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Aventus Group
Annual Report 2010

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FY2010 Annual Report · Aventus Group
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Avanti Communications Group plc 
Avanti Communications Group plc 
Avanti Communications Group plc 
Avanti Communications Group plc 

74 Rivington Street
74 Rivington Street
74 Rivington Street
74 Rivington Street
London EC2A 3AY
London EC2A 3AY
London EC2A 3AY
London EC2A 3AY

Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1600
Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1600
Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1600
Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1600
www.avantiplc.com
www.avantiplc.com
www.avantiplc.com
www.avantiplc.com

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc
Annual Report & Accounts 2010
Annual Report & Accounts 2010
Annual Report & Accounts 2010
Annual Report & Accounts 2010

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AVN2561 AR10 COVER AW05.indd   1

01/12/2010   09:35

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We sell wholesale satellite 
broadband to service providers.

“For a young company to have two satellites fully fi nanced with 
no debt service payments for another two years gives me great 
comfort that we are in control of our own desti ny.”

Chairman
John Brackenbury CBE

 Chairman’s Statement, page 8

“The successful launch and the bringing into use of our 
spectrum undoubtedly creates the signifi cant value we 
have been projecti ng for many years.”

 Chief Executi ve’s Report, page 9

Chief Executi ve
David Williams

“In July 2010, the company announced a further placing of 
16.3 million shares at 430 pence yielding gross proceeds of 
£70 million… £54 million was used to repay the PIK bond the 
company raised in July 2007”

 Finance and Operati ng Review, page 12

Group Finance Director
Nigel Fox

 Highlights

 Business Profi le

 The Year in Review

    Chairman’s Statement

    Chief Executi ve’s Statement

    Finance and Operati ng Review

 Governance

    Board of Directors

    Employees

    Corporate Social Responsibility

    Directors’ Report 

    Corporate Governance Report

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 Financial Statements

    Independent Auditors’ Report

    Consolidated Income Statement

    Consolidated Statement of 
    Comprehensive Income

    Consolidated Statement of Financial Positi on

    Company Statement of Financial Positi on

    Statement of Cash Flows

    Statements of Changes in Equity 

    Notes to the Financial Statements

 Shareholder Informati on

    Noti ce of Annual General Meeti ng

    Form of Proxy

    Offi  cers and Professional Advisers

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Offi  cers and Professional Advisers

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Bankers
HSBC Bank Plc
70 Pall Mall
London
SW1Y 5EZ

Solicitors
Osborne Clark
2 Temple Black East
Temple Quay
Bristol
BS1 6EG

Registered Auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
1 Embankment Place
London 
WC2N 6RHT

Directors
F E J G Brackenbury CBE
Chairman

D J Williams
Chief Executi ve

D J Bestwick
Chief Technology Offi  cer

N A D Fox 
Group Finance Director

M J O’Connor
Chief Operati ng Offi  cer

D A Foster 
Non-Executi ve Director

W P Wyatt   
Non-Executi ve Director

C R Vos
Non-Executi ve Director

I C Taylor MBE
Non-Executi ve Director

Secretary
N A D Fox

Registered Offi  ce
74 Rivington Street
London
EC2A 3AY

Company Number
6133927

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01/12/2010   08:55

AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   61

01/12/2010   09:10
01/12/2010   09:35

 
 
 
 
 
Highlights

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

HYLAS 1
The successful launch of Avanti ’s fi rst Ka-band satellite, HYLAS 1,
on 26 November 2010 was a monumental achievement for 
Avanti . Commercial services will begin in early 2011. HYLAS 1 
will serve the European market with satellite broadband and 
high speed data services.

HYLAS 1, just 
before the launch

HYLAS 2
Announced in December 2009, HYLAS 2 is under constructi on 
in the USA. The Ka-band satellite is fully funded and on target 
for a Spring 2012 launch. HYLAS 2 will increase Avanti ’s Ka-band 
capacity in Europe and introduce new coverage in the Middle 
East and Africa.

HYLAS 3
Avanti  initi ated the design of its third Ka-band satellite, 
HYLAS 3, in July 2010. Avanti  aims to secure suffi  cient 
customer demand to secure effi  cient debt fi nancing before 
completi ng the procurement.

HYLAS 2
HYLAS 2, Avanti ’s second satellite, is 
being built by the Orbital Sciences 
Corporati on in the USA. HYLAS 2 will 
triple Avanti ’s satellite capacity and 
provide 24 Ka-band transponders across 
Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 
HYLAS 2 is capable of operati ng in both 
civil and government frequency bands 
and has already att racted signifi cant 
pre-launch interest.

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AVN2561 AR10 FRONT AW12.indd   1

01/12/2010   14:18

 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Assets

Infrastructure

Business Model

HYLAS 1 was the fi rst broadband satellite 
ever launched outside the USA and puts 
Ka-band capacity into Europe. HYLAS 2 is 
three ti mes larger and will put capacity 
into Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 
The HYLAS satellites are supported by a 
state-of-the-art dual redundant ground 
infrastructure, including Gateway Earth 
Stati ons (“GES”) in the UK, Germany, 
Cyprus and several other locati ons. 

Since 2007, Avanti  has refi ned its 
operati ng model by delivering satellite 
broadband to customers across Europe 
using leased satellite capacity. HYLAS 1, 
Avanti ’s fi rst Ka-band satellite, will replace 
that leased capacity reducing operati ng 
costs and improving the range of services 
to customers. 

Avanti  operates a Virtual Network 
Operator model. The design of its 
satellites, Gateway Earth Stati ons (“GES”), 
together with bespoke Avanti  proprietary 
soft ware means that Avanti ’s customers 
can access the Avanti  satellite network 
themselves to set up their own customers 
account, set service level agreements and 
characteristi cs and manage, shape and 
bill their own traffi  c. Thus they gain many 
of the benefi ts of behaving like network 
operators without the need to make any 
capital expenditures at all. 

Base stati on at Goonhilly, Cornwall

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AVN2561 AR10 FRONT AW12.indd   2

01/12/2010   14:18

 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

1 – Assets | 2 – Strategy | 3 – Achievement

Assets

Customers

Avanti  sells its managed satellite 
broadband services to telecommunicati ons 
companies who sell onto end-users. 
Avanti  has secured over 60 customers of 
its service at launch of HYLAS 1 serving 
government, enterprise and consumer 
end-users.

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AVN2561 AR10 FRONT AW12.indd   3

01/12/2010   14:18

 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Strategy

Mission

Markets

Future Satellites

Avanti  is at the forefront of the expansion 
of the UK space industry, which the UK 
government assessed will grow to be 
worth £30 billion per annum.  Avanti  
hopes to become the global leader in Ka-
band satellite communicati ons, launching 
up to 20 satellites over ti me.

Avanti  is working on the procurement 
of HYLAS 3 and other satellites. New 
satellites will be subject to strict 
fi nancing effi  ciency tests to minimise 
equity diluti on. 

Avanti  focuses on four core markets:

1.  Consumer broadband – Economic 
and geographical limitati ons mean 
that some 100 million households in 
Avanti ’s current coverage area cannot 
access good quality 2Mb broadband. 
Avanti ’s fi rst two satellites can only 
serve 1.3 million of these at peak.

2.  Enterprise networks – Businesses 

which demand ubiquity, resilience and 
security turn to satellite for bespoke 
internati onal networks. Avanti  supplies, 
amongst others, the World’s number 1 
in this sector, Hughes, which has a 50% 
market share.

3.  Insti tuti onal – Government 

organisati ons have an increasing 
demand for high capacity satellite 
services, especially for the management 
of batt lefi eld communicati ons.

4.  Cellular backhaul – The dramati c rise 
in data traffi  c across mobile phone 
networks leaves many operators in 
need of backhaul capacity especially in 
rural areas or emerging markets.

Base stati on at Goonhilly, Cornwall

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AVN2561 AR10 FRONT AW12.indd   4

01/12/2010   14:19

 
 
 
 
 
Strategy

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

1 – Assets | 2 – Strategy | 3 – Achievement

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AVN2561 AR10 FRONT AW12.indd   5

01/12/2010   14:19

 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

HYLAS 1, just before the launch

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01/12/2010   14:19

 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

1 – Assets | 2 – Strategy | 3 – Achievement

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AVN2561 AR10 FRONT AW12.indd   7

01/12/2010   15:48

 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

08

Chairman’s Statement

Avanti  now has two satellites fully funded, a 
very strong balance sheet with no debt service 
payments or cash fl ow covenants falling due unti l 
December 2012.

•  Successful launch of HYLAS 1

•  Valuable spectrum brought 

into use

•  High cost debt repaid in 
July 2010, balance sheet
now very strong

•  HYLAS 2 fully fi nanced and 
on schedule for launch in 
Spring 2012

•  Excellent progress with sales 

on both satellites

As the Chairman of a company in 
possession of an in-orbit satellite I have 
great pleasure in presenti ng Avanti  
Communicati ons Group plc’s results 
for the year ended 30 June 2010. The 
achievement of a start up company in 
launching a satellite is very rare. Avanti  
now has one satellite in-orbit and a 
second launching in a litt le over a year, a 
very strong balance sheet with no debt 
service payments or cash fl ow covenants 
falling due unti l December 2012, huge 
untapped markets and a quite thrilling 
opportunity to create a company of 
genuine scale.

During a busy year we completed the 
constructi on of our fi rst satellite and 
associated ground infrastructure and 
made strong progress in signing 
customers for its bandwidth around 
Europe. We also completed the 
fi nancing of HYLAS 2 which involved 
faciliti es provided by the US and French 
government’s Export Credit Agencies 
of £194 million. We have discovered 
very high early demand for the capacity 
in the Middle East and Africa. Equally 
important however was the repayment 
of our high yielding PIK bond which was 

completed aft er the year end following 
a £70 million equity fund raising. For a 
young company to have two satellites 
fully fi nanced with no debt service 
payments for another two years gives 
me great comfort that we are in control 
of our own desti ny and have everything 
we need over the next few years to 
create the strong cash fl ows we expect 
to generate for shareholders. 

I would like to pay tribute to my Chief 
Executive David Williams in leading our 
team and also to David Bestwick who 
has masterminded the construction of 
our satellites. I am also pleased that all 
of our employees have shares in the 
company and so have a full opportunity 
to enjoy the financial success which 
they play their part in creating.

John Brackenbury CBE
Chairman

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John Brackenbury CBE
Chairman   

Partnership
Avanti  has entered into a strategic 
partnership with Hughes Network 
Systems LLC for the supply of Ka-band 
earth stati on hubs and customer 
terminal equipment. Hughes hubs are 
installed in Avanti ’s Goonhilly and Lands 
End earth stati ons. Hughes is the global 
leader in Ka-band equipment and has 
consistently maintained a global 
market share of over 50%.

AVN2561 AR10 MIDDLE (1-2) AW19.indd   8

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Chief Executi ve’s Report

The market for our products is evidently strong 
and we are confi dent of achieving the target of 
selling out HYLAS 1 within three years.

David Williams
Chief Executi ve 

Customers
Avanti  signed a contract with BT to 
supply satellite broadband to rural 
customers in Cornwall. This is a perfect 
example of the ideal business model 
whereby Avanti  helps incumbent 
telecoms operators to solve problems 
at the edge of their network.

The HYLAS 1 satellite 
experienced delays in 
manufacture and launch but it 
is easy to underestimate the 
scale of effort which has gone 
into this success. It is one of 

the most advanced commercial 
satellites ever flown and 
involved a complex partnership 
with the European Space 
Agency as well as our suppliers 
Astrium and Arianespace.

Introducti on 
I am pleased to report results for 
the year which exceed expectati ons, 
but which are nonetheless relati vely 
immaterial in the context of the 
successful launch last week of HYLAS 1. 
The successful launch and the bringing 
into use of our spectrum undoubtedly 
creates the signifi cant value we have 
been projecti ng for many years. The 
market for our products is evidently 
strong and we are confi dent of achieving 
the target of selling out HYLAS 1 within 
three years. With good progress in 
fi nancing and building HYLAS 2 and the 
commencement of HYLAS 3, the business 
changed its scale very dramati cally 
during the year. 

Financial Review
Our result for the year produced 
lower turnover of £5.82m (2009: 
£8.04m) resulti ng from our decision 
to stop selling our interim service on 
rented satellite capacity. The service 
sold in 2006-9 on old fashioned Ku-
band television satellite capacity is 
comparati vely slow and expensive, 
and it makes a loss. It has however 
been invaluable in helping us to 
validate market assumpti ons and 
more importantly to develop and test 

in a live environment the control and 
management soft ware which will deliver 
high quality customer experience and 
enable us to maximise the yield of our 
HYLAS satellites. The customers on 
this system will be migrated to HYLAS 1 
in the next few months, and during 
2010 we decided that there was no 
merit in installing systems which would 
be replaced within a few months. The 
fi nancially unproducti ve nature of this 
acti vity is demonstrated in the gross 
profi t line which showed only a marginal 
reducti on to £2.68m (2009: £2.97m).

Naturally our costs increased during 
the year as recruitment ramped up to 
sell our bandwidth and also to manage 
three satellite projects instead of one. 
The increase in operati ng costs was 
off set by receivables in the form of 
contractual payments from suppliers 
resulti ng from certain manufacturing 
delays. Our currency exposures are all 
hedged so that there is no cash risk, 
but Accounti ng Standards oblige us 
to report the noti onal changes in 
value of hedging and again this year 
it can be seen that our hedging 
strategies protected us from losses, 
and this manifests itself in a profi t of 
£0.97 million (2009: £2.92 million). 

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Groundbreaking 
Mobile Trials
Avanti  Consulti ng has completed a 
project designing and trialling femtocell 
technology for use in mobile network 
connecti vity. Femtocells provide a 
strong indoor signal in mobile phone 
“blackspots” by routi ng voice and 
data traffi  c over a standard broadband 
connecti on. In this groundbreaking 
trial, codenamed Project Iron, Avanti  
demonstrated that satellite broadband 
can provide mobile coverage in areas 
where no terrestrial broadband access 
is available.

