSUPA ExpressCards with Bouygues Telecom in France in the fourth quarter of 2007.

 

In the Asia-Pacific region, we began shipments of our CDMA EV-DO Rev A ExpressCards to Telecom New Zealand in the second quarter of 2007 and began shipments of our HSUPA ExpressCards to Telstra in the third quarter of 2007.

 

USB Wireless Modems:  Our USB wireless modems plug into the USB ports of both notebook and desktop computers. During 2007, we began commercial shipments of our HSDPA USB modem to AT&T in the U.S. and O2 in the UK and shipped our EV-DO Rev A USB modem to Sprint, Verizon, Telecom New Zealand and Telus. We also introduced our USB modems for HSUPA networks and commenced commercial shipments to AT&T and Telstra in 2007. Our new HSUPA USB modem, the Apex 880, which is smaller than previous models, has an innovative new design and additional features, and is expected to be available for shipping in the second quarter of 2008. We believe that form factor and industrial design are important differentiators among USB products.

 

5



 

In 2007, sales of our AirCard products increased 102% to $315.9 million, compared to $156.5 million in 2006. The majority of this growth came from the sale of USB wireless modems, which generated $141.0 million of revenue in 2007. Continued success with our AirCard products will depend in part on our ability to develop AirCard products that meet our customers’ evolving design, schedule and price requirements.

 

Sierra Wireless Embedded Module Products

 

We have two categories of embedded module customers: notebook computer manufacturers (“PC OEM”) and vertical OEM customers who provide solutions for a variety of applications, including rugged handheld devices, fixed in-vehicle solutions and fixed wireless terminal solutions (“vertical OEM”).

 

We currently have embedded module design wins with several PC OEM customers, including HP, Fujitsu and NEC, across multiple generations of both CDMA EV-DO and HSDPA/HSUPA technologies. PC OEM customers award design wins for the integration of wide area wireless embedded modules on a platform by platform basis. While we have been successful securing many design wins, we are not guaranteed future design wins. We expect that the PC OEM market will become more competitive in 2008 with the entrance of both Ericsson and Qualcomm Gobi solutions for PC OEMs.  We believe that the Gobi solution could lower the barriers to market entry for new competitors, including potential price leaders. Our ability to secure new design wins will depend on being successful in developing products and offering services that meet our customers’ design, schedule and price requirements.

 

We began commercial shipments of our embedded modules for HSUPA networks during the third quarter of 2007. During the fourth quarter of 2007, Fujitsu launched notebook platforms incorporating our new HSUPA modules in Hong Kong on SmarTone-Vodafone and in Japan on the NTT DoCoMo network. Our launch with Fujitsu on NTT DoCoMo marks our initial commercial entry into the Japanese market.

 

We continue to have a solid position with our vertical OEM customers. In the first quarter of 2007, we announced that Cisco Systems selected our embedded modules for its Integrated Service Routers for enterprise disaster recovery and rapid deployment applications. We also have design wins with Ericsson, Digi and others for fixed wireless terminal and router solutions. We believe that there are good growth opportunities in the vertical OEM market and are investing to expand our position.

 

In 2007, sales of our embedded module products increased 76% to $91.2 million, compared to $51.9 million in 2006.

 

The following table outlines our current product offerings for wireless wide-area network PC cards and embedded modules:

 

6



 

Product
Type

 

Product Class

 

Description

 

Products

 

Wireless Network Cards

 

AirCard® 800 Series

 

Wide-area wireless modems providing wireless broadband connectivity for computer users on HSUPA/HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS networks.

 

AirCard 880/881
AirCard 880E/881E
AirCard 875

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AirCard® 500 Series

 

Wide-area wireless modems providing wireless broadband connectivity for computer users on CDMA EV-DO Revision A networks.

 

AirCard 595
AirCard 597E

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

USB Modems

 

AirCard® USB 800 Series

 

USB wireless modems providing wireless broadband connectivity for users on HSUPA/HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS networks. The USB wireless modem plugs directly into any USB port on a laptop or desktop PC, or via the included docking cradle.

 

AirCard 880U/881U
Air Card 875U

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AirCard® USB 500 Series

 

USB wireless modems providing wireless broadband connectivity for users on EV-DO Revision A networks. The USB wireless modem plugs directly into any USB port on a laptop or desktop PC, or via the included docking cradle.

 

Air Card 595U

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Embedded Modules

 

MC8700 Series PCI Express Mini Cards

 

Embedded 3G wireless modules based on the PCI Express Mini Card form factor and interface specification. The MC87XX series delivers HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS wireless voice and data capability to laptop OEMs and other manufacturers.

 

MC8780/MC8781
MC8775/MC8775V

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MC5700 Series PCI Express Mini Cards

 

Embedded 3G wireless modules based on the PCI Express Mini Card form factor and interface specification. The MC5700 series delivers CDMA EV-DO Revision A and CDMA 1X EV-DO wireless voice and data capability to laptop OEMs and other manufacturers.

 

MC5725/MC5725V

 

 

Sierra Wireless Rugged Mobile and M2M Product Line

 

The Sierra Wireless rugged mobile and M2M product line consists of intelligent modems that are sold into a variety of markets and applications including law enforcement, emergency services, field service, financial, energy and industrial controls.

 

Our rugged mobile products are typically mounted in a vehicle and are physically connected to a computer or data terminal. The rugged mobile product line is designed to operate in harsh conditions, including extremes of temperature, humidity, vibration and vehicle ignition noise. Our MP products come with fully integrated GPS capability as a standard feature. During 2007, we began commercial shipments of two next generation versions of our MP product, the MP 595 for EV-DO Revision A and the MP 875 for UMTS/HSDPA 3.6 Mbps networks. The MP 595 is certified for use on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network and Verizon Network and the MP 875 is certified for use on AT&T’s BroadbandConnect network.

 

7



 

With the acquisition of AirLink, we have also expanded our product line to include M2M solutions and fixed wireless terminals. We introduced the PinPoint X and Raven X, a new line of intelligent modems that have been certified and are commercially available for use on the Verizon Wireless and Bell Mobility EV-DO Rev A networks. We also introduced the Raven XT, a more compact model with increased processing power that is expected to begin commercial shipments in the first quarter of 2008.