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

10

Chief Executi ve’s Report Conti nued

Procurement with HYLAS 2 has proceeded 
well. We passed the Criti cal Design Review in 
November 2010 and in the fi rst twelve months 
of the contract we have not lost a single day
of schedule.

Prudent fi nancial management and cost 
control therefore restricted the net loss 
for the year to £1.93 million (2009: profi t 
£1.05 million). 

During the year we raised £89 million 
in an equity placing to complement the 
Export Credit Agency debt faciliti es of 
£194 million which completes the full 
fi nancing of the constructi on, launch 
and operati on of HYLAS 2. The debt is at 
att racti ve interest rates of 5.7% and is 
drawn down during the period to launch 
then repayable over a seven year period 
from December 2012.

Post balance sheet we raised £70 million in 
an equity placing to refi nance an expensive 
PIK bond which had onerous covenants 
and pending interest and principal 
payments. Removing this debt gives Avanti  
two years in which to generate strong 
cash fl ows before we need to make debt 
payments so shareholders can draw great 
comfort from the stable long term fi nancial 
resilience of our company. 

Business Overview
Getti  ng our fi rst satellite into space 
and bringing our spectrum into use are 
events which in my opinion crystalise a 
huge amount of value, given the rapidly 
increasing demand for data worldwide. 
We are of the opinion that the World is 
beginning to see a data crunch where the 
demand for data transmission capacity 
will greatly outstrip supply across all 
market sectors and geographies, so any 
company in possession of long term 
rights to use large amounts of spectrum 
has a strong future. In parti cular, 
the transmission of video across all 
platf orms, and the emergence of cloud 
computi ng will fundamentally change 
consumers bandwidth requirements. 

In the enterprise sector, machine to 
machine communicati ons looks set to 
transform the way many businesses 
operate and we are seeing strong 
demand in telemetry, banking and retail 
for the movement of criti cal real ti me 
fi nancial and performance data. We 
believe we have a strong role to play 
in helping mobile phone companies to 
maximise the fl exibility and effi  ciency 
with which they can support network 
growth in rural areas. In the insti tuti onal 
market, the automati on of many 
operati ons, parti cularly in unmanned 
aerial vehicles creates a very signifi cant 
opportunity – it is apparent that in the 
sector Ka-band beginning to experience 
mainstream demand and we are 
confi dent of capitalising on this trend.

For the moment we are focussed on 
fi lling our fi rst two satellites quickly 
since this puts us in a positi on to off er 
cash returns to shareholders and 
effi  ciently fi nance more satellites. I 
expect the data crunch to give us 
opportunity and demand to fi nance 
many satellites in the next decade or so. 
We have enough spectrum available to 
launch perhaps 20 satellites. Whilst I am 
overwhelmingly convinced that the 
demand will be there, many 
shareholders may wish to maximise the 
value of their shares in the cash fl ows 
arising from HYLAS 1 and 2 and 
therefore would be reluctant to dilute 
ownership of those cash fl ows with 
speculati ve projects. I have therefore 
committ ed to provide signifi cant 
pre-sales on any new satellites which 
can be used to support effi  cient debt 
fi nancing. This is the case with HYLAS 3. 
We began the design project aft er the 
2009 year end and are working hard to 
produce an effi  cient fi nancing strategy.

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

11

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During the year we extended our 
customer base so that we have sold 
capacity to over sixty service providers 
in Europe. Given that each customer 
typically commits only to enough 
bandwidth to serve the business they 
can forecast in the short term, we 
expect them all to come back to us 
to buy more bandwidth to cope with 
growth. We would also expect to 
sign new customers whose cauti on 
prevented them from committi  ng prior 
to the launch of HYLAS 1.

Procurement with HYLAS 2 has 
proceeded well. We passed the Criti cal 
Design Review in November 2010 and in 
the fi rst twelve months of the contract 
we have not lost a single day of schedule, 
so we remain on target to launch this 
satellite in Spring 2012.

We supported our business during the 
development of the HYLAS satellites by 
selling an interim broadband service using 
rented capacity on an old style television 
satellite. We stopped acti vely selling our 
interim service over a year ago, since it is 
not possible to sell a profi table broadband 
service on Ku-band satellites. However, 
that acti vity served several purposes in a) 
validati ng business model assumpti ons 
and b) giving us a live customer base for 
which to develop the customer service 
soft ware which will be used to manage 
and enhance HYLAS performance.

Outlook 
HYLAS 1 is one of the most advanced 
commercial satellites ever fl own and 
involved a complex partnership with 
the European Space Agency as well as 
our suppliers Astrium and Arianespace. 
It is humbling to know that over 1,000 
engineers have been involved in bringing 
this satellite to life. At Avanti  we have a 
very long term view of our business and 

I believe we have created some enduring 
business partnerships which will help 
to sustain long term growth, and I 
am grateful for the support of all our 
suppliers and partners.

Before we begin to put customer traffi  c 
onto HYLAS 1 aft er Christmas, we will 
be working to enhance the revenue 
generati ng potenti al of the satellite. 
As a result of certain extra acti viti es 
during manufacture HYLAS 1 has higher 
performance than the original design 
provided for, and enables us to off er 
certain new services, especially to 
insti tuti onal markets. We will analyse 
the precise performance characteristi cs 
of the satellite in these and other 
operati ng modes, along with certain 
customers, in order that we are 
best able to maximise the revenue 
generati ng potenti al of the satellite 
through its lifeti me.

Looking forward, the key milestones for 
us now relate to the successful sale of 
our capacity on HYLAS 1 and HYLAS 2, the 
launch and sale of HYLAS 2 capacity and 
the project fi nancing of further satellites. 
We have set prudent expectati ons for sale 
of capacity, with our fi nancing based on 
three year fi ll for HYLAS 1 and 5 years for 
HYLAS 2. It appears that the markets are 
more than strong enough to achieve this 
many ti mes over and I hope that we can 
fi ll our satellites very quickly and then 
fi nance growth in capacity on the back of 
success. The successful launch of HYLAS 1 
is the fi rst major step for us in creati ng a 
business which I hope will lead the World 
in Ka-band satellite communicati ons.

David Williams
Chief Executi ve

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

12

Finance and Operati ng Review

In December 2009, the Company announced 
that it had agreed debt fi nancing for HYLAS 2 
with US EXIM bank and COFACE.

By 31 July 2010, following the approved equity placing
and the repayment of the PIK, shareholder equity stood 
at £220 million with no debt outstanding.

Nigel Fox
Group Finance Director 

Basis of reporti ng
The Group fi nancial statements in 
this report have been prepared in 
accordance with Internati onal Financial 
Reporti ng Standards (IFRS) and the 
associated Internati onal Financial 
Reporti ng Interpretati on Council (IFRIC) 
interpretati ons each as adopted for use 
in the EU. 

We have implemented the following 
standards in these fi nancial statements:

•  The Group has adopted IFRS 8, 

‘Operati ng Segments’. IFRS 8 requires 
operati ng segments to be identi fi ed 
on the basis of internal reports 
about components of the Group 
that are regularly reviewed by the 
Chief Operati ng Decision Maker (the 

Avanti  Executi ve Board) to allocate 
resources and assess performance. 
All resources are allocated on the 
basis of satellite services. As a result, 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc 
are disclosing one segment being 
satellite services.

•  IAS 23 Borrowing costs (revised) – the 
Group early adopted IAS 23(R) as of 
1 July 2007.

•  The Group has adopted IAS 1 

(revised) Presentati on of Financial 
Statements. The amendment 
aff ects the presentati on of owner 
changes in equity and introduces 
a ‘’Statement of Comprehensive 
Income’’. The Group has elected 
to present a single statement of 

performance, being the Statement of 
Comprehensive Income.

•   The amendment to IFRS 2 relates to 
vesti ng conditi ons and cancellati ons 
for share opti ons. No restatement 
of prior period informati on has 
been necessary as a consequence of 
adopti ng this standard.

•   Amendments to IFRS 7: Financial 

instruments has been adopted which 
gives enhanced disclosures about 
fair value measurements of fi nancial 
instruments and over liquidity risk. 
Since the amendment only impacts 
presentati on and disclosure aspects, 
there is no impact on the Group’s 
results or net assets.

Loss from operati ons before taxati on 

Depreciati on and other non-cash movements

Change in working capital and provisions

Net capital expenditure

Operati ng cashfl ow

Net interest received/fi nancing exchange gains

Free cashfl ows

Movements in funding

Increase/(decrease)in net funds

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009 
£’000

(2,436)

915

3,804

(108,803)

(106,520)

(512)

(107,032)

116,598

9,566

(1,386)

337

(10,297)

(2,850)

(14,196)

3,381

(10,815)

189

(10,626)

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

The July 2010 placing facilitated the 
repayment of the PIK bond.

Accounti ng policies
The Group has reviewed its accounti ng 
policies in accordance with IAS 8 
‘Accounti ng Policies, Changes in 
Accounti ng Esti mates and Errors’ and 
determined that they are appropriate for 
the Group.

Operati ng performance
As we approached the launch of 
HYLAS 1 we restricted the number of 
new customers we installed on our 
rented capacity. As a result there was a 
planned fall in revenue to £5.8 million 
(2009: £8.0 million). Gross margins 
on our rented capacity remained at 
acceptable levels and yielded a gross 
profi t of £2.7 million.

Overheads, which are mainly salary 
related, increased by 23% over the prior 
period to £8.7 million (£7.1 million). These 
overheads are in line with planned levels 
as we gear up for the launch.

Other operati ng income
The Company conti nued to receive 
liquidated damages from Astrium for 
the late delivery of HYLAS. The receipt 
of these damages was concluded in 
November 2009, however the benefi t 
is recognised through the income 
statement in line with the additi onal 
costs associated with the delay.

An exchange gain of £426,000 (2009: 
£1,355,000 gain) arising from revaluati on 
of working capital was also recognised 
during the period.

Taxati on
The Group tax credit was £24,000 (2009: 
£752,000 charge). The rate was negati vely 
aff ected by the anti cipated fall in the UK 
corporati on tax rate from 28% to 24%, 
which has aff ected the brought forward 
deferred tax asset values.

The Group currently generates all its 
taxable results in the UK. Note 8 to the 
fi nancial statements provide details of 
the tax charge.

Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share fell to a 
loss of 3.68 pence per share (2009: 
3.78 pence earnings per share). The 
earnings in 2009 were materially 
affected by foreign exchange gains. 
Note 9 to the financial statements 
provides details of these calculations.

Financing and treasury
In December 2009, the Company 
announced that it had agreed debt 
fi nancing for HYLAS 2 with US EXIM 
bank and COFACE. This debt totalled 
£194 million which included a drawdown 
period through to June 2012, during 
which the interest during constructi on 
would be capitalised. Thereaft er the debt 
is repaid over a maximum of 7 years, 
giving an eff ecti ve interest rate of 5.7%. 
As at the balance sheet date none of 
this debt has been drawn. In conjuncti on 
with this debt, the Company raised in 
January 2010 and additi onal £86 million 
of equity via a placing of 21.5 million shares 
at 400p to complete the fi nancing of HYLAS 
2. A further 750,000 was subsequently 
placed with a major shareholder at the 
same 400p price.

In July 2010, the Company announced 
a further placing of 16.3 million 
shares at 430 pence yielding gross 
proceeds £70 million. These proceeds 
were received in early July 2010. 
£53.6 million was used to repay the 
PIK bond the Company raised in July 
2007, which had begun to prove 
restrictive and expensive. The 
balance of the funds are to be 
used in relation to two projects. 

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

14

Finance and Operati ng Review Conti nued

Net cash received from fi nancing of 
£117 million was enti rely uti lised on 
payments for fi xed assets.

Firstly, early stage development of 
satellite 3, and secondly to facilitate the 
re-domicile of the HYLAS 2 assets to 
Cyprus. HYLAS 2 covers Eastern Europe, 
Middle East, East and Southern Africa. 
Cyprus, therefore represents an ideal 
base from which to run this business 
when we also plan to put one of our 
main Ground Stati ons into the same 
country. As a secondary consequence 
of this move, profi ts arising from the 
HYLAS 2 business will be taxed in 
Cyprus at the prevailing rates, currently 
10%. The Cypriot companies were 
incorporated in July 2010.

The Group has signifi cant US dollar 
and Euro currency exposures. 
The Group’s policy is to hedge all 
currency transacti on exposures at the 
ti me of entering into a contractual 
commitment. To date the Euro 
receivables have formed a natural 
hedge against Euro payables to Astrium 
for HYLAS. US dollar payables have 
been hedged using opti ons and forward 
contracts. The Group has chosen not 
to adopt hedge accounti ng during the 
current or previous year.

The HYLAS 2 companies having raised 
debt in US dollars, purchasing assets 
predominantly in US dollars, and 
anti cipati ng in excess of 50% of their 
revenues to arise in US dollars have a 
functi onal currency of US dollars. This 
will protect the income statement from 
any material changes in the US dollar to 
sterling exchange rate.

Balance sheet
At the balance sheet date, shareholder 
equity was £152.2 million (2009: £64.5 
million). By 31 July 2010, following 
the approved equity placing and the 
repayment of the PIK, shareholder 
equity stood at £220 million with no 
debt outstanding.

Fixed assets increased during the year 
to £170.2 million from £51.5 million. 
The vast majority of the additi ons 
are in relati on to the satellites under 
constructi on and further details are 
given in note 11 on page 41.

Current assets excluding cash fell from 
£46.4 million to £17.9 million which 
is accounted for by the receipt of the 
unpaid share capital at June 2009, 
received in July 2009.

As noted above the long term loan 
shown on the balance sheet and 
disclosed in note 21 on page 46 was 
repaid for £53.6 million. In additi on 
to the accrued interest, the diff erence 
is represented by an early repayment 
penalty of £2.3 million.