 

Enabling Software

 

Our line of software allows our modems and devices to work with laptop and handheld computers and other devices:

 

·                  Sierra Wireless Watcher™ Software is a graphical user interface designed for everyday use with our modems. While the modem is in use, the Watcher program provides ongoing information on registration status and signal strength and allows the user to switch operating modes where applicable. Sierra Wireless Watcher supports all major PC and handheld Windows-based  operating systems. In addition, for certain products, Sierra Wireless Watcher supports Mac operating systems.

 

·                  ALEOS provides reliable and feature-rich embedded intelligence. With extensive capabilities like remote monitoring and configuration, packet-level diagnostics and over-the-air firmware updates, ALEOS simplifies integration, installation, operation and maintenance of any AirLink wireless data solution.

 

·                  Wireless Ace is a device configuration and monitoring tool included with every Sierra Wireless AirLink modem that enables customers to control their AirLink modems from anywhere.

 

·                  AceNet is an enterprise-grade device management tool that allows customers to monitor and manage their fleet of AirLink modems from a central location. Coupled with ALEOSTM, AceNet enables customers to perform full device integration, poll modems and chart performance statistics.

 

·                  AceView is a low-profile dashboard that monitors local connectivity with AirLink in-vehicle modems, displaying RF and GPS signal strength and location.

 

·                  MP Modem Manager is a feature-rich, web based diagnostic software management tool allowing network administrators access to remote monitoring and configuration of a fleet of MP modems.

 

Professional Services

 

Our professional services team offers a variety of product development and integration support services including the following:

 

·                  Software and hardware integration

 

·                  Platform RF testing and optimization

 

·                  Regulatory approvals services

 

·                  Mobile operator certification services

 

·                  Project management

 

·                  Sales and technical support training

 

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Customer Support

 

We provide customers, wireless operators and other channel partners with product and technical support in several languages using telephone, e-mail and our Web site. Online resources include product documentation, technical specifications, frequently asked questions, application notes, troubleshooting notes, troubleshooting tools, and software downloads.

 

Product Revenue

 

Our revenue by product for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 is as follows:

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

AirCards

 

71

%

71

%

Embedded modules

 

21

 

24

 

Mobile and M2M

 

6

 

3

 

Other

 

2

 

2

 

 

 

100

%

100

%

 

Future Products

 

We continually evaluate and develop new products and technologies that will allow us to take advantage of the ever expanding and dynamic wireless market. Emerging wireless standards that are areas of significant new product development interest for us include:

 

·                  HSUPA: HSUPA offers theoretical speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps downlink and increased up link speeds of up to 2 Mbps. Our plan is to introduce new products during 2008 that incorporate HSUPA technology. We expect the new ApexTM 880 USB modem, the CompassTM 885 USB modem and the AirCard 885E ExpressCard to begin commercially shipping in 2008. These products offer tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band GPRS/EDGE network access for roaming on high-speed networks worldwide.

 

Product Development

 

We have built a reputation in the wireless data industry for creating state-of-the-art, high-quality products within aggressive timeframes. Our development team of approximately 193 full time employees, located in Richmond, BC, Carlsbad, CA and Newark, CA, are skilled in the areas of radio frequency, hardware, embedded software, host software and mechanical design. Combined, this team has several thousand person years of experience in the design of small form factor wireless data and voice devices. Our product development team combines leaders with extensive experience in their fields, with younger graduates from leading universities.

 

We take a “core team” approach to product development. Our goal is develop a “whole” product and to ensure products are managed closely throughout their entire life cycle. As part of this approach, individuals from our product development group form product-specific teams with staff from other functional areas, including product management, operations, technical support and quality. These teams work closely to bring new products through the development phase, while balancing the market requirements of performance, time to market and product cost. Concepts and prototypes are validated by working with lead customers, channel partners and industry consultants. From time to time, projects are outsourced to third parties, which provides product development leverage for our core teams.

 

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Products that result from this process are designed and tested to cellular industry standards and introduced to our high-volume contract manufacturing partners for production and delivery to our customers. Included in the development effort is the certification of our products with industry and regulatory standards bodies and wireless operators.

 

A group of senior engineers develops and monitors our development processes. These processes are applied across all development projects to ensure uniformity. For example, we have adopted a core-wireless engine design approach to leverage development efforts across multiple different products. This is also intended to help our customers to utilize our different products with moderate additional integration effort on their part.

 

Our product development staff stays current in technology by participating in industry groups such as the Personal Computer Communications Association (“PCCA”), the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (“CTIA”), the Mobile Advisory Council (“MAC”), the USB Forum, the PCI Special Interest Group (“PCI-SIG”), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (“ETSI”), the PCS Type Certification Review Board (“PTCRB”), the Third Generation Partnership Project (“3GPP”), the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (“3GPP2”) and the International Wireless Packaging Consortium, and through ongoing technical education. We maintain close relationships with local universities by hiring co-op students, giving lectures, supporting visiting professorships and participating in regular informal meetings with faculty members.

 

Distribution

 

Our products are used by a variety of end-users, ranging from sales people and mobile executives, to police officers and utility workers. We have built a distribution channel that responds to the unique purchasing and usage requirements of our customer base. Historically, a substantial majority of our sales have come from North American markets. As our wireless technology platforms have diversified, we have built sales and distribution teams to focus on developing our business outside of North America. Currently, we have dedicated sales and distribution teams for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”), Asia-Pacific and North American regions. Our approach to distribution takes advantage of our existing relationships with wireless operators, resellers and OEMs in order to maximize the productivity of our sales team.

 

Wireless Operators

 

Wireless operators play two key roles in our distribution strategy. First, wireless operators are resellers for us, purchasing our products and then reselling them to end-user customers through their business and retail channels. Second, the wireless operator sales team often works with our sales team to jointly sell wireless solutions and our equipment to corporate and government end-user customers. The wireless operator channel provides us with extended customer reach, while the operators are able to leverage our wireless data expertise to help sell their products and services. We have invested a great deal of time and resources in cultivating our relationships with wireless operators and view these relationships as a critical success factor.

 

Resellers

 

Resellers purchase our products either directly from us or from a distributor and resell them to carriers and end-user customers. In order to support resellers who prefer to purchase through a distributor, we have selectively formed distribution relationships. Distributors ensure that our products are available to a large number of resellers.

 

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Resellers generally combine our products with other elements of an overall solution, such as computer hardware, application software and bundled communication services and deliver a complete solution to the end-user customer. Resellers include computer resellers, wide-area network resellers, application developers and system integrators.

 

Original Equipment Manufacturers

 

Original equipment manufacturers are companies that integrate our embedded modules into devices they manufacture and sell to end-user customers through their own direct sales force and indirect distribution channels. Our embedded modules have been integrated into a range of devices, such as laptops, industrial handheld computers, wireless routers, PDAs and Smartphones.

 

Marketing

 

Our marketing team is responsible for providing product management, strategic marketing and marketing communications for our products on a global basis. Members of the product management team play an active role in our core team approach to developing and managing individual products through their entire product life cycle. Emphasis is placed on understanding customer needs, developing the business case, determining competitive positioning and pricing, and ensuring product completeness, which includes documentation, packaging, collateral, promotional material and marketing programs.

 

Marketing Communications

 

We communicate our corporate and product positioning to channels and customers in our global markets in several ways, including:

 

·            Actively seeking editorial coverage and placing advertisements in industry, business and trade publications;

 

·            Actively participating in industry associations;

 

·            Meeting with opinion leaders and industry analysts; and

 

·            Participating in targeted conferences and trade shows.

 

We work with our channel partners to develop programs to encourage customer adoption and promotion of our brand. Through marketing strategies including market analysis, branding, design, packaging and promotions, we launch products into the marketplace that complement customer launch timelines.

 

Manufacturing

 

We outsource most of our manufacturing services, including parts procurement, kitting, logistics, assembly and repair. We believe that outsourcing allows us to:

 

·            Focus on our core competencies, including research and development, sales and marketing;

 

·            Participate in contract manufacturer economies of scale;

 

·            Access high quality, lower cost manufacturing resources;

 

·            Achieve rapid production scalability; and

 

·            Reduce equipment capital costs and equipment obsolescence risk.

 

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In addition, we perform certain manufacturing related functions in-house, including key component sourcing, manufacturing engineering, and development of manufacturing test procedures and fixtures.

 

We use Flextronics, a large global electronics manufacturing services (“EMS”) provider, as our primary contract manufacturer and logistics partner to provide an end-to-end supply chain solution. This includes design support, procurement, low cost manufacturing and repair in China and fulfillment services from Zalaegerszeg, Hungary. By using its fully integrated supply chain services, we expect to optimize product costs, improve alignment with our increasingly international customer base and achieve increased operating efficiencies and scalability. Our more complex, lower volume products are manufactured by other EMS partners.

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2007 we had a total of 376 full time employees, 186 of whom are at our head office in Richmond, B.C., with the balance being located across the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Of the 376 employees, 193 are involved in product development, 68 are involved in manufacturing, 44 are sales and support personnel, 29 are marketing personnel and 42 are in finance and administration. Employees have access to corporate-funded ongoing training and professional development opportunities, both on-the-job and through outside educational programs. Cash compensation, our employee stock option plan, our employee restricted share unit plan, our employee stock purchase plan and our retirement plan contribution program are complemented by internal recognition programs and career advancement opportunities. We believe our relationships with our employees are positive.

 

We have entered into non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality agreements with key management personnel and with substantially all of our employees.

 

Competition

 

Mobile broadband technology is penetrating the mainstream population. Mobile broadband advertisements are appearing on television, in magazines, newspapers, train stations and airports around the world. Adoption is reaching a level that more competitors are entering the market and some of these competitors are large corporations with strong manufacturing scale and financial resources at their disposal. The technology is still evolving with faster and more efficient airlink technologies being released by chipset and infrastructure manufacturers. This evolution creates an opportunity for us to differentiate ourselves by being early to market with quality implementations of these new airlinks.

 

PC Cards:  We have established a technology leadership position by being early to market with our HSPA PC cards in North America and Europe. In North America, we sell both EV-DO and HSPA PC cards and our competitors include Kyocera Wireless Corp., Novatel Wireless, Inc., Option N.V., Pantech and Sony Ericsson. In Europe, we sell HSPA PC cards and our main competitors include Huawei, Novatel Wireless, Inc., Option N.V. and Sony Ericsson. In Asia, we sell EV-DO and HSPA PC cards and our main competitors include Huawei, Option N.V. and ZTE.

 

Embedded Modules:  We expect that competition in the PC OEM market will continue to intensify in 2008 with the entrance of Ericsson and Qualcomm’s Gobi solution for PC OEMs.  We believe that the Gobi solution could lower the barriers to market entry for new competitors, including potential price leaders. Our ability to secure new design wins will depend on being successful in developing products and offering services that meet our customers’ design, schedule and price requirements. We continue to have a solid position with our vertical OEM customers.

 

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Mobile and M2M:  We have bolstered our presence in this space with the acquisition of AirLink Communications in May 2007. Our installed base includes all primary M2M vertical market segments, but we have a stronger presence within energy, public safety and transportation. We are focusing our efforts on expanding our presence in North America and entering Europe. Our competitors include Digi International Inc., BlueTree Wireless Data Inc., Enfora, Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., Sarian Systems, Top Global USA, Inc. and various embedded applications. We continue to differentiate ourselves through superior design, embedded intelligence, elegant management tools and customer support.

 

Intellectual Property

 

We protect our intellectual property through a combination of patent protection, copyright, trademarks, trade secrets, licenses, non-disclosure agreements and contractual provisions. We enter into a non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement with each of our employees, consultants and third parties that have access to our proprietary technology. Pursuant to assignment of inventions agreements, all of our employees and consultants assign all intellectual property rights in the inventions created during such person’s employment or contract with Sierra Wireless to Sierra Wireless.

 

We currently hold 61 United States patents and 106 international patents. Additional patent applications are pending. When we consider it to be advantageous, we utilize our intellectual property portfolio and access the intellectual property of third parties by entering into commercial licenses and cross-licenses.

 

Governmental Regulation

 

Our products are subject to certain mandatory regulatory approvals in the United States, Canada, the European Union (“EU”) and other regions in which we operate. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission regulates many aspects of communications devices, including radiation of electromagnetic energy, biological safety and rules for devices to be connected to the telephone network. In Canada, similar regulations are administered by the Ministry of Industry, through Industry Canada. European Union directives provide the comparable regulatory guidance in Europe.

 

Wireless modems must be approved under these regulations by the relevant government authority prior to these products being offered for sale. We have obtained all necessary Federal Communications Commission, Industry Canada, European Union and other required regulatory approvals for the products we currently sell.