Cash fl ow
Net cash increased by £9.6 million. 
Net cash received from financing of 
£116.6 million was entirely utilised 
on payments for fixed assets. The 
net increase in funds therefore arose 
from reduced working capital, interest 
income offset by a cash outflow of 
£1.5 million from operating activities.

Environmental factors
The acti viti es of Avanti  are judged 
to have a low environmental impact 
and are not expected to give rise to 
any signifi cant inherent environmental 
risks over the next twelve months. 
Avanti ’s HYLAS satellites will have their 
transmissions powered by solar power. 
They therefore produce lower carbon 
emissions per customer than other 
forms of terrestrial telecommunicati ons.

Principal risks and uncertainti es
HYLAS 1 has now been successfully 
launched and the debt fi nance on 
HYLAS 1 repaid. 

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

15

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macro-economics may aff ect exchange 
rates, debt market prices, credit risks, 
liquidity risks and interest rates.

We conti nue to carry a receivable of 
$7.6 million, under “other receivables” 
which was fi rst recognised in June 
2009. This amount is due from Space 
Explorati ons Inc (“SpaceX”), who 
Avanti  originally contracted to launch 
HYLAS 1 on their Falcon 9 launch vehicle. 
However, as SpaceX had failed to 
generate the required launch heritage 
Avanti  cancelled the launch services, as 
provided within the contract, and the 
monies previously paid were due to be 
refunded. SpaceX have failed to make 
the required refund and we took the 
dispute to arbitrati on in New York. The 
arbitrators are due to give their binding 
ruling in the early New Year. The directors 
are confi dent that the monies will be 
recovered and no provision is necessary. 

Criti cal accounti ng policies
Details of our critical accounting 
policies are in Note 1 to the 
consolidated Annual Report. 

Nigel Fox
Group Finance Director

HYLAS 1 is currently undergoing in-orbit 
acceptance. Any failure of the satellite 
during the fi rst year of operati ons is 
covered by the launch insurance policy. 
Thereaft er we will take out an annual in-
orbit policy that will cover issues of failure.

The demand for Ka-band services is 
now well established. The predicted 
market for HYLAS 1 consumer 
broadband services over the regions 
which it can cover is 100 million 
households and SME’s. HYLAS 1 is the 
first Ka-band satellite to be deployed 
over Europe and can serve just 350,000 
end users. In addition, business in 
Enterprise, Cellular Backhaul and 
Institutional markets can have a 
transformational impact on the speed 
of saturation. We therefore anticipate 
that the risk of failing to sell the 
capacity is very small.

Whilst pricing is dynamic we do not 
anti cipate price pressure. As stated 
above the market is huge and supply 
is extremely restricted. Even with 
competi ti on, the market will remain 
largely unserved and as such normal 
supply and demand economics suggests 
that prices will not fall. The satellite 
industry has experience consistently 
rising prices for many years.

HYLAS 2 is due for launch in the second 
quarter of 2012. The satellite is fully 
funded and the risks are therefore similar 
to HYLAS 1. In additi on, given that we 
are 18 months from launch there is a 
supplementary risk of delay. Delay could 
adversely aff ect our revenues, profi tability 
and liquidity. The satellite is sti ll on track 
for the due launch date.

The global economic environment 
remains fl uid. Whilst we do not expect 
this to aff ect demand for our services, 

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

16

Board of Directors

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John Brackenbury CBE* + •
Chairman
John was founder Chairman of Pubmaster 
which was sold in 2003 to Punch Taverns.  
He is a leading industrialist with over 40 
years experience in the drinks and leisure 
sector. He is also President of Business 
in Sport and Leisure Limited, Trustee 
and Director of Springboard UK, Trustee 
and Director of Bradfi eld Foundati on, 
Trustee and Director of GamCare. John 
is the founder Chairman and Chairman 
of the Nominati ons Committ ee of Avanti  
Communicati ons Group plc.

David Williams 
Chief Executi ve
David is a co–founder of the 
Company. Prior to this he spent ten 
years working in the City fi nancing 
telecommunicati ons projects.

David Bestwick
Chief Technology Offi  cer
David is a co-founder of the Company. 
David graduated from the University of 
Leicester in 1987 with a BSc in Physics 
with Astrophysics. Following three years 
at Marconi Research Centre (MRC), he 
joined VEGA Group PLC in 1990 where 
he worked on a wide range of satellite 
applicati ons projects.

Nigel Fox 
Finance Director and Secretary
Nigel is a Chartered Accountant and has 
held various senior fi nance roles before 
joining Avanti  Communicati ons in 2007, 
including Chief Financial Offi  cer of Climax 
Group; Group Financial Controller at 
ARC Internati onal; Finance Director of 
Ruberoid Building Products, and Group 
Financial Controller of Ruberoid Plc.

Matt  hew O’Connor
Chief Operati ng Offi  cer
Matt hew joined Avanti  in 2005 having 
worked in the telecommunicati ons 
industry for 20 years initi ally for BT where 
he held a number of sales and marketi ng 
roles within the UK and Internati onal 
Divisions. He joined Telewest in 1996 as 
a Director of its Business Division, where 
he was part of the team that grew the 
business from a £30m regional business 
to a £300m turnover nati onal operati on 
in 6 years. He went on to be Managing 
Director of the Wholesale Division with 
customers that included T-Mobile, 3, 
Cable and Wireless, NTL, and many 
telecoms re-sellers.

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

William Wyatt  * + •
Non-Executi ve
Will is Chief Executi ve Offi  cer of 
Caledonia Investments plc. He is also a 
Non-Executi ve Director on the boards 
of Bristow Group Inc, Cobepa, Melrose 
Resources plc, REI plc, TGE Marine AG, 
and Terrace Hill plc.

Alan Foster+ •
Non-Executi ve
Alan was a senior partner of de Zoete 
& Bevan for over twenty years and, on 
the creati on of BZW Asset Management, 
he was appointed Deputy Chairman. This 
company was the forerunner of Barclays 
Global Investors. Alan is the Chairman of 
the Remunerati on Committ ee of Avanti  
Communicati ons Group plc.

Richard Vos*
Non-Executi ve
Richard is a telecommunicati ons and 
satellite professional, with internati onal 
experience, gained over 40 years working 
in the industry. His previous positi ons 
included Chairman of SatCom Group 
Holdings plc, Inmedia Communicati ons 
Ltd. and of Inmarsat Ventures PLC, and 
Head of Satellite Investments for Briti sh 
Telecommunicati ons plc (BT), serving 
as Governor for the UK and Ireland on 
the Board of INTELSAT and as Chairman 
of the Board. Richard is the Chairman 
of the Audit Committ ee of Avanti  
Communicati ons Group plc.

Ian Taylor 
Non-Executi ve
Ian Taylor was a Member of the UK 
Parliament for 23 years unti l deciding to 
stand down ahead of the 2010 General 
Electi on. Ian was Minister for Science 
and Technology at the Department of 
Trade and Industry during 1994 - 1997 
in a Conservati ve Government. He 
subsequently chaired the all-Party 
Parliamentary and Scienti fi c Committ ee 
which includes the Parliamentary 
Engineering Group. Prior to entering 
Parliament, Ian had 18 years experience 
of providing corporate fi nance and 
management advice to companies in the 
UK, France and USA.

* Audit committ  ee
+ Remunerati on committ  ee
• Nominati ons committ  ee

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

18

Employees

Drawing experti se from across the globe.

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26 Countries represented

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

20

Corporate Social Responsibility

SOS Children is very glad to have partnered 
with Avanti  Communicati ons for the last 2 years. 
The company’s support of our work is both 
committ  ed and wide-ranging.

SOS Children’s Villages
Ennerdale, South Africa
This village was the fi rst to be built in South Africa, in 1984, 
30km south of Johannesburg. Today it is home to over 150 
children in its 15 family homes, as well as a house for reti red 
SOS mothers who act as grandmothers for the children. 

The adjoining SOS Kindergarten has a capacity to take in 
up to 100 children and the SOS Social Centre, which was 
opened in 2000, houses a clinic, a day-care centre and an HIV/
AIDS community-based child care and support programme. 
The clinic off ers treatment to up to 2,000 pati ents a year 
and the day-care centre has a capacity to take in up to 40 
children between ages 0-3. HIV/AIDS aff ected families receive 
materials, medical support, educati on and counselling and 
are supported with income generati ng acti viti es. Moreover, 
HIV/AIDS awareness and preventi on campaigns are organised.

Avanti  has contributed €3,087 in 2010.

Medlanky, Czech Republic
Within the village there are:

9 family houses for 59 children – a village director’s house 
with fl ats for co-workers – a community building which 
includes rooms for SOS aunts who support the SOS mothers 
and take care of children when the mothers have a day off  
– an acti vity house for workshops for children – a multi -
purpose building with rooms for the psychologist and 
pedagogue – a recently added playground.

The tenth family house is currently being used as an SOS 
Youth Facility for the youngsters from SOS Children’s Village 
Chvalcov, who can stay there during their vocati onal training 
or higher educati on and prepare for an independent life.

Avanti  contributed €3,906 at the beginning 
of 2010.

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Not just a rocket scienti st…

Lucy Edge, Avanti  Space System Manager, combines her 
internati onal role as a key member of our satellite design, 
build and operati ons team with her passion for triathlon. 
With Astrophysics MPhys and Space Engineering MSc under 
her belt, she found that the Space industry would be both 
interesti ng and more than ‘just a job’. 

Lucy fi nds that, to balance the training with the demands of 
her job, that sport helps her to decompress and gives her 
precious thinking ti me before work. With the launch of HYLAS 1 
and the rapid progress of HYLAS 2, she’s made training 
compromises but performed bett er in races. 

“To perform well at anything, you need to 
sleep and eat well – training reminds me
to do that and keeps me well for work.”

Avanti  is proud to sponsor Lucy, 
a member of Team Great Britain.

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

22

Directors’ Report 

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The directors have pleasure in submitti  ng their annual report together with the audited fi nancial statements for the year ended 30 June 2010.

Principal acti viti es and review of the business
The principal acti vity of the Company is the provision of satellite communicati on services. The services are principally provided 
via Ka-band satellite.

Business review and key performance indicators (“KPI’s”)
The Directors are required by the Companies Act to present a business review, reporti ng on the development and performance of 
the Group and the Company during the year and their positi ons at the end of the year. The informati on that fulfi ls the requirements 
of the business review including likely future developments, can be found in the Chief Executi ve’s report on pages 9 to 11, the 
Finance and Operati ng review on pages 12 to 15 and the Corporate Social responsibility report on pages 20 to 21, which are 
incorporated in this report by reference. As the company is sti ll the early stages of its strategy with a focus on the future, we do not 
currently have a focus on traditi onal KPI’s. Instead our business model is focussed on the launch of the satellite and subsequent 
capacity sales. In the Chief Executi ve’s report and Finance and Operati ng Review, we have highlighted key fi nancial stati sti cs such as 
revenue and operati ng profi t, however given the nature of the business at the current ti me, we do not consider them to be KPI’s. 

The Corporate Governance report on page 26 falls within the scope of this Directors’ report.

Results and dividends
The results for the year ended 30 June 2010 are shown on page 28. No equity dividend was paid in the year ended 30 June 2010 
(2009: £nil). No fi nal dividend is proposed at the year-end (2009: £nil). The loss for the year transferred to reserves was £1,932,000 
(2009: profi t of £1,049,000).

Financial instruments
A discussion of the Group’s fi nancial risk management objecti ves and policies and the exposure of the group to interest rate, 
foreign exchange, credit and liquidity risk is included in Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Further discussion is also 
included in the Finance and Treasury secti on of the Finance and Operati ng Review on page 13.

Research and development
The Group conti nues to invest in new services and technology through its research and development programs which can lead to 
profi table exploitati on of Avanti ’s satellite capacity. These include pure research into new products as well as developing those 
services which have been demonstrated to have a profi table business case.

Post balance sheet events
Details of material post balance sheet events are included in Note 31 to the consolidated fi nancial statements.

Directors
The directors who served during the year were as follows:

F E J G Brackenbury CBE 

D J Williams

D J Bestwick 

M J O’Connor 

C R Vos 

I C Taylor MBE

N A D Fox

D A Foster

W P Wyatt 

Directors’ emoluments
The remunerati on of the directors including the highest paid director and Chairman was as follows:

For the year ended 30 June 2010

Salaries and other short 
term employee benefi ts
£

Post employment benefi ts
£

Executi ve

D J Williams

D J Bestwick

N A D Fox

M J O'Connor

Total executi ve

151,047

85,082

158,867

138,218

533,214

103,745

78,841

7,020

6,792

196,398

Total 2010
£

254,792

163,923

165,887

145,010

729,612

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Non-executi ve

F E J G Brackenbury CBE

D A Foster

W P Wyatt 

I C Taylor MBE

C R Vos

Total non-executi ve

For the year ended 30 June 2009

Executi ve

D J Williams

D J Bestwick

N A D Fox

M J O'Connor

Total executi ve

Non-executi ve

F E J G Brackenbury CBE

D A Foster

W P Wyatt 

I C Taylor MBE

C R Vos

Total non-executi ve

Salaries and other short 
term employee benefi ts
£

Post employment benefi ts
£

60,000

25,000

25,000

25,000

25,000

160,000

–

–

–

–

–

–

Salaries and other short 
term employee benefi ts
£

Post employment benefi ts
£

236,128

151,887

140,400

52,433

580,848

60,000

25,000

25,000

25,000

25,000

160,000

19,832

13,928

7,020

2,622

43,402

–

–

–

–

–

–

Total 2010
£

60,000

25,000

25,000

25,000

25,000

160,000

Total 2009

£

255,960

165,814

147,420

55,055

624,249

60,000

25,000

25,000

25,000

25,000

160,000

Directors’ Long Term Incenti ve Plans

Original allocati ons:

D J Williams

D J Bestwick

N A D Fox

M J O'Connor

Total

Core

565,480

350,741

137,501

139,238

1,192,960

Excepti onal

Extraordinary

Total 2010/2009

350,741

209,384

50,000

69,445

679,570

279,884

279,884

50,000

69,445

679,213

1,196,105

840,009

237,501

278,128

2,551,743

The Long Term Incenti ve Plan (LTIP) has been established by the Company with approval from the Remunerati on Committ ee to 
reward and incenti vise the Executi ve Directors and senior managers of the Company.

The LTIP allocati ons are in separate sub funds within the EBT and are subject to a discreti onary Trust. The shares are subject to 
automati c revocati on if certain criteria (set out below) are not met and conti nue to be revocable for the enti re Trust period.

One additi onal grant was made during the year to a senior manager of 250,000 opti ons split across the three categories. The 
exercise criteria of this grant is consistent with the criteria of the existi ng LTIP scheme.

The allocati ons into the LTIP vary for each executi ve. The total allocati on to each executi ve is split into three separate tranches:

i) The core tranche
This element of the grant becomes exercisable in 7 equal instalments. The fi rst instalment was exercisable on grant and the second 
on 30 June 2008. The remaining 5 are yearly thereaft er. 4/7ths of this core grant is now exercisable.

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

24

Directors’ Report Conti nued

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ii) The excepti onal achievement tranche
This element of the grant was amended during the year. Originally, these opti ons were only exercisable if the average market value 
of the share exceeded £5 for a consecuti ve period of six months prior to 30 June 2010. Given the unprecedented market conditi ons 
over the previous year, the remunerati on committ ee considered that whilst the executi ves had performed well and that the share 
price had outperformed the FTSE 100 and AIM all share index since the LTIPs were granted, the target set in the LTIP rules may sti ll 
not be achieved.

In May 2010 the remunerati on committ ee agreed to extend the target date to 31 December 2010 and that the six month average 
target price should be increased £5.50.

iii) The extraordinary achievement tranche
This element of the grant is only exercisable if the Market Value of a Share exceeds £10 for a consecuti ve period of six months 
before 30 June 2013.

Non-executi ve directors’ unapproved plans

F E J G Brackenbury CBE

D A Foster

C R Vos

Total

Total 2010/2009

62,863

15,000

15,000

92,863

The unapproved scheme was established during 2007. The opti ons are issued for 10 years with 25% vesti ng at the end of years 3, 
4, 5 and 6. There are no performance criteria associated with these opti ons and they are exercisable as long as the opti on holder 
remains with the Company.

Directors’ share interests
The following Directors held interests in the share capital of the Company:

D J Williams

D J Bestwick

N A D Fox

M O’Connor

F E J G Brackenbury CBE

D A Foster

W P Wyatt 

I C Taylor MBE

C R Vos

Fully paid Ordinary Shares of 1p each

30 June 2010

30 June 2009

1,543,905

1,102,264

89,897

144,564

442,891

359,639

11,200

6,300

6,030

1,541,655

1,051,158

70,254

124,673

426,891

339,639

11,200

6,300

6,030

At 29 October, the Company had been noti fi ed, pursuant to the Financial Services Authority’s Disclosure & Transparency Rules, of 
the following noti fi able voti ng rights in the Company’s issued ordinary share capital.

M&G Investment Management Ltd

Caledonia Investments plc

Directors & Related and EBT

AEGON Asset Management UK plc

Capital Research Global Investors

London

London

–

Edinburgh

Los Angeles

12,507,850

11,636,965

7,351,939

3,843,800

3,488,372

14.72%

13.70%

8.65%

4.52%

4.11%

In additi on, 2.1 million shares are held under LTIP. Dividend and voti ng rights have been waived.

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Policy and practi ce on payment of creditors
The Group’s policy and practi ce on payment of creditors is:

• 

• 

• 

 To pay all suppliers within the ti me limit agreed at the start of business with that supplier;

To ensure that suppliers are aware of the terms of payment; and

To pay in accordance with the contractual and other legal obligati ons whenever it is sati sfi ed that 
the supplier has provided goods and services in accordance with the agreed terms and conditi ons.

At 30 June 2010, the Company did not have any trade creditors (2009: nil).

Politi cal and charitable donati ons
During the year the Group made a politi cal donati on to the Conservati ve party of £5,000. In additi on the Avanti  staff  made 
charitable donati ons to SOS Children of €6,993 as detailed on page 20.

Directors’ and Offi  cers’ liability insurance
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc maintains appropriate insurance to cover Directors’ and Offi  cers’ liability for itself and its 
subsidiaries. At the date upon this report was approved and for the year to 30 June 2010, the Company provided an indemnity in 
respect of all of the Company’s Directors.

Directors’ responsibiliti es
The directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the fi nancial statements in accordance with applicable law 
and regulati ons.

Company law requires the directors to prepare fi nancial statements for each fi nancial year. Under that law the directors have elected 
to prepare the group and parent company fi nancial statements in accordance with Internati onal Financial Reporti ng Standards (IFRSs) 
as adopted by the European Union. In preparing these fi nancial statements, the directors have also elected to comply with IFRSs, 
issued by the Internati onal Accounti ng Standards Board (IASB). Under company law the directors must not approve the fi nancial 
statements unless they are sati sfi ed that they give a true and fair view of the state of aff airs of the group and the company and of the 
profi t or loss of the group for that period. In preparing these fi nancial statements, the directors are required to:

• 

 select suitable accounti ng policies and then apply them consistently;

•  make judgements and accounti ng esti mates that are reasonable and prudent;

• 

• 

state whether applicable IFRSs as adopted by the European Union and IFRSs issued by IASB have been followed, subject to any 
material departures disclosed and explained in the fi nancial statements;

prepare the fi nancial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will 
conti nue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounti ng records that are suffi  cient to show and explain the company’s 
transacti ons and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any ti me the fi nancial positi on of the company and the group and enable 
them to ensure that the fi nancial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding 
the assets of the company and the group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the preventi on and detecti on of fraud and 
other irregulariti es.

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the company’s website. Legislati on in the United Kingdom 
governing the preparati on and disseminati on of fi nancial statements may diff er from legislati on in other jurisdicti ons.

In the case of each director in offi  ce at the date the directors’ report is approved:

a) 

so far as the directors are aware, there is no relevant audit informati on of which the company’s auditors are unaware; and

b) 

they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as directors in order to make themselves aware of any relevant 
audit informati on and to establish that the company’s auditors are aware of that informati on.

Approved by the Board of Directors and signed on behalf of the Board.

Nigel Fox
Secretary and Group Finance Director
London
30 November 2010

25

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AVN2561 AR10 MIDDLE (2-2) AW15.indd   25

01/12/2010   14:21

 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

26

Corporate Governance Report

The Group is quoted on AIM. Although the rules of AIM do 
not require the Company to comply with the Combined Code 
2006 on Corporate Governance (‘the Code’) the Company fully 
supports the principles set out in the Code and will seek to 
comply wherever practi cal, given both the size and resources 
available to the Company. Details are provided below of how 
the Company applies those parts of the Code which it believes 
to be appropriate.

The board
The Company has appointed non-executive directors to 
bring an independent view to the board and to provide a 
balance to the executive directors. The board of directors 
comprises four executive directors and five non-executive 
directors one of whom is the chairman. Despite the fact that 
some of the non-executive directors have share options, the 
board considers that each of the non-executive directors is 
independent. The board meets at least six times per year 
and receives a board pack comprising individual reports 
from each of the executive directors and members of the 
senior management team, together with any other material 
deemed necessary for the board to discharge its duties. 
The board has responsibility for formulating, reviewing and 
approving the Group’s strategy, budgets, major items of 
expenditure and acquisitions.

Board committ  ees
The Board has established three committ ees: audit, 
remunerati on and nominati ons, all having writt en terms 
of delegated responsibiliti es. Each is chaired by a diff erent 
non-executi ve director. A copy of each committ ee’s terms 
of reference can be found at the Avanti  website: 
www.avanti plc.com

Audit committ  ee
The audit committ ee consists of R Vos, W Wyatt , and 
J Brackenbury and is chaired by R Vos. It meets at least twice 
a year and is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate 
fi nancial reporti ng procedures are properly maintained and 
reported on and for meeti ng the auditors and reviewing their 
reports relati ng to the Group’s accounts and internal control 
systems. The committ ee also receives all internal operati onal 
review reports. 

Remunerati on committ  ee
The remunerati on committ ee consists of A Foster, J Brackenbury, 
and W Wyatt  and is chaired by A Foster. It meets at least twice 
a year and is responsible for reviewing the performance of 
the executi ve directors and other senior executi ves and for 
determining appropriate levels of remunerati on.

Nominati ons committ  ee
The nominati ons committ ee consists of W Wyatt , J Brackenbury 
and A Foster and is chaired by J Brackenbury. It meets as and 
when necessary and is responsible for nominati ng candidates 
for appointment as Directors to the Board, bearing in mind the 
need for a broad representati on of skills across the Board.

Shareholder relati ons
The Company meets with insti tuti onal shareholders and 
analysts as appropriate and uses its website to encourage 
communicati on with private, existi ng and prospecti ve 
shareholders. Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc welcomes 
feedback from investors about its published reports and 
website. Please address your feedback to our investor 
relati ons team at Redleaf Communicati ons Limited by email 
info@redleafpr.com or in writi ng to Redleaf Communicati ons 
Limited, 9-13 St Andrews Street, London EC4A 3AF.

Internal control and risk management
The Group operates a system of internal control and conti nues 
to develop and review that system in accordance with the 
guidance published by the Insti tute of Chartered Accountants 
in England and Wales. The internal control system is designed 
to manage rather than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve 
business objecti ves. The board is responsible for the system 
of internal control and for reviewing its eff ecti veness. It can 
only provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance against 
material misstatement or loss.

 The board operates a formal process of risk assessment and 
reporti ng. Each major business unit carries out formal risk 
assessments annually and regularly updates those during the 
year. Reports on the assessments and related miti gati on acti ons 
of all signifi cant risks are provided to the board.

The Group does not have an internal audit functi on due to 
the small size of the Company’s administrati ve functi on, the 
high level of director review and authorisati on of transacti ons. 
However, the Company undertakes a programme of operati onal 
reviews designed to visit all major businesses on a regular basis. 
The fi nance director is responsible for that programme and its 
reporti ng to the audit committ ee. The board recognises that an 
essenti al part of its responsibility is the eff ecti ve safeguarding 
of assets, the proper recogniti on of liabiliti es and the accurate 
reporti ng of results. The Group has a comprehensive system for 
regular reporti ng to the board. This includes an annual planning 
and budgeti ng system with budgets approved by the board.

The fi nancial reporti ng system compares against budget and 
prior year and reconsiders its fi nancial year forecast on a monthly 
basis. The board has established a formal policy of authorisati on 
setti  ng out matt ers which require its expressed approval and 
certain authoriti es delegated to the executi ve directors. 

In compliance with AIM rules the Company has established a policy 
and share dealing code relati ng to dealing in the Company’s shares 
by directors, employees and connected persons.

The Company maintains appropriate insurance cover in 
respect of legal acti ons against directors as well as against 
material loss or claims against the Group, and reviews the 
adequacy of cover regularly.

There were no noti fi able environmental impacts at any Avanti  
Communicati ons Group site during the fi nancial year.

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AVN2561 AR10 MIDDLE (2-2) AW15.indd   26

01/12/2010   14:21

 
 
 
 
 
Independent Auditors’ Report 

to the members of Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

We have audited the group and parent company fi nancial statements (the ‘‘fi nancial statements’’) of Avanti  Communicati ons 
Group plc for the year ended 30 June 2010 which comprise the consolidated income statement, the consolidated statement 
of comprehensive income, the consolidated statement of fi nancial positi on, the company statement of fi nancial positi on, the 
statement of cash fl ows , the statement of changes in equity and the related notes. The fi nancial reporti ng framework that has 
been applied in their preparati on is applicable law and Internati onal Financial Reporti ng Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the 
European Union and, as regards the parent company fi nancial statements, as applied in accordance with the provisions of the 
Companies Act 2006.

Respecti ve responsibiliti es of directors and auditors
As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibiliti es Statement set out on page 25, the directors are responsible for the 
preparati on of the fi nancial statements and for being sati sfi ed that they give a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to audit the 
fi nancial statements in accordance with applicable law and Internati onal Standards on Auditi ng (UK and Ireland). Those standards 
require us to comply with the Auditi ng Practi ces Board’s Ethical Standards for Auditors.

This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the company’s members as a body in accordance with 
Secti ons 495 and 496 of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or assume 
responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save 
where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writi ng.

Scope of the audit of the fi nancial statements
An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the fi nancial statements suffi  cient to give reasonable 
assurance that the fi nancial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes an 
assessment of: whether the accounti ng policies are appropriate to the group’s and parent company’s circumstances and have been 
consistently applied and adequately disclosed; the reasonableness of signifi cant accounti ng esti mates made by the directors; and 
the overall presentati on of the fi nancial statements.

Opinion on fi nancial statements
In our opinion:

• 

• 

• 

the fi nancial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the parent company’s aff airs as at 
30 June 2010 and of the group’s loss and group’s and parent company’s cash fl ows for the year then ended;

the group fi nancial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union;

the parent company fi nancial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European 
Union and as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006; and 

• 

the fi nancial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Opinion on other matt  er prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion the informati on given in the Directors’ Report for the fi nancial year for which the fi nancial statements are prepared 
is consistent with the fi nancial statements.

Matt  ers on which we are required to report by excepti on
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, 
in our opinion:

• 

• 

• 

adequate accounti ng records have not been kept by the parent company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been 
received from branches not visited by us; or

the parent company fi nancial statements are not in agreement with the accounti ng records and returns; or

certain disclosures of directors’ remunerati on specifi ed by law are not made; or

•  we have not received all the informati on and explanati ons we require for our audit.