 

Additional Information Concerning Our Business

 

Our operations do not have a significant impact upon the environment. We have not made, and are not required to make, any significant capital expenditures to comply with environmental regulations. Working with the contract manufacturers who build our products and relevant component suppliers, we intend to ensure that our products that are sold in the EU comply with the EU directives that restrict the use of certain hazardous substances in electronic equipment sold in the EU after July 1, 2006. Sierra Wireless is in compliance with all EU environmental directives.

 

RISK FACTORS

 

Our business is subject to significant risks and uncertainties and past performance is no guarantee of future performance. These risks and uncertainties are described in our 2007 Management Discussion and Analysis which can be found on our website at www.sierrawireless.com or at www.sedar.com and are incorporated herein by reference.

 

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DIVIDENDS

 

Since incorporation, we have not paid any dividends on our common shares. Our current intention is to reinvest earnings to finance the growth of our business. We do not anticipate that we will pay any dividends on our common shares in the immediate or foreseeable future.

 

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE

 

Our authorized capital consists of an unlimited number of common shares, of which, at March 24, 2008, 31,347,563 are issued and outstanding, and an unlimited number of preference shares, issuable in series, of which none are issued and outstanding. Our board of directors is authorized to determine the designation, rights and restrictions to be attached to the preference shares upon issuance.

 

Holders of common shares are entitled to receive notice of any meeting of shareholders and to attend and vote at those meetings, except those meetings at which only the holders of shares of another class or of a particular series are entitled to vote. Each common share entitles its holder to one vote. Subject to the rights of the holders of preference shares, the holders of common shares are entitled to receive on a proportionate basis such dividends as our board of directors may declare out of funds legally available therefor. In the event of the dissolution, liquidation, winding up or other distribution of our assets, the holders of the common shares are entitled to receive on a proportionate basis all of our assets remaining after payment of all of our liabilities, subject to the rights of holders of preference shares.

 

The common shares carry no pre-emptive or conversion rights other than rights granted to holders of common shares under the Shareholders Rights Plan implemented and ratified by our shareholders on April 27, 2000 and re-adopted by our shareholders on April 28, 2003 and April 25, 2006. The Shareholder Rights Plan is designed to encourage the fair treatment of our shareholders in connection with any take-over offer for our outstanding common shares. The Shareholder Rights Plan provides our board of directors and shareholders with 45 days, which is longer than provided by applicable laws, to fully consider any unsolicited take-over bid without undue pressure, to allow our board of directors, if appropriate, to consider other alternatives to maximize shareholder value and to allow additional time for competing bids to emerge. If a bid is made to all shareholders, is held open for at least 45 days and is accepted by shareholders holding more than 50% of the outstanding common shares, or is otherwise approved by our board of directors, then the Shareholder Rights Plan will not affect the rights of shareholders. Otherwise, all shareholders, except the parties making a take-over bid, will be able to acquire a number of additional common shares equal to 100% of their existing outstanding holdings at half the market price. Thus, any party making a take-over bid not permitted by the Shareholder Rights Plan could suffer significant dilution.

 

MARKET FOR SECURITIES

 

Our common shares have been listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange since May 17, 1999, and currently trade under the symbol “SW”. Our common shares are co-listed on The Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “SWIR”.

 

Set out below are the price ranges and volume of common shares of Sierra Wireless, Inc. that traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange for the year ended December 31, 2007.

 

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2007

 

Low
Cdn $

 

High
Cdn $

 

Total Monthly
Volume

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January

 

15.40

 

17.85

 

3,998,100

 

February

 

15.74

 

19.20

 

4,762,200

 

March

 

15.02

 

18.50

 

2,692,200

 

April

 

17.80

 

20.97

 

3,369,800

 

May

 

19.24

 

23.67

 

3,835,400

 

June

 

23.18

 

28.15

 

5,344,200

 

July

 

23.83

 

29.37

 

5,653,100

 

August

 

18.85

 

24.22

 

7,176,300

 

September

 

20.75

 

24.79

 

3,332,400

 

October

 

17.61

 

23.10

 

10,950,300

 

November

 

15.53

 

22.83

 

9,127,300

 

December

 

14.61

 

17.75

 

4,210,200

 

 

DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

 

The tables set forth below list the directors and executive officers of the Company as at March 24, 2008, indicating their name, municipalities of residence, their respective positions and offices held with the Company, the length of service and their principal occupations within the five preceding years.

 

Each director is elected at our annual meeting of shareholders to serve until the next annual meeting or until a successor is elected or appointed, unless such director resigns or is removed earlier. To the knowledge of Sierra Wireless, the directors and executive officers as a group, beneficially own, directly or indirectly, or exercise control or discretion over, 269,543 common shares, (not including common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options), representing as of March 24, 2008 approximately 0.9% of the issued and outstanding common shares.

 

Directors

 

Name, Position and
Residence

 

Principal Occupation or Employment(1)

 

Director
Since

 

Jason W. Cohenour
President, CEO and Director Washington, U.S.A.

 

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from October 2005 to present; Chief Operating Officer of the Company from August 2004 to October 2005; Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales of the Company from 2000 to August 2004

 

October 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gregory D. Aasen (3)
Director
British Columbia, Canada

 

Independent Outside Director; Chief Strategy Officer of PMC-Sierra, Inc. (a broadband communications company) from September 2005 to June 2007; Vice-President and General Manager, Communication Products Division of PMC-Sierra, Inc. from 2004 to September 2005; Chief Operating Officer of PMC-Sierra, Inc. from 1997 to 2004 and Chief Technology Officer of PMC-Sierra, Inc. from 2003 to 2004

 

December 1997

 

 

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Name, Position and
Residence

 

Principal Occupation or Employment(1)

 

Director
Since

 

Paul G. Cataford (2) (4)
Director
Alberta, Canada

 

President and Chief Executive Officer of University Technologies International Inc. (a technology transfer and commercialization company) from 2004 to present; Managing Partner of HorizonOne Asset Management from December 2002 to 2004; Consultant from March 2002 to December 2002; Executive Managing Director of BMO Nesbitt Burns Equity Partners Inc. from 2001 to 2002

 

July 1998

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Ciceri (2) (3)
Director
British Columbia, Canada

 

President of Custom House Global Foreign Exchange from January 2007 to present; Corporate Director and principal of Peter Ciceri & Associates Executive Coaching and Business Counselling Services from 2001 to present

 

February 2000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charles E. Levine (3) (4)
Chairman and Director
California, U.S.A.