J. Booker (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors
London
30 November 2010

27

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AVN2561 AR10 MIDDLE (2-2) AW15.indd   27

01/12/2010   14:21

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

28

Consolidated Income Statement Year Ended 30 June 2010

Revenue 

Cost of sales 

Gross profi t 

Operati ng expenses 

Other operati ng income 

Loss from operati ons 

Financing exchange gain and movement in derivati ve fair value 

Finance income 

Finance expense 

Net fi nance income 

(Loss)/profi t before tax 

Income tax credit/(expense)

(Loss)/profi t for the year

Att ributable to:

Equity holders of the parent 

Basic (loss)/earnings per share (pence) 

Diluted (loss)/earnings per share (pence)  

Year ended
30 June 2010
£’000

Year ended
30 June 2009
£’000

Notes

2

3

6

7

7

7

7

8

9

9

5,815

(3,140)

2,675

(8,739)

3,628

(2,436)

972

99

(591)

480

(1,956)

24

(1,932)

(1,932)

(3.68p)

(3.68p)

8,041

(5,068)

2,973

(7,086)

2,727

(1,386)

2,932

417

(162)

3,187

1,801

(752)

1,049

1,049

3.78p

3.39p

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income Year Ended 30 June 2010

(Loss)/profi t for the year

Other comprehensive income

Notes

Year ended
30 June 2010
£’000

Year ended
30 June 2009
£’000

(1,932)

1,049

Exchange diff erences on translati on of foreign operati ons

Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year

13

(1,919)

–

1,049

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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   28

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated Statement of Financial Positi on as at 30 June 2010

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

ASSETS

Non-current assets

Property, plant and equipment 

Intangible assets 

Deferred tax assets 

Total non-current assets 

Current assets

Inventories 

Unpaid share capital 

Trade and other receivables 

Derivati ve fi nancial instruments

Cash and cash equivalents 

Total current assets 

Total assets 

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

Current liabiliti es

Trade and other payables 

Derivati ve fi nancial instruments

Provisions for other liabiliti es 

Interest bearing liabiliti es 

Total current liabiliti es 

Non-current liabiliti es

Trade and other payables 

Provisions for other liabiliti es 

Loans and other borrowings 

Total non-current liabiliti es 

Total liabiliti es 

Equity

Share capital 

Share premium 

Retained earnings and other reserves 

Total shareholders’ equity 

Total liabiliti es and equity 

Notes

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

11

12

17

15

16

18

19

20

21

19

20

21

23

24

24

170,231

51,534

11

268

21

5

170,510

51,560

1,398

–

15,993

525

34,181

52,097

352

31,500

14,237

347

24,615

71,051

222,607

122,611

13,460

11,369

–

30

269

795

30

402

13,759

12,596

7,228

33

49,404

56,665

70,424

639

120,496

31,048

152,183

222,607

2,899

63

42,574

45,536

58,132

417

34,041

30,021

64,479

122,611

The fi nancial statements of company number 6133927 on pages 28 to 55 were approved by the Board of Directors on 
30 November 2010 and signed on its behalf by:

Nigel Fox   
Finance Director 

30 November 2010

29

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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   29

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

30

Company Statement of Financial Positi on as at 30 June 2010

ASSETS

Non-current assets

Deferred tax assets 

Investments 

Total non-current assets 

Current Assets

Trade and other receivables 

Derivati ve fi nancial instruments

Unpaid share capital 

Total current assets 

Total assets 

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

Current liabiliti es

Trade and other payables 

Derivati ve fi nancial instruments

Total current liabiliti es 

Total liabiliti es 

Equity

Share capital 

Share premium 

Retained earnings and other reserves 

Total shareholders’ equity 

Total liabiliti es and equity 

Notes

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

17

13

16

19

23

24

24

62

41,320

41,382

80,234

525

–

80,759

122,141

9

–

9

9

686

120,496

950

122,132

122,141

102

289

391

7,291

347

31,500

39,138

39,529

4,278

795

5,073

5,073

449

34,041

(34)

34,456

39,529

The fi nancial statements of company number 6133927 on pages 28 to 55 were approved by the Board of Directors on 
30 November 2010 and signed on its behalf by:

Nigel Fox   
Finance Director 

30 November 2010

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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   30

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Statement of Cash Flows Year Ended 30 June 2010

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Group

Company

Year ended
30 June 2010
£’000

Year ended
30 June 2009
£’000

Year ended
30 June 2010
£’000

Year ended
30 June 2009
£’000

Notes

Cash fl ow from operati ng acti viti es

Loss from operati ons before taxati on 

Net foreign exchange gain 

Depreciati on of property, plant 
and equipment 

Amorti sati on of intangible assets 

Provision for impairment 
of trade receivables 

Onerous lease provision uti lised

Share based payments expense 

3

3

16

20

25

(2,436)

(439)

759

10

13

(30)

602

(1,521)

(1,386)

(1,183)

768

51

172

(123)

652

(1,049)

Movement in working capital

(Increase)/decrease in inventories 

(1,047)

(102)

(59)

(285)

–

–

–

–

–

54

(5)

–

–

–

–

–

–

155

(130)

–

(Increase)/decrease in trade 
and other receivables 

Increase/(decrease) in trade 
and other payables 

Interest received 

Interest paid 

Net cash generated from/(used by) 
operati ng acti viti es 

Cash fl ows from investi ng acti viti es

Investments

Payments for property, plant 
and equipment 

Net cash used in investi ng acti viti es 

Cash fl ows from fi nancing acti viti es

Proceeds from borrowings

Repayment of borrowings 

Debt issue cost paid 

Proceeds from share issue 

Share issue costs 

Proceeds from fi nance leases 

Finance lease paid 

Net cash received from 
fi nancing acti viti es 

Eff ects of exchange rate on the 
balances of cash and cash equivalents 

Net increase/(decrease) in cash 
and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at the 
beginning of the fi nancial year 

Cash and cash equivalents at the 
end of the fi nancial year 

(1,756)

(5,626)

(72,872)

(1,882)

6,607

2,283

99

(155)

(4,569)

(11,346)

951

(162)

(3,092)

(75,969)

–

–

2,227

(10,557)

(75,969)

–

–

(41,031)

(108,803)

(108,803)

(2,850)

(2,850)

–

(41,031)

–

–

–

120,500

(3,500)

–

(402)

116,598

–

(21)

–

–

–

802

(592)

189

(456)

2,592

9,566

(10,626)

24,615

34,181

35,241

24,615

18

–

–

–

120,500

(3,500)

–

–

117,000

–

–

–

–

2,012

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

31

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01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

32

Statement of Changes in Equity Year Ended 30 June 2010

Share Capital
£’000

Share premium
£’000

Retained earnings
£’000

Total equity
£’000

277

–

140

–

–

417

417

–

237

(15)

–

–

–

3,858

–

30,183

–

–

28,600

1,049

–

652

(280)

34,041

30,021

34,041

–

86,455

–

–

–

–

30,021

(1,919)

–

–

2,181

602

163

31,048

32,735

1,049

30,323

652

(280)

64,479

64,479

(1,919)

86,692

(15)

2,181

602

163

152,183

639

120,496

Share Capital
£’000

Share premium
£’000

Retained earnings
£’000

Total equity
£’000

309

–

140

–

–

449

449

–

237

–

–

–

3,858

–

30,183

–

–

34,041

34,041

–

86,455

–

–

–

686

120,496

(146)

(14)

–

154

(28)

(34)

(34)

723

–

174

54

33

950

4,021

(14)

30,323

154

(28)

34,456

34,456

723

86,692

174

54

33

122,132

Group

2009

At 1 July 2008 

Total comprehensive profi t for the year 

Issue of share capital 

Share based payments

Tax expense taken directly to reserves 

At 30 June 2009 

2010

At 1 July 2009

Total comprehensive loss for the year 

Issue of share capital 

EBT treasury shares

Foreign currency translati on reserve

Share based payments

Tax credit taken directly to reserves 

At 30 June 2010

Company

2009

At 1 July 2008 

Total comprehensive loss for the year 

Issue of share capital 

Share based payments

Tax expense taken directly to reserves 

At 30 June 2009 

2010

At 1 July 2009

Total comprehensive profi t for the year 

Issue of share capital 

Foreign currency translati on reserve

Share based payments

Tax credit taken directly to reserves 

At 30 June 2010

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01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the Accounts Year Ended 30 June 2010

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

1. Accounti ng policies
Statement of compliance
The Group fi nancial statements have been prepared in accordance with Internati onal Financial Reporti ng Standards (IFRS) as adopted 
by the EU issued by the Internati onal Accounti ng Standards Board (IASB), and with the Internati onal Financial Reporti ng Interpretati ons 
Committ ee (IFRIC), and those parts of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies preparing their accounts under IFRS.

The principal accounti ng policies applied in the preparati on of these fi nancial statements are set out below. These policies have 
been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless otherwise stated.

Basis of preparati on 
The fi nancial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, with the excepti on of share based payments and 
fi nancial derivati ves, which are incorporated using fair value. 

The Company has elected to take the exempti on under secti on 408 of the Companies Act 2006 to not present the parent 
company income statement. 

New standards applied during the year ended 30 June 2010   
The Group has adopted IFRS 8, ‘Operati ng Segments’. IFRS 8 requires operati ng segments to be identi fi ed on the basis of internal 
reports about components of the Group that are regularly reviewed by the Chief Operati ng Decision Maker (the Avanti  Executi ve 
Board) to allocate resources and assess performance. All resources are allocated on the basis of satellite services. As a result, the 
Group is disclosing one segment being satellite services.

IAS 23 Borrowing costs (revised) – the Group early adopted IAS 23(R) as of 1 July 2007.

The Group has adopted IAS 1 (revised) Presentati on of Financial Statements. The amendment aff ects the presentati on of owner 
changes in equity and introduces a ‘’Statement of Comprehensive Income’’. The Group has elected to present a single statement 
of performance, being the Statement of Comprehensive Income.

The amendment to IFRS 2 relates to vesti ng conditi ons and cancellati ons for share opti ons. No restatement of prior period 
informati on has been necessary as a consequence of adopti ng this standard.

Amendments to IFRS 7: Financial instruments has been adopted which gives enhanced disclosures about fair value 
measurements of fi nancial instruments and over liquidity risk. Since the amendment only impacts presentati on and disclosure 
aspects, there is no impact on the Group’s results or net assets.

New standards and interpretati ons
The following new standards, amendments to standards or interpretati ons are mandatory for the fi rst ti me for the fi nancial year 
beginning 1 July 2009 but are not currently relevant for the Group, or have had no impact:

IFRS 3 (R) – Business Combinati ons
IAS 27 (R) – Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements 
Amendments to various IFRSs and IASs arising from May 2008 Annual Improvements to IFRSs 
Amendment to IAS 39 - Eligible hedged items
Amendment to IFRS 5 - Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Disconti nued Operati ons 
Amendment to IFRIC 9 and IAS 39: Embedded derivati ves
Amendment to IAS 32 Financial instruments: Presentati on
IFRIC 12, Service concession arrangements 
IFRIC 13, Customer loyalty programmes relati ng to IAS 18, Revenue
IFRIC 14 The limit on a defi ned benefi t asset, minimum funding requirements and their interacti on
IFRIC 15 Agreements for the constructi on of real estate
IFRIC 16 Hedges of a net investment in a foreign operati on
IFRIC 17 Distributi ons of Non cash assets to Owners
IFRIC 18 Transfers of assets from customers

The following new standards, amendments to standards and interpretati ons are mandatory for the fi rst ti me for the fi nancial 
year beginning 1 July 2010:

Amendments to various IFRSs and IASs arising from 2010: 
Annual Improvements to IFRSs (eff ecti ve 1 January 2010)
Amendment to IFRS 2 Share based payments group cash-sett led transacti ons (eff ecti ve 1 January 2010)
IFRS 1 First-ti me Adopti on – Additi onal exempti ons  (eff ecti ve 1 January 2010)
Amendment to IAS 32 Financial instruments: Classifi cati on of rights issues (eff ecti ve 1 February 2010)
Amendment to IFRS 1: ‘First ti me adopti on’ – fi nancial instrument disclosures (eff ecti ve 1 July 2010)
IFRIC 19 Exti nguishing fi nancial liabiliti es with equity instruments (eff ecti ve 1 July 2010)

33

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01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

34

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

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1. Accounti ng policies conti nued
New standards and interpretati ons
The Directors do not anti cipate that the adopti on of any of the above standards, amendments or interpretati ons will have a 
material impact on the Group’s fi nancial statements on initi al applicati on.

The following new standards, amendments to standards and interpretati ons have been issued, but are not eff ecti ve for the 
fi nancial year beginning 1 July 2010 and have not been early adopted:

Amendments to various IFRSs and IASs arising from 2010: 
Annual Improvements to IFRSs  (eff ecti ve 1 January 2011)
Amendment to IAS 24 Related party disclosures (eff ecti ve 1 January 2011)
Amendments to IFRIC 14 Prepayments on a minimum funding requirement (eff ecti ve 1 January 2011)
Phase 1 of IFRS 9 Financial instruments: classifi cati on and measurement  (eff ecti ve 1 January 2013)

The Group is currently assessing the impact of the standards on its results, fi nancial positi on and cash fl ows. 

The Group conti nues to monitor the potenti al impact of other new standards and interpretati ons which may be endorsed by the 
European Union and require adopti on by the Group in future accounti ng periods.

Criti cal accounti ng esti mates and management judgement
The presentati on of fi nancial statements in conformity with IFRS requires the use of certain criti cal accounti ng esti mates. It also 
requires management to exercise its judgement in the process of applying the Group’s accounti ng policies.

The esti mates and assumpti ons that have a signifi cant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets 
and liabiliti es within the next fi nancial year are addressed below.