 

Independent Outside Director; President and Chief Operating Officer of Sprint PCS from 2000 to 2002

 

May 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S. Jane Rowe (2)
Director
Ontario, Canada

 

Independent Outside Director; An Officer of Scotiabank, most recently serving as Executive Vice-President, Domestic Personal Lending and Insurance and President and CEO of Scotia Mortgage Corporation and Vice Chairman of Maple Trust Company from May 2006 to July 2007; Vice Chairman of Travelers Leasing Corporation from February 2007 to July 2007; President and Chief Executive Officer of Roynat Capital from 2004 to 2006; Senior Vice President, Global Risk Management Division of Scotiabank from 2002 to 2004; Managing Director and Co-Head of Scotia Merchant Capital Corporation from 1997 to 2002

 

March 1998

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David B. Sutcliffe (4)
Director
British Columbia, Canada

 

Corporate Director from October 2005 to present; Chief Executive Officer of the Company from May 1995 through October 2005

 

June 1995

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kent Thexton (3)
Director
British Columbia, Canada

 

Managing Partner, i-wireless LLC (a US based MVNO) from November 2006 to present; Chairman of Redknee (a billing software company) from 2004 to present; Executive Chairman of SEVEN Networks, Inc. (an application software company) from November 2006 to present; President and Chief Executive Officer of SEVEN Networks, Inc. from April 2004 to October 2006; Chief Data and Marketing Officer of O2 PLC and President of O2 Online from 2001 to 2004

 

March 2005

 

 


Notes:

(1)   The information as to “principal occupation” has been furnished by the respective directors

(2)   Member of the Audit Committee

(3)   Member of the Human Resources Committee

(4)   Member of the Governance and Nominating Committee

 

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Executive Officers

 

Name, Position and
Province or State and
Country of Residence

 

Principal Occupation in the Preceding
Five Years(1)

 

Length of Service

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jason W. Cohenour
President and Chief Executive Officer
Washington, U.S.A.

 

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since October 2005; Chief Operating Officer of the Company from August 2004 to October 2005; Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales of the Company from 2000 to August 2004

 

12 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David G. McLennan
Chief Financial Officer and
Secretary
British Columbia, Canada

 

Chief Financial Officer of the Company from March 2004 to present; Consultant to BCE Emergis from September 2002 to January 2003; Chief Financial Officer of Bell Canada from June 2002 to September 2002; President and Chief Operating Officer of Bell ExpressVu from November 1999 to June 2002

 

4 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James B. Kirkpatrick
Chief Technical Officer
California, U.S.A.

 

Chief Technical Officer of the Company from September 2004 to present; Senior Vice-President, Engineering of the Company from August 2003 to August 2004; President and Chief Executive Officer of AirPrime, Inc. from July 2002 to August 2003; Senior Vice-President, Engineering of AirPrime, Inc. from September 2000 to March 2003

 

5 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trent H. Punnett
Senior Vice President, Marketing
and Corporate Development
British Columbia, Canada

 

Senior Vice-President, Marketing and Corporate Development from February 2006 to present; Vice-President, Marketing of the Company from January 2005 to January 2006; Vice-President, Marketing and Product Line Management of Motorola from July 2003 to December 2004; Senior Director, Marketing and Product Line Management of Motorola from 2000 to June 2003

 

3 years

 

 


Notes:

(1)          The information as to “principal occupation” has been furnished by the respective executive officers.

 

CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS

 

In 2003, the Board of Directors adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applying to all directors, officers and employees of the Company to ensure that the Company conducts its business in accordance with the highest standards of business conduct and ethics.  The Board of Directors approved an updated version of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics in December 2005.  There have been no waivers granted from the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics since its adoption.  The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on the Company’s website at www.sierrawireless.com.

 

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AUDIT COMMITTEE

 

Mandate of the Audit Committee

 

The full text of the Mandate of the Audit Committee is set out below.

 

“1.  Purpose and Scope

 

The audit committee (the “AC”) was established by the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Sierra Wireless Inc. (“Company”) to assist the Board in all issues relating to the oversight of the following:

 

·                  the Company’s systems of internal and disclosure controls regarding finance, accounting and legal compliance;

 

·                  the Company’s auditing, accounting and financial reporting processes, including adherence to US generally accepted accounting principles;

 

·                  the Company’s financial statements and other financial information provided by the Company to its shareholders, the public and others;

 

·                  the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;

 

·                  the appointment, compensation, independence, oversight, communication with, performance and change of the Company’s external and independent auditors (the “Auditors”);

 

·                  the Company’s whistleblower process; and

 

·                  the fulfillment of the other responsibilities set forth in this Mandate.

 

2.              Organization, Membership and Meetings

 

·                  Committee members shall meet the requirements of the Toronto Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the securities commissions of each of the Provinces of Canada in which the Company is a reporting issuer and any other regulatory agency that may have jurisdiction over the operations of the Company from time to time.

 

·                  The Committee shall consist of three or more directors who are “independent” as defined by applicable law, regulations, guidelines and policies, and as determined by the Governance and Nominating Committee (“GNC”) of the Board.

 

·                  All members of the Committee shall be “financially literate”, and at least one member of the Committee shall be a “financial expert”.  “Financially literate” and “financial expert” will have the respective meanings set out in applicable law, regulations, guidelines and policies.

 

·                  Members of the Committee shall be appointed annually by the Board on the recommendation of the GNC.  Members may be replaced by the Board at any time, but shall otherwise serve until a successor has been named.

 

·                  No director shall serve on the compensation committee of another company that employs such directors.

 

·                  No member shall be affiliated with the Company or any subsidiary.

 

·                  The Committee shall meet from time to time, as it deems necessary, but at least four times per year.

 

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·                  The Committee may include management at its meetings, but shall also hold an executive session at each meeting at which only independent directors are present.

 

·                  The Committee shall maintain written minutes of its meetings, which minutes will be filed in the corporate minute book.

 

3.              Authority and Responsibilities

 

3.1.         With respect to the Auditors:

 

·                  Be directly responsible for recommending to the Board the appointment and compensation of the Auditor.  Oversee the work of the Auditors (including resolution of disagreements between Management and the Auditors regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attest services for the Company.