(a) Income taxes 
The Group’s income tax balance is the sum of the total current and deferred tax balances. The calculati on of this, and of the Group’s 
potenti al liabiliti es or assets, necessarily involves a degree of esti mati on and judgement in respect of certain items whose tax treatment 
cannot be fi nally determined unti l resoluti on has been reached with the relevant tax authority. The amounts recognised or disclosed 
are derived from the Group’s best esti mati on and judgement. However, the inherent uncertainty regarding the outcome of these 
means eventual realisati on could diff er from the accounti ng esti mates and therefore impact the Group’s results and cash fl ows.

(b) Revenue recogniti on
The group uses the percentage-of-completi on method in accounti ng for its consultancy and space projects. Use of the percentage-of 
completi on method requires the group to esti mate the services performed to date as a proporti on of the total services to be performed.

(c) Space Explorati ons Inc (“Spacex”)
The group conti nues to carry a receivable of $7.6 million, under “other receivables” which was fi rst recognised in June 2009. This 
amount is due from Spacex, who Avanti  originally contracted to launch HYLAS 1 on their Falcon 9 launch vehicle. However, as 
Spacex had failed to generate the required launch heritage Avanti  cancelled the launch services, as provided within the contract, 
and the monies previously paid were due to be refunded. SpaceX have failed to make the required refund and the dispute was 
taken to arbitrati on in New York. The arbitrators are due to give their binding ruling in early 2011. The directors are confi dent 
that the monies will be recovered and no provision will be necessary.

Going concern 
The accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes that the Group will conti nue in operati onal existence 
for the foreseeable future. 

Basis of consolidati on
Where the company has the power, either directly or indirectly, to govern the fi nancial and operati ng policies of another enti ty 
or business so as to obtain benefi ts from its acti viti es, it is classifi ed as a subsidiary. The fi nancial statements present the 
results of the company and its subsidiaries, including the Employee Benefi t Trust (“the group”) as if they formed a single enti ty. 
Intercompany transacti ons, balances, income and expenses are therefore eliminated in full. The results of subsidiaries acquired 
during the year are included in the consolidated income statement from the date of acquisiti on.

There are no minority interest in the net assets of the Group, and no goodwill arising on acquisiti on of subsidiaries.

The fi nancial statements of subsidiaries are prepared for the same reporti ng year as the parent company using consistent 
accounti ng policies. 

Revenue recogniti on
The group currently earns revenue primarily from the sale of satellite broadband services to customers and from providing 
consultancy advice connected with the exploitati on of the space assets. Following the launch of HYLAS 1, revenue from the sale 
of satellite broadband services will be the key revenue stream of the business with space consultancy contracts being a smaller 
proporti on of the total revenues. 

AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   34

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Broadband satellite communicati ons services revenues are recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract 
concerned net of discounts, VAT and other similar allowances. 

Revenues also include sales of terminals recognised upon installati on when the risks and rewards of ownership have transferred 
to the customer. 

Revenue from space consultancy and other consultancy contracts connected with the exploitati on of the space assets are 
recognised by reference to the stage of completi on of the contract acti vity at the balance sheet date. The contracts are broken 
down into key milestones and work packages which are all judged individually on a percentage of completi on basis in order 
to ascertain the completeness of an overall project. By its nature these projects require a certain element of judgement by 
management. Contract costs are recognised as an expense in the period they are incurred. 

Accrued income represents the diff erence between amounts invoiced and revenues recognised. Deferred income represents any 
unearned balances remaining from amounts received from customers pursuant to prepaid contracts. 

Appropriate allowances for esti mated irrecoverable amounts are recognised against revenue when there is objecti ve evidence that 
trade receivables are impaired. Accounts receivable balances are specifi cally reviewed to assess a customer’s ability to make payments.

Leased assets 
Assets acquired under hire purchase or fi nance lease are capitalised in the balance sheet. Those held under hire purchase 
and fi nance lease contracts are depreciated over their esti mated useful lives. The interest element of these obligati ons is charged 
to the profi t and loss account over the relevant period. The capital element of the future payments is treated as a liability.

Operati ng lease payments are recognised as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Interest income and expense
Borrowing costs incurred for the constructi on of the satellite assets are capitalised during the period of ti me that is required to 
complete and prepare the asset for its intended use, in accordance with IAS 23 ‘Borrowing Costs’. Other borrowing costs are 
expensed in the Income Statement.

Interest income on cash deposits is recognised on an eff ecti ve interest rate methodology, taking into account the principal 
amounts outstanding and the interest rates applicable.

Foreign currency
Transacti ons entered into by the group enti ti es in a currency other than the currency of the primary economic environment in 
which it operates (the “functi onal currency”) are recorded at the rates ruling when the transacti ons occur. Foreign currency 
monetary assets and liabiliti es are translated at the rate ruling at the balance sheet date. Exchange diff erences arising on the 
retranslati on of unsett led monetary assets and liabiliti es are similarly recognised immediately in the income statement.

The presentati onal currency of the Group is sterling. The functi onal and presentati onal currency of the parent and its subsidiaries 
is sterling (with the excepti on of Avanti  Hylas 2 Limited and Avanti  Hylas 2 Launch Services Limited which have US dollars as their 
presentati onal and functi onal currency).

Pension schemes 
Employees have the opti on to establish their own pension scheme to which the Group will match employee contributi ons up to 
a maximum amount. There is no on-going liability to the Group beyond the period that the contributi ons are made. The cost of 
such contributi ons are charged to the income statement when incurred.

Share based payments
The group operates a number of equity-sett led, share based compensati on plans. The fair value of these employee share opti on 
plans, representi ng employee services received in exchange for the grant of the opti ons, is calculated using an opti on-pricing 
model. In  accordance with IFRS 2 “Share based payment”, the resulti ng cost is charged to the income statement over the vesti ng 
period of the opti ons. The amount of the charge is adjusted to refl ect expected and actual levels of opti ons vesti ng.

Current tax 
The charge for taxati on is based on taxable profi ts for the year. Taxable profi ts diff er from profi t as reported in the income 
statement because it excludes items of income and expenses that are taxable or deducti ble in other years and it further excludes 
items that are never taxable or deducti ble.

Current tax assets and liabiliti es are measured at the amount expected to be recovered from or paid to the taxati on authoriti es 
based on tax rates that have been enacted or substanti ally enacted by the balance sheet date.

Deferred tax
Deferred tax is recognised on diff erences between the carrying amount of assets and liabiliti es in the fi nancial statements and the 
corresponding tax bases used in the computati on of taxable profi t, and is accounted for using the balance sheet liability method.

35

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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   35

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

36

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

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1. Accounti ng policies conti nued
Deferred tax conti nued
Deferred tax liabiliti es are generally recognised for all taxable temporary diff erences, and deferred tax assets are generally 
recognised for all deducti ble temporary diff erences to the extent that it is probable that taxable profi ts will be available against 
which those deducti ble temporary diff erence can be uti lised.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each balance sheet date and reduced to the extent that it is no longer 
probable that suffi  cient taxable profi ts will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered.

Deferred tax assets and liabiliti es are measured at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the period in which the liability is 
sett led or the asset realised, based on tax rates that have been enacted or substanti ally enacted by the balance sheet date. The 
measurement of the deferred tax liabiliti es and assets refl ects the tax consequences that would follow from the manner in which 
the Group expects, at the reporti ng date, to recover or sett le the carrying amount of its assets and liabiliti es.

Deferred tax assets and liabiliti es are off set when the group has a legally enforceable right to off set current tax assets and 
liabiliti es and the deferred tax assets and liabiliti es relate to taxes levied by the same taxati on authority on either the same 
taxable group company; or diff erent group enti ti es which intend either to sett le current tax assets and liabiliti es on a net basis, 
or to realise the assets and sett le the liability simultaneously, in each future period in which signifi cant amounts of deferred tax 
assets or liabiliti es are expected to be sett led or recovered.

Property plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciati on and any accumulated impairment losses. 
Depreciati on is provided so as to write off  the cost or valuati on of assets, other than assets under constructi on, over their 
esti mated useful lives using the straight-line method.

Cost includes the original purchase price of the asset and the costs directly att ributable to bringing the asset to its working 
conditi on for its intended use.

Motor vehicles 

25% per annum 

Plant and machinery  

25% per annum

Network assets  

20-25% per annum  

Leasehold improvements  

25% per annum

Fixtures and fi tti  ngs  

25% per annum  

Satellite in constructi on  

Nil

The esti mated useful lives, residual values and depreciati on method are reviewed at each year end, with the eff ect of any 
changes in esti mate accounted for on a prospecti ve basis. The gain or loss arising on the disposal of assets is charged to the 
profi t and loss account and is calculated as the diff erence between the disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the assets.

Assets held under fi nance leases are depreciated over their expected useful lives on the same basis as owned assets or, where 
shorter, the term of the relevant lease.

Satellite in constructi on relate to costs (including employee related costs) directly att ributable to the constructi on of the HYLAS 
satellites. These assets will be transferred to a space asset category and depreciated over the life of the satellites once they 
become operati onal and placed into service. No depreciati on has been charged on these assets. It is anti cipated that the life of 
HYLAS 1 will be 15 years and therefore the fi rst annual depreciati on will be in the year ended 30 June 2011 following successful 
launch of HYLAS 1.

Research and development costs in relati on to the satellites are capitalised if they meet the conditi ons set out in IAS 38 
‘Intangible Assets’ which are that development costs are only capitalised once a business case has been demonstrated as to 
the technical feasibility and commercial viability. Capitalised development costs are amorti sed over the expected useful life 
of the assets.

Where the conditi ons are not met the costs are expensed through the income statement.

Intangible assets
Intangible assets comprise of computer soft ware and are stated at cost less accumulated amorti sati on and any accumulated 
impairment losses. Amorti sati on is provided so as to write off  the cost or valuati on of assets, other than assets under 
constructi on, over their esti mated useful lives using the straightline method. The amorti sati on rate on computer soft ware is 25%.

Cost includes the original purchase price of the asset and the costs att ributable to bringing the asset to its working conditi on for 
its intended use.

The esti mated useful lives, residual values and amorti sati on method are reviewed at each year end, with the eff ect of any 
changes in esti mate accounted for on a prospecti ve basis. The gain or loss arising on the disposal of assets is charged to the profi t 
and loss account and is calculated as the diff erence between the disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the assets.

AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   36

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Impairment of non-fi nancial assets
Assets that are subject to amorti sati on and depreciati on are reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances 
indicate that the carrying amount may not be fully recoverable. The impairment review comprises a comparison of the carrying 
amount of the fi xed asset with its recoverable amount, which is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. 

Fair value less costs to sell is calculated by reference to the amount at which the asset could be disposed of. Value in use is 
calculated by discounti ng the expected future cash fl ows obtainable as a result of the asset’s conti nued use, including those 
resulti ng from its ulti mate disposal, at a market-based discount rate on a pre-tax basis. 

An impairment loss is recognised in the Income Statement whenever the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its recoverable 
amount. The carrying amount will only be increased where an impairment loss recognised in a previous period for an asset either 
no longer exists or has decreased, up to the amount that it would have been had the original impairment not occurred. 

For the purpose of conducti ng impairment reviews, CGUs are identi fi ed as groups of assets and liabiliti es that generate cash 
fl ows that are largely independent of other cash fl ow streams. The assets and liabiliti es include those directly involved in 
generati ng the cash fl ows and an appropriate proporti on of corporate assets. For the purposes of impairment review space  
segment assets are treated as one CGU. 

European Space Agency (ESA) Funding 
When payments are made by ESA direct to the satellite contractor EADS Astrium, the group records the transacti on by 
capitalising the amount to property, plant and equipment ‘space assets’ and recognising the deferred revenue. Both the satellite 
asset and the deferred revenue will be depreciated/released to the income statment over the expected life of the asset. There 
are no conti ngencies associated with the ESA funding.

Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost comprises all costs of purchase, cost of conversion and 
other costs incurred in bringing the inventories to their present locati on and conditi on. 

Cost is determined by the fi rst-in fi rst -out method.

Net realisable value is based on esti mated selling price less any further costs expected to be incurred to completi on and disposal.

Equity instruments
Equity instruments issued by the Company are recorded at the proceeds received, net of directly att ributable issue costs.

Trade receivables
Trade receivables are measured at initi al recogniti on at fair value and are subsequently measured at amorti sed cost using the 
eff ecti ve interest rate method where the ti me value of money is material. Appropriate allowances for esti mati ng irrecoverable 
amounts are recognised in the Income Statement where there is evidence that the asset is impaired. This impairment would be 
recognised within operati ng expenses.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents in the balance sheet comprise of cash on hand and demand deposits, and other short term highly liquid 
investments that are readily converti ble into known amounts of cash and are subject to an insignifi cant risk of change in value. For 
the purpose of the consolidated cash fl ow statement, cash and cash equivalents are stated net of outstanding bank overdraft s.

Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the Group has a legal or constructi ve obligati on to transfer economic benefi ts arising from past 
events and the amount of the obligati on can be esti mated reliably. Provisions are not recognised unless the outf low of economic 
benefi ts to sett le the obligati on is more likely than not to occur.

Borrowings
Interest-bearing bank loans and overdraft s are measured initi ally at fair value, net of transacti on costs incurred. Borrowings 
are subsequently stated at amorti sed cost; any diff erence between the proceeds and the redempti on value is recognised in the 
income statement over the period of the borrowings using the eff ecti ve interest method.

Borrowings are classifi ed as current liabiliti es unless the group has an unconditi onal right to defer sett lement of the liability for at 
least 12 months aft er the balance sheet date.

Trade payables
Trade payables are initi ally measured at fair value, and are subsequently measured at amorti sed cost.

Financial instruments and hedging acti viti es
Financial assets and fi nancial liabiliti es are recognised on the Group’s balance sheet when the Group becomes a party to the 
contractual provisions of the instrument.