 

·                  Have the sole authority to review in advance and pre-approve all non-audit services to be provided to the Company or its subsidiaries by the Auditors, as permitted by applicable governance rules and in particular Section 10A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, in connection therewith, to approve all fees and other terms of engagement. The Committee shall also review and pre-approve all disclosures required to be included in any public filings with respect to non-audit services.  The Committee may delegate to one or more members the authority to pre-approve non-audit services, provided a report is made to the Committee at its next scheduled meeting.  The Committee may consult with Management but shall not delegate these responsibilities to Management.

 

·                  Have the authority to communicate directly with the Auditors.

 

·                  Review the performance of the Auditors on at least an annual basis.

 

·                  On an annual basis, review and discuss with the Auditors all relationships the Auditors have with the Company in order to evaluate the Auditors’ continued independence. The Committee: (i) shall ensure that the Auditors submit to the Committee on an annual basis a written statement delineating all relationships and services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the Auditors; (ii) shall discuss with the Auditors any disclosed relationship or services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the Auditors; and (iii) shall satisfy itself as to the Auditors’ independence.

 

·                  At least annually, obtain and review an annual report from the Auditors describing (i) the Auditors’ internal quality control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control review, or peer review, of the Auditors, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years, respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the Auditors, and any steps taken to deal with any such issues.

 

·                  Confirm that the rotation of the lead audit partner, or the lead audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit, for the Company’s Auditors complies with the requirements of the Canadian and US regulatory authorities.

 

·                  Review all reports required to be submitted by the Auditors to the Committee particularly including those required by Section 10A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

·                  Review, based upon the recommendation of the Auditors and Management, the scope and plan of the work to be done by the Auditors for each fiscal year.

 

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3.2.         With respect to financial statements:

 

·                  Review and discuss with Management and the Auditors the Company’s quarterly financial statements (including disclosures made in Management’s Discussion and Analysis, as defined in Multilateral Instrument 51-102, and interim earnings press releases) prior to submission to shareholders, any governmental body, any stock exchange or disclosure to the public.  Subject to delegation from the Board, approve the interim financial statements and footnotes, MD&A and interim earnings press release.

 

·                  Review and discuss with Management and the Auditors the Company’s annual audited financial statements (including disclosures made in Management’s Discussion and Analysis and annual earnings press releases) prior to submission to shareholders, any governmental body, any stock exchange or disclosure to the public.  Recommend to the Board approval of the annual audited financial statements and footnotes, MD&A and annual earnings press release.

 

·                  Recommend to the Board, if appropriate, that the Company’s annual audited financial statements be included in the Company’s annual report for filing with appropriate securities regulatory agencies.

 

·                  Prepare any reports required to be included in the Company’s annual meeting materials and any other Committee reports required by applicable securities laws or stock exchange listing requirements or rules.

 

3.3.         With respect to periodic and annual reviews:

 

·                  Periodically review separately with each of Management and the Auditors (i) any significant disagreement between Management and the Auditors in connection with the preparation of the financial statements, (ii) any difficulties encountered during the course of the audit or review (including any restrictions on the scope of work or access to required information), and (iii) Management’s response to each.

 

·                  Periodically discuss with the Auditors, without Management being present (i) their judgments about the quality, appropriateness, and acceptability of the Company’s accounting principles and financial disclosure practices, as applied in its financial reporting, and (ii) the completeness and accuracy of the Company’s financial statements.

 

·                  Consider and approve, if appropriate, significant changes to the Company’s accounting principles and financial disclosure practices as suggested by the Auditors or Management.  Review with the Auditors and Management, at appropriate intervals, the extent to which any changes or improvements in accounting or financial practices, as approved by the Committee, have been implemented.

 

·                  Review with Management, the Auditors and the Company’s counsel, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters that could have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements, including significant changes in accounting standards or rules as promulgated by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, the securities regulators having jurisdiction over the Company or other regulatory authorities with relevant jurisdiction.

 

·                  Obtain and review an annual report from Management relating to the accounting principles used in preparation of the Company’s financial statements (including those policies for which Management is required to exercise discretion or judgments regarding the implementation thereof).

 

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3.4.         Discussions with Management:

 

·                  Review and discuss with Management the Company’s annual and interim earnings press releases (including the use of “pro forma” or “adjusted” non-GAAP information), financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies as well as all other material public disclosure documents such as the Company’s AIF, management information circular and any prospectuses.

 

·                  Review and discuss with Management all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations) and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons, that may have a material current or future effect on financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital resources, capital reserves or significant components of revenues or expenses.

 

·                  Inquire about the application of the Company’s accounting policies and its consistency from period to period, and the compatibility of these accounting policies with generally accepted accounting principles, and (where appropriate) the Company’s provisions for future occurrences that may have a material impact on the financial statements of the Company.

 

·                  Review and discuss with Management the Company’s major financial risk exposures and the steps Management has taken to monitor and control such exposures (including Management’s risk assessment and risk management policies).

 

·                  Review and discuss with Management all disclosures made by the Company concerning any material changes in the financial condition or operations of the Company.

 

·                  The Committee will meet periodically and separately with the Company’s counsel to review material legal affairs of the Company and the Company’s compliance with applicable law and listing standards.

 

·                  Obtain explanations from Management for unusual variances in the Company’s annual financial statements from year to year, and review annually the Auditors’ letter of the recommendations to Management and Management’s response.

 

3.5.         With respect to internal controls and disclosure:

 

·                  In consultation with the Auditors and Management: (a) review the adequacy of the Company’s internal control structure and system, and the procedures designed to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, (b) discuss the responsibilities, budget and staffing needs of the Company’s internal accounting department, and (c) review and consider whether there is any need for the Company to establish an internal audit department.

 

·                  Establish whistleblowing procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, (ii) the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Company of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters, and (iii) referring any whistleblower matters that fall outside of the scope of the Committee to the Chair of the appropriate Committee or to the Chair of the Board.

 

·                  Be satisfied that adequate procedures are in place for the review of the Company’s public disclosure of financial information extracted or derived from the Company’s financial statements and periodically assess the adequacy of those procedures.

 

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3.6.         With respect to reporting obligations:

 

·                  Ensure that all reporting obligations related to the AIF (Form 40-F for US purposes) and management information circular under Part 5 of Multilateral Instrument 52-110 are fully complied with.