37

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08



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u
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56

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i
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a
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c
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l
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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   37

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

38

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

1. Accounti ng policies conti nued
Financial instruments and hedging acti viti es conti nued
The group uses derivati ve fi nancial instruments mainly to reduce exposure to foreign exchange risks. The group does not hold 
or issue derivati ve fi nancial instruments for trading purposes. Derivati ves are recognised at fair value on the date a contract is 
entered into and are subsequently re-measured at their fair value.

Hedge accounti ng is currently not applied. Changes in fair value of derivati ve fi nancial instruments are recognised in the income 
statement as they arise.

2. Revenue
As noted in note 1, the group currently earn revenue primarily from the sale of satellite broadband services to customers and 
from providing consultancy advice connected with the exploitati on of the space assets. On adopti on of IFRS 8, ‘Operati ng 
Segments’, the group concluded that the Chief Operati ng Decision Maker (the Avanti  Executi ve Board) manage the business and 
the allocati on of resources on the basis of the provision of satellite services, resulti ng in one segment.

Revenue of £5,815,000 (2009: £8,041,000) represents invoiced sales of satellite broadband services provided to external customers, 
revenue on space and consultancy contracts recognised on a percentage of completi on basis and the sale of terminals. 

The group derived £1,334,000 (2009: £2,597,000) of its turnover from European countries outside the United Kingdom, and 
£4,481,000 (2009: £5,444,000) from the United Kingdom.

3. Operati ng expenses 
Costs are presented by the nature of the expense to the Group and include the following: 

Depreciati on of property, plant and equipment

Amorti sati on of intangible assets

Research and development costs writt en off  as incurred

Employee benefi t expense

Operati ng lease expenses

– Minimum lease payments

– Sublease payments

– Onerous lease provision uti lised

– Onerous lease provision released

4. Auditors’ remunerati on 

Fees payable to company’s auditor for the audit of parent company and consolidated
fi nancial statements

Fees payable to the company’s auditor for other non audit services:

– The audit of company’s subsidiaries pursuant to legislati on

– Other services pursuant to legislati on

– Tax services

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

759

10

15

4,542

408

(50)

(30)

-

768

51

2

3,744

384

(50)

(23)

(99)

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

 67 

 20 

 4

 270

361

43

16

6

11

76

£224,000 of the tax services fees relate to the feasibility study and initi al advice regarding the re-domicile of the Hylas 2 assets to 
Cyprus. The remaining balance relates to fees for normal ongoing tax advice.

01



i

H
g
h

l
i

g
h
t
s

02

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08

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B
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a
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16

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56

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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   38

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Employee benefi t costs 
The aggregate remunerati on of all employees comprised: 

Wages and salaries

Social security costs

Pension costs

Share based payment expense

Less: costs capitalised as satellite in constructi on

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

4,898

534

229

602

6,263

(1,721)

4,542

4,091

438

113

652

5,294

(1,550)

3,744

Employee numbers  
The average monthly number of people (including the Executi ve Directors) employed during the year by category of employment:

Operati ons

Sales and marketi ng

Development and engineering

Administrati on and executi ve

6. Other operati ng income 

Exchange gain on trade receivables and payable balances

Liquidated damages received

30 June 2010
No. employees

30 June 2009
No. employees

21

21

21

18

81

17

19

12

17

65

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

426

3,202

3,628

1,355

1,372

2,727

Liquidated damages were received from Astrium due to the late delivery of HYLAS 1 in November 2009. These damages 
compensate for the additi onal costs incurred as a result of the late delivery of the satellite and are recognised on a straight-line 
basis over the additi onal period that the incremental running costs were being incurred. All liquidated damages have now being 
recognised in the income statement.

7. Net fi nance income 

Finance income

Fair value gain on derivati ves

Financing exchange gain 

Interest income on bank deposits

Finance expense

Interest expense on borrowings and loans

Financing exchange loss

Finance lease expense

Net fi nance income

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

972

–

972

99

1,071

(88)

(456)

(47)

(591)

480

340

2,592

2,932

417

3,349

(109)

–

(53)

(162)

3,187

39

01



i

H
g
h

l
i

g
h
t
s

02



08

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B
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16

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56

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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   39

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

40

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

8. Income tax (credit)/expense 

Current tax

Adjustment in respect of prior periods

Total current tax

Deferred tax

Originati on and reversal of temporary diff erences

Adjustment in respect of prior periods

Impact of change in UK tax rate

Total deferred tax

Total income tax (credit)/expense

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

76

76

(403)

278

25

(100)

(24)

–

–

587

165

–

752

752

The tax on the group’s profi t before tax diff ers from the theoreti cal amount that would arise using the weighted average tax rate 
applicable to profi ts of the consolidated enti ti es as follows: 

(Loss)/profi t before tax

Tax (credit)/charge at the corporate tax rate of 28% (2009: 28%)

Tax eff ect of non-deducti ble expenses

Adjustment in respect of prior periods

Impact of change in UK tax rate

Income tax (credit)/expense

9. Earnings/(loss) per share

Basic (loss)/earnings per share

Diluted (loss)/earnings per share

30 June 2010
£’000

(1,956)

(548)

145

354

25

(24)

30 June 2009
£’000

1,801

504

83

165

–

752

30 June 2010
pence

30 June 2009
pence

(3.68)

(3.68)

3.78

3.39

The calculati on of basic and diluted (loss)/earnings per share is based on the earnings att ributable to ordinary shareholders 
divided by the weighted average number of shares in issue during the year. 

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

(Loss)/profi t for the year att ributable to equity holders of the parent company

(1,932)

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of basic earnings per share

52,430,725

Restricted shares held in the Employee Benefi t Trust (EBT)

3,813,258

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of diluted earnings per share

56,243,983

1,049

27,787,491

3,172,930

30,960,421

10. Profi t of the parent company 
As permitt ed by Secti on 408 of the Companies Act 2006, the profi t and loss account of the parent Company is not presented 
as part of these accounts. The parent company’s profi t aft er tax for the year ended 30 June 2010 amounted to £723,000 
(2009: £14,000 loss).

01

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H
g
h

l
i

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h
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s

02

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08

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16

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56

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F
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a
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a

l
S
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a
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m
e
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S
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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   40

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

11. Property, plant and equipment 

Leasehold 
improvements
£’000

Network 
assets
£’000

Fixtures and 
fi tti  ngs
£’000

Plant and 
machinery
£’000

Satellites in 
constructi on
£’000

Motor 
vehicles
£’000

Group
total
£’000

Cost

Balance at 1 July 2008

Additi ons

Disposals

Balance at 1 July 2009

Additi ons 

Disposals

234

16

–

250

4

–

3,170

151

–

3,321

2,239

–

Balance at 30 June 2010

254

5,560

Depreciati on

Balance at 1 July 2008

Charge for the year

Disposals

Balance at 1 July 2009

Charge for the year

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2010

Net book value

Balance at 30 June 2010

Balance at 30 June 2009

130

51

–

181

39

–

220

34

69

1,166

643

–

1,809

618

–

2,427

3,133

1,512

410

108

(3)

515

92

–

607

312

53

–

365

68

–

433

174

150

112

–

(112)

–

–

–

–

112

–

(112)

–

–

–

–

–

–

37,441

12,271

–

49,712

117,094

–

–

112

–

112

27

–

41,367

12,658

(115)

53,910

119,456

–

166,806

139

173,366

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

166,806

49,712

–

21

–

21

34

–

55

84

91

1,720

768

(112)

2,376

759

–

3,135

170,231

51,534

At 30 June 2010 the Group held assets under fi nance lease agreements with a net book value of £416,000 (2009: £747,000). 
A depreciati on charge for the year of £331,000 (2009: £331,000) has been provided on these assets. These assets are included
in network assets.

The satellites in constructi on relate to the HYLAS 1 and HYLAS 2 satellites. £103,166,000 relates to the HYLAS 1 satellite, 
and £63,640,000 relates to the HYLAS 2 satellite. Included in the satellite in constructi on costs is interest capitalisati on of 
£18,159,523 all relati ng to the HYLAS 1 satellite. Interest is charged at 16.5 basis points above LIBOR.

41

01



i

H
g
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i

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02



08

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B
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a
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16

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G
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56

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F
i
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a
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c
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a

l
S
t
a
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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   41

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

42

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

12. Intangible assets 

Cost

Balance at: 1 July 2008

Additi ons

Disposals

Balance at 1 July 2009

Additi ons 

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2010

Amorti sati on

Balance at: 1 July 2008

Charge for the year

Disposals

Balance at: 1 July 2009

Charge for the year

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2010

Net book value

Balance at 30 June 2010

Balance at 30 June 2009

Computer
soft ware
£’000

418

3

(26)

395

–

–

395

323

51

–

374

10

–

384

11

21

13. Investments  
Company 
Shares in subsidiary undertakings

Beginning of the year

Capital contributi on

Equity investments in Avanti  HYLAS 2 Limited

End of year

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

289

15

41,016

41,320

289

–

–

289

In the year ended June 2010, the Company contributed £15,000 (1,500,000 shares at £0.01 each) to the Avanti  Employee Benefi t 
Trust established in July 2007. 

The directors believe that the carrying value of the investments is supported by their underlying net assets. 

A full list of the company’s subsidiaries is disclosed in note 14.

01



i

H
g
h

l
i

g
h
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02

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08

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B
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16

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56

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F
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a
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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   42

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

14. Subsidiaries 
As at the end of the year the group and company held the following investments in subsidiary companies: 

Name of subsidiary 

Avanti  Communicati ons Limited 

Avanti  Space Limited 

Avanti  Space 2 Limited

Avanti  Space 3 Limited

Avanti  Launch Services Limited

Avanti  Broadband Limited

Avanti  Broadband (Ire) Limited

Avanti  (NI) Limited

Avanti  Hylas 2 Limited *

Avanti  Hylas 2 Launch Services Limited *

Avanti  Communicati ons Infrastructure Company Limited

Avanti  Caledonian Broadband Limited 

Avanti  Employee Benefi t Trust 

Nature of business

Telecommunicati on consultancy

Satellite services

Satellite services

Satellite services

Management services

Satellite broadband business

Satellite broadband business

Satellite broadband business

Satellite services

Management services

Holding company

Scotti  sh satellite business

Employee benefi t trust

All the above enti ti es were incorporated in England & Wales, except for Avanti  Launch Services Limited and Avanti  Hylas 2 Launch 
Services Limited which were incorporated in the Isle of Man. The company holds 100% ownership interest and voti ng power in all 
the above enti ti es. 

* These enti ti es were incorporated during the 2010 fi nancial year.

Subsequent to year end, the following subsidiary companies have been incorporated:

Name of subsidiary 

Avanti  Hylas 2 Cyprus Limited

Avanti  Hylas 2 Services Limited 

Avanti  Communicati ons Marketi ng Services

Nature of business

Satellite broadband business

Project management services

Sales and marketi ng

Avanti  Communicati ons Marketi ng Services Limited was incorporated in England & Wales, and Avanti  Hylas 2 Cyprus Limited and 
Avanti  Hylas 2 Services Limited were incorporated in Cyprus. The company holds 100% ownership interest and voti ng power in 
all the above enti ti es.

15. Inventories 

Group

Finished goods

30 June 2010
at cost
£’000

30 June 2009
at cost
£’000

 1,398 

 352

The cost of inventories recognised as an expense during the year was £448,000 (2009: £1,705,000). There have been no 
write-downs of inventory during the year.

43

01



i

H
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i

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02



08

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B
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P
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Y
e
a
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i

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v
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16

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G
o
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a
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56

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F
i
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a
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c
i

a

l
S
t
a
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m
e
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t
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S
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a
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AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   43

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

44

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

01



i

H
g
h

l
i

g
h
t
s

02



08



B
u
s
i
n
e
s
s
P
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e

l

Y
e
a
r

i

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R
e
v
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w

16

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G
o
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n
a
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e



56



F
i
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a
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c
i

a

l
S
t
a
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e
m
e
n
t
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S
h
a
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d
e
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l

I

n
f
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a
ti 
o
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16. Trade and other receivables   

Trade receivables

Less provision for impairment of trade 
receivables

Net trade receivables

Accrued income

Prepayments

Amounts due from group companies

Other receivables

Group

Company

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

611

(3)

608

8,545

1,185

–

5,655

15,993

789

(16)

773

7,484

1,375

–

4,605

14,237

–

–

–

–

6

80,228

–

80,234

–

–

–

–

–

7,291

–

7,291

For discussion of credit risk, refer to Note 22(b).

The other receivable is primarily the $7.6m due from Space Explorati ons Inc (“Spacex”) as disclosed on page 15 of the Finance 
and Operati ng Review. This amount has been reclassifi ed from trade receivables to other receivables. The impact of this 
reclassifi cati on was to decrease trade receivables by £5,049,000 (2009: £4,600,000) and to increase other receivables by the 
same amount.