 

3.7.         Other:

 

·                  Review and approve all related-party transactions.

 

·                  Review and approve the Company’s hiring policies regarding partners, employees, and former partners and employees of the present and former external auditor of the Company.

 

·                  Review any Management decision to seek a second opinion from Auditors other than the Company’s regular Auditors with respect to any significant accounting issue.

 

·                  Review with Management and the Auditors the sufficiency and quality of the financial and accounting personnel of the Company.

 

·                  Monitor and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and corporate policy relating to audit, internal controls, financial matters and any other matters within the scope of this mandate.

 

·                  Review and reassess the adequacy of this Mandate not less than annually, and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval.  The Committee will also review its own performance, at least annually, for purposes of self-evaluation and to encourage the continuing improvement of the Committee in the execution of its responsibilities.

 

·                  The Committee may delegate its authority where permitted and appropriate.

 

·                  As necessary to carry out its duties, to retain and release independent legal, accounting or other advisors to advise the Committee and set and cause the Company to pay the compensation for any such advisors employed by the Committee.

 

·                  Perform any other activities consistent with this Mandate, the Company’s By-laws and governing law as the Committee or the Board deems necessary or appropriate.

 

·                  The Committee will have full access to all books, records, facilities and personnel of the Company.

 

·                  To honour the spirit and intent of applicable law as it evolves, authority to make minor technical amendments to this Mandate, on request of the Chair of the Committee , is delegated to the Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee, who will report any amendments to the Board at its next meeting.

 

4.              External and Internal Linkages

 

·                  The Board

 

·                  The CEO and Senior Management

 

·                  Outside Consultants and Advisors

 

·                  The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee”

 

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Composition of the Audit Committee

 

S. Jane Rowe (Chair), Paul G. Cataford and Peter Ciceri are the current members of the Audit Committee.  Each of them is an Independent Director and is financially literate.  The Board of Directors has determined that Ms. S. Jane Rowe is the Audit Committee’s financial expert.

 

Relevant Education and Experience

 

S. Jane Rowe is currently an Independent Director.  Ms. Rowe is an Officer of Scotiabank, most recently serving as the Executive Vice-President, Domestic Personal Lending and Insurance, and President and CEO of Scotia Mortgage Corporation, the mortgage subsidiary of Scotiabank from May 2006 until July 2007.  Ms. Rowe was also Vice Chairman of Maple Trust Company and Travelers Leasing Corporation, both of which are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Scotiabank.  Prior to her most recent appointment in May 2006, Ms. Rowe was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Roynat Capital.  Ms. Rowe has an extensive background in the financial services and banking industry with over 20 years of experience with the Scotiabank Group.  Ms. Rowe holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with honours from Memorial University of Newfoundland and an MBA from York University.

 

Paul G. Cataford is the President and Chief Executive Officer of University Technologies Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of Calgary that is responsible for the university’s technology commercialization.  Mr. Cataford’s other experience includes consulting, Managing Director of BMO Nesbitt Burns Equity Partners Inc. from 2001 to 2002 and Managing Director and President of BCE Capital Inc. from 1997 to 2001.  Mr. Cataford has extensive knowledge of venture capital investing and technology.  Mr. Cataford completed a Mechanical Engineering Degree at Queen’s University and an MBA at York University.

 

Peter Ciceri is the President of Custom House Global Foreign Exchange, the largest non-bank foreign exchange company in North America.  He is also the principal of Peter Ciceri & Associates Executive Coaching and Business Counselling Service offering mentoring and counselling services to senior executives.  Mr. Ciceri’s other experience includes CEO of Compaq Canada Inc., and he has held other senior positions with Tandem Asia Pacific Ltd., Hewlett Packard Asia Pacific Ltd., and Japan Unisys.  Mr. Ciceri is an authority in international business (emphasis on Asia Pacific) and in 1999 he was named one of Canada’s top 10 “IT Influencers” and one of the country’s top 100 business executives.  Mr. Ciceri holds an Economics Degree at University of Victoria, and a MA in counselling psychology from the University of British Columbia.

 

Reliance on Certain Exemptions

 

At no time since the commencement of the Company’s most recently completed financial year has the Company relied upon any exemption from MI 52-110 provided therein.

 

Audit Committee Oversight

 

At no time since the commencement of the Company’s most recently completed financial year was a recommendation of the Committee to nominate or compensate an external auditor not adopted by the board of directors of the Company.

 

Pre-approval Policies and Procedures

 

The Committee has the sole authority to review in advance and pre-approve all non-audit services to be provided to the Company or its subsidiaries by the Auditor, as well as all fees and other terms of

 

23



 

engagement.  The Committee may delegate to one or more members the authority to pre-approve non-audit services, provided a report is made to the Committee at its next scheduled meeting.  All of the audit-related, tax and all other fees below were pre-approved by the Committee.

 

Auditor Independence

 

Sierra Wireless’s Audit Committee has concluded that the Auditors are independent under applicable rules and guidelines and, in particular, that the Auditors are free from conflicts of interest that could impair their objectivity in conducting the audit of the Company’s financial statements.  The Audit Committee is required to approve all non-audit related services performed by our Auditors, and our Auditors are not permitted to perform services for us prohibited for an independent auditor under applicable Canadian and United States regulations, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

 

Auditors’ Fees

 

In the 2007 and 2006 fiscal years, the fees paid to the Auditors were as follows:

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Audit Fees

 

$

792,000

 

$

357,000

 

Audit-Related Fees

 

41,000

 

51,000

 

Tax Fees

 

226,000

 

203,000

 

All Other Fees

 

Nil

 

Nil

 

 

Audit Fees

 

Audit fees for 2007 include fees related to the audit of our year-end financial statements, audit of our internal controls over financial reporting, review of our quarterly financial statements, review of the AirLink Business Acquisition Report and review of our short-form prospectus.  Audit fees for 2006 include fees related to the audit of our year-end financial statements and review of our quarterly financial statements.

 

Audit-Related Fees

 

Audit-related fees for 2007 include fees related to due diligence services relating to the AirLink acquisition.  Audit-related fees for 2006 are for fees related to our Sarbanes-Oxley 404 documentation.

 

Tax Fees

 

Tax fees for 2007 and 2006 are primarily for the preparation of our Canadian and U.S. tax returns, assistance with tax planning and completion of transfer pricing studies.

 

EVALUATION OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Disclosure Controls

 

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate disclosure controls and procedures for the Company.  Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed with securities regulatory authorities is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within prescribed time periods and is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

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An evaluation was carried out under the supervision of, and with the participation of, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2007.  Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under applicable securities laws and regulations is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified thereby.

 

The Company does not expect that its disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all error and all fraud, if any. A control procedure, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control procedure are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control procedures, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple errors or mistakes. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. The Company considered these limitations during the development of its disclosure controls and procedures and will continually re-evaluate them to ensure they provide reasonable assurance that such controls and procedures are effective.

 

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that: (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

Under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as of December 31, 2007, based on the framework set forth in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based on its evaluation under this framework, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of that date.

 

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KPMG LLP (“KPMG”), an independent registered public accounting firm, who audited and reported on our financial statements has issued an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007.  The attestation report is included in our audited financial statements that are filed on www.sedar.com and on www.sec.gov and are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Changes in Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

 

There have been no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting during 2007 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.  The design of any system of controls and procedures is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of certain events. There can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions, regardless of how remote.

 

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

Sierra Wireless America, Inc., as successor to AirPrime, Inc., was named as a defendant in a class action complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, for alleged violations of federal and state securities laws allegedly occurring prior to the time AirPrime, Inc. was acquired by the Company. The settlement of this litigation was approved by the court in February 2007 and the appeal period, in respect of such decision, has expired.  The settlement was recorded in the first quarter of 2007 and had no net effect on our income statement.

 

The Company and certain of its current and former officers were named as defendants in several class action complaints for alleged violations of federal securities laws which were consolidated for pre-trial purposes in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  The defendants filed a motion to dismiss on April 7, 2006 and on May 15, 2007 the court dismissed the complaints in their entirety.  The appeal period, in respect of such decision, has expired.  This litigation is concluded. During 2005, we determined that it was probable that the legal costs related to these complaints might exceed our policy retention amount of $1.0 million.  Accordingly, we expensed $1.0 million in 2005.  Our legal costs totalled approximately $0.4 million, therefore we recorded $0.6 million as a recovery of administration costs in the second quarter of 2007.

 

We are engaged in other legal actions in the ordinary course of business and believe that the ultimate outcome of these actions will not have a material adverse effect on our operating results, liquidity or financial position.

 

 OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

 

During 2007, we had obtained letters of credit to ensure the performance of a third party in accordance with specified terms and conditions. At December 31, 2007, we had $6.2 million outstanding under these letters of credit.  Our obligations under these financial instruments expired in February 2008 and have been replaced by a standby irrevocable letter of credit.

 

As of December 31, 2007, we did not have any off-balance sheet finance or special purpose entities.

 

26



 

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

 

The following table specifies our known contractual obligations as of December 31, 2007:

 

 

 

Payments due by period

 

Contractual Obligations 

 

Total

 

Less than
1 year

 

1-3 years

 

3-5 years

 

More
than 5
years

 

(in thousands of U.S. dollars)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating lease obligations

 

$

11,089

 

3,639

 

5,842

 

1,608

 

 

Purchase commitments(1)

 

166,067

 

166,067

 

 

 

 

Long-term liabilities(2)

 

858

 

277

 

407

 

174

 

 

Total

 

$

178,014

 

$

169,983

 

$

6,249

 

$

1,782

 

$

 

 


Notes

(1)          Purchase commitments represent obligations with certain contract manufacturers to buy a minimum amount of designated products between January 2008 and March 2008.  In certain of these arrangements, we may be required to acquire and pay for such products up to the prescribed minimum or forecasted purchases.

(2)          Long-term liabilities relate to restructurings from prior years.

 

QUORUM EXEMPTION

 

The rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Global Market applicable to the Company require each listed issuer to provide that a quorum for its shareholders’ meetings be at least 33 1/3 percent of the issuer’s outstanding shares.  The Company has been granted an exemption from this requirement because it is contrary to generally accepted business practices in Canada, the Company’s country of domicile.  The Company has had the benefit of this exemption in the current and prior year.

 

In determining whether a requirement is contrary to generally accepted business practices, the Nasdaq rules generally look to the requirements of the primary market in the issuer’s country of domicile.  The rules and policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange, the primary market in Canada, do not contain quorum requirements, and the Canada Business Corporations Act, the Corporation’s governing statute, defers to the quorum requirements contained in an issuer’s By-laws.  Under the Company’s By-laws, a quorum for a meeting of the Company’s shareholders is two persons present in person, each being a shareholder entitled to vote thereat or a duly appointed proxyholder or representative for a shareholder so entitled.

 

REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT

 

The Registrar and Transfer Agent for the common shares in Canada is Computershare Investor Services Inc., 510 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, and in the United States is Computershare Trust Company, N.A., 350 Indiana Street, Suite 800, Golden, Colorado.  These offices and the principal offices of Computershare Investor Services Inc. in the City of Toronto maintain the register of common shares and can effect transfers and make deliveries of certificates for common shares.

 

MATERIAL CONTRACTS

 

On March 6, 2007, we announced a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding securities of AirLink Communications, Inc. (“AirLink”), a privately held supplier of high value fixed, portable and mobile wireless data solutions for industrial and public safety applications located in Hayward, California. The acquisition was completed on May 25, 2007 for a purchase price of $31.0 million, including $12.0 million of cash consideration, subject to customary closing adjustments, and approximately 1.3 million shares of Sierra Wireless issued to the shareholders of AirLink.

 

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There are no other material contracts entered into outside of the Company’s ordinary course of business.

 

EXPERTS

 

KPMG LLP, independent chartered accountants, have audited our consolidated financial statements as at December 31, 2007 and 2006, and for each of the years in the three year period ended December 31, 2007 as set forth in their reports.  KPMG LLP has advised the Company that they are independent with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

Additional information relating to the Company:

 

(a)                                  may be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at ww.sec.gov;

 

(b)                                 including directors’ and officers’ remuneration and indebtedness, principal holders of the Company’s securities and securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans, is contained in the Company’s Information Circular for its most recent annual meeting of shareholders; and

 

(c)                                  is provided in the Company’s audited financial statements and management discussion and analysis for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 and is incorporated herein by reference and form an integral part of this Annual Information Form.

 

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