17. Deferred taxati on 
Deferred income tax assets and liabiliti es are off set when there is a legally enforceable right to off set current tax assets against 
current tax liabiliti es and when the deferred income taxes relate to the same fi scal authority. The off set amounts are as follows:

The gross movement on the deferred income tax account is as follows:

Non-current

Deferred tax assets

Deferred tax liabiliti es

Balance at 1 July

Income tax (expense)/credit

Tax credited directly to equity

Balance at 30 June

Group

30 June 2010

Tax assets

Provisions and deferred income

Share based payment

Unused tax losses

Total tax assets

Tax liabiliti es

Derivati ve fi nancial asset

Property, plant and equipment

Total tax liabiliti es

Net deferred tax asset/(liability)

Group

Company

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

6,157

(5,889)

268

5

100

163

268

3,617

(3,612)

5

1,037

(752)

(280)

5

62

–

62

102

(73)

33

62

Opening 
balance
£’000

Charged 
to the income 
statement
£’000

Charged 
to equity
£’000

817

110

2,690

3,617

–

(3,612)

(3,612)

5

989

29

1,359

2,377

–

(2,277)

(2,277)

100

–

163

–

163

–

–

–

163

102

–

102

88

42

(28)

102

Closing 
balance
£’000

1,806

302

4,049

6,157

–

(5,889)

(5,889)

268

AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   44

01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Charged to
the income 
statement
£’000

Charged 
to equity
£’000

Opening 
balance
£’000

446

535

1,794

2,775

(33)

(1,705)

(1,738)

1,037

371

(145)

896

1,122

33

(1,907)

(1,874)

(752)

Opening 
balance
£’000

Charged 
to the income 
statement
£’000

23

79

102

4

(77)

(73)

Opening 
balance
£’000

Charged 
to the income 
statement
£’000

42

46

88

9

33

42

–

(280)

–

(280)

–

–

–

(280)

Charged 
to equity
£’000

33

–

33

Charged 
to equity
£’000

(28)

–

(28)

Closing 
balance
£’000

817

110

2,690

3,617

–

(3,612)

(3,612)

5

Closing 
balance
£’000

60

2

62

Closing 
balance
£’000

23

79

102

Group 

30 June 2009

Tax assets

Provisions and deferred income

Share based payment

Unused tax losses

Total tax assets

Tax liabiliti es

Derivati ve fi nancial asset

Property, plant and equipment

Total tax liabiliti es

Net deferred tax asset/(liability)

Company 

30 June 2010

Tax assets

Share based payment

Unused tax losses

Total tax assets

Company 

30 June 2009

Tax assets

Share based payment

Unused tax losses

Total tax assets

At 30 June 2010, none of the deferred tax asset of £6.2m (2009: £3.6m) is expected to be recovered in the next 12 months.        
At 30 June 2010, none of the deferred tax liability of £5.9m (2009: £3.6m) is expected to be sett led in the next 12 months. 

18. Cash and cash equivalents 
For the purpose of the cash fl ow statement, cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand and at banks net of outstanding overdraft s.

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the fi nancial year as shown in the cash fl ow statement can be reconciled to the related 
items in the balance sheet as follows: 

Group 

Cash and bank balances

Short term deposits

Net cash and cash equivalents

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

918

33,263

34,181

2,376

22,239

24,615

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01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

46

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

19. Trade and other payables 

Current

Trade payables

Social security and other taxes

Other payables

Amounts due to group companies

Accruals and deferred income

Non-current

Group

Company

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

7,118

177

1,104

–

5,061

13,460

5,416

132

630

–

5,191

11,369

–

–

–

–

9

9

–

Accruals and deferred income

7,228

2,899

20. Provisions for other liabiliti es 

Group

Onerous lease provision

Balance at 1 July 2009

Used during the year

Balance at 30 June 2010

Current
£’000

Non-current
£’000

30

–

30

63

(30)

33

–

–

–

3,092

1,186

4,278

–

Total
£’000

93

(30)

63

The Group leases premises at Hoxton Square and sublets the premises to a third party. The amount that the Group pays for the 
lease is not covered by the rent received in respect of the premises. As a result, an onerous lease provision has been recorded 
and is being released over the life of the committ ed lease period.

During the year, the Group has released £30,000 to the income statement. The remaining £62,500 will be released over the next 
25 months.

21. Loans and other borrowings   

Secured at amorti sed cost

Bank loans

Finance lease liabiliti es (i)

Current

Non-current

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

–

269

269

–

402

402

49,191

213

49,404

42,093

481

42,574

(i) 

 Finance lease obligati ons are secured by retenti on of ti tle to the related assets. The borrowings are on fi xed interest rate debt with repayment periods not 
exceeding 5 years. 

The group entered into a Senior Finance Term Facility Agreement on 29 July 2007 of £32 million. This money was raised for the 
sole purpose of funding the HYLAS 1 satellite. As noted in Note 31, in order to avoid further interest charges, the group repaid 
this loan of 30 July 2010 prior to its maturity date of 31 March 2014.

In accordance with IAS 23 – Borrowing Costs, qualifying borrowing costs have been capitalised as part of the cost to HYLAS 1, 
recognised as Satellite in Constructi on in Note 11.

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01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

22. Financial instruments and risk management
The Group is subject to the risks arising from adverse movements in interest rates and foreign currency. The Group uses a variety 
of derivati ve fi nancial instruments to manage these foreign currency risks. The managing of these risks, along with the day-to-
day managing of treasury acti viti es is performed by the Finance team. 

All fi nancial instruments have been measured at amorti sed cost, except for derivati ve assets recognised as fair value through 
the income statement. As such fi nancial assets being cash and cash equivalents and trade and other receivables are classifi ed as 
‘Loans and Receivables’ and fi nancial liabiliti es being trade and other payables and interest bearing liabiliti es have been classifi ed 
as ‘Other Financial Liabiliti es’.

a) Market risk
i) Foreign exchange risk management 
The Group’s presentati on currency is pounds sterling although some transacti ons are executed in non-sterling currencies, 
including Euros and US Dollars. The transacti onal amounts realised or sett led are therefore subject to the eff ect of movements in 
these currencies against the pound. When a contract is entered into in a foreign currency the group seeks to enter into a forward 
exchange contract or use natural hedging within the group to limit the exposure to foreign currency risk. The risks are assessed 
on a conti nual basis.  

Financial instruments by currency 

30 June 2010

30 June 2009

GBP
£’000

EURO
£’000

USD
£’000

Total
£’000

GBP
£’000

EURO
£’000

USD
£’000

Total
£’000

Financial assets

Cash and short term deposits

 32,884 

Trade and other receivables

2,233 

35,117

Financial liabiliti es

 1,198 

 8,608 

 9,806 

 99 

 34,181 

 22,718 

 5,152 

 15,993 

 34,103 

 5,251 

 50,174 

 56,821 

 1,380 

 7,279 

 8,659 

 517 

 24,615 

 4,699 

 46,081 

 5,216 

 70,696 

Trade and other payables

(8,463)

(4,211)

(786)

(13,460)

(4,377)

(5,290)

(1,939)

(11,606)

Interest bearing liabiliti es

(49,673)

–

–

(49,673)

(42,977)

–

–

(42,977)

(58,136)

(4,211)

(786)

(63,133)

(47,354)

(5,290)

(1,939)

(54,583)

Net fi nancial positi on

(23,019)

5,595

4,465

(12,959)

9,467

3,369

3,277

16,113

At 30 June 2010, if the Euro had weakened/strengthened against the sterling by 5% with all other variables held constant, post 
tax profi t would have worsened by £127,000 or improved by £116,000 (2009: post tax profi t would have worsened by £127,000 
or improved by £116,000).

At 30 June 2010, if the US Dollar had weakened/strengthened against the sterling by 5% with all other variables held constant, 
post tax profi t would have worsened by £44,000 or improved by £49,000 (2008: post tax profi t would have worsened by £44,000 
 or improved by £116,000).

Management believes that a 5% sensiti vity rate provides an adequate analysis into the expected changes in foreign exchange 
rates. This is the assumpti on we used last year and management feel it is sti ll valid.

Cash and deposits earn interest at fl oati ng rates based on banks’ short term treasury deposit rates. Short term trade and other 
receivables are interest free.

b) Credit risk management
The Group’s principal fi nancial assets are cash and short term deposits and trade and other receivables. The Group has no 
signifi cant concentrati ons of credit risk, with the excepti on of the receivable from Spacex of $7.6 million as described in Note 16. 
Cash and cash equivalents are deposited with high-credit quality fi nancial insti tuti ons with a minimum rati ng of A+ and trade 
receivables are principally from well established corporati ons. The credit quality of major customers is assessed before trading 
commences taking into account its fi nancial positi on, past experience and other factors.

47

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01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

48

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

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22. Financial instruments and risk management conti nued
b) Credit risk management conti nued
The ageing of trade receivables which have not been impaired was as follows:

30 June 2010
30 June 2009

Not past due
£’000
89
19

1-30 days
£’000
60
704

31-60 days
£’000
135
36

60+ days
£’000
324
14

Total
£’000
608
773

Movements in the provision for impairment of trade receivables are as follows: 

At 1 July 2009

Allowances made in the period

Amounts used and reversal of unused amounts

Bad debts writt en off 

At 30 June 2010

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

16

58

(34)

(37)

3

188

27

(11)

(188)

16

The provision of £2,906 (2009: £16,267) has been raised against gross trade receivables of £608,000 (2009: £773,000).  Every 
major customer is assessed on an individual basis and we take a prudent approach when providing for debts.  For our smaller 
customers we provide for every debt over 60 days and the provision gets charged to Cost of Sales. 

Other receivables include accrued revenue of £8,545,000 which, due to their nature, are all current and also amounts due from 
Spacex of £5,049,000 which are described in Note 16 and on page 15 of the fi nance and operati ng review. 

c) Liquidity risk management   
The groups exposure to liquidity risk management is minimillised due to the prudent monitoring of all of the groups liabiliti es. 
Cash and cash forecasts are monitored on a daily basis and our cash requirements are met by a mixture of short term cash 
deposits, debt and fi nance leases. 

The following table analyses the Group’s fi nancial liabiliti es into relevant maturity groupings based on the expected 
undiscounted cash fl ows: 

Within 1
year
£’000

53,606

299

7,118

–

455

5,416

1 to 2
years
£’000

–

220

–

–

518

–

2 to 5
years
£’000

Over 5
years
£’000

Contractual
amount
£’000

Carrying
amount
£’000

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

53,606

49,191

–

–

–

–

92,888

92,888

42,093

–

–

–

–

–

–

30 June 2010

Bank loans

Finance leases

Trade Payables

30 June 2009

Bank loans

Finance leases

Trade Payables

The bank loan contractual amount is based on repayment in July 2010 and includes an early repayment penalty. Refer to note 31.

d) Fair value of fi nancial instruments
The directors consider the carrying value of all fi nancial assets and liabiliti es to be approximate to their fair values.

e) Capital risk management 
The Group’s objecti ves when managing capital are to safeguard the Group’s ability to conti nue as a going concern in order to 
provide returns for shareholders and benefi ts for other stakeholders and to maintain an opti mal capital structure to reduce the 
cost of capital.

The capital structure of the Group consists of debt, which includes the borrowings disclosed in note 21, cash and cash 
equivalents (note 18) and equity att ributable to equity holders of the parent (notes 23 and 24), comprising ordinary share 
capital, share premium, other reserves and retained earnings.

AVN2561 AR10 Back AW11.indd   48

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

23. Share capital – issued and fully paid 

At 1 July 2009

Shares issued

Less transacti on costs

Issue of treasury shares to Employee Benefi t Trust

At 30 June 2010

Number of
shares
‘000

44,922

23,750

–

–

68,672

Group
ordinary
shares
£’000

417

237

–

(15)

639

Company
ordinary
shares
£’000

Group and
company
share premium
£’000

449

237

–

–

686

34,041

88,777

(2,322)

–

120,496

On 6 January 2010, the Group issued 22,250,000 shares at £4.00 per share.

On 29 June 2009, the Group issued 14,000,000 shares at £2.25 per share. The shares issued were fully paid on 3 July 2009. 

The total authorised number of ordinary shares is 100 million shares (2009: 100 million) at £0.01 each.

Refer to Note 31 for details of shares issued on 12 July 2010.

24. Reserves 
Group 

2009

At 1 July 2008

Profi t for the year

Issue of share capital

Transacti on costs related to share issue

Share based payments

Tax expense taken directly to reserves

At 30 June 2009

2010

At 1 July 2009

Comprehensive loss for the year

Issue of share capital

Transacti on costs related to share issue

Foreign currency translati on reserve

Share based payments

Tax credit taken directly to reserves

At 30 June 2010

Share
premium
£’000

Retained
earnings
£’000

3,858

–

31,360

(1,177)

–

–

34,041

34,041

–

88,777

(2,322)

–

–

–

120,496

28,600

1,049

–

–

652

(280)

30,021

30,021

(1,919)

–

–

2,181

602

163

31,048

Total
reserves
£’000

32,458

1,049

31,360

(1,177)

652

(280)

64,062

64,062

(1,919)

88,777

(2,322)

2,181

602

163

151,544

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

50

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

24. Reserves conti nued 
Company 

2009

At 1 July 2008

Loss for the year

Issue of share capital

Transacti on costs related to share issue

Share based payments

Tax expense taken directly to reserves

At 30 June 2009

2010

At 1 July 2009

Profi t for the year

Issue of share capital

Transacti on costs related to share issue

Foreign currency translati on reserve

Share based payments

Tax credit taken directly to reserves

At 30 June 2010

Share
premium
£’000

Retained
earnings
£’000

3,858

–

31,360

(1,177)

–

–

34,041

34,041

–

88,777

(2,322)

–

–

–

120,496

(146)

(14)

–

–

154

(28)

(34)

(34)

723

–

–

174

54

33

950

Total
reserves
£’000

3,712

(14)

31,360

(1,177)

154

(28)

34,007

34,007

723

88,777

(2,322)

174

54

33

121,446

25. Share based payments
The fair value of share opti ons charged to the income statement in the period was £602,000 (2009: £652,000). The full fair value 
of these opti ons is recognised over the vesti ng period for those opti ons. All share based payment plans are equity sett led and 
details of these plans are set out below.

The Company has established three share opti on schemes: The Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc approved Enterprise 
Management Incenti ves Scheme (EMI), the Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc Unapproved Share Opti on Plan and a Long 
Term Incenti ve Plan (LTIP).

During the year, the Company also established a Save As You Earn (SAYE) opti on scheme. Contributi ons to the scheme 
commenced on 1 July 2010 and the fair value charge associated with this scheme will be recognised in the next fi nancial period.

The 2010 charges and weighted average fair value for each of the plans above were as follows: 

2010 charge

Weighted average fair value

2009 charge

Weighted average fair value

EMI

£150,000

£2.04

£150,000

£2.04

Unapproved 
plan

£47,000

£2.42

£127,000

£1.76

LTIP

£405,000

£2.72

£375,000

£0.67

To date all opti ons have been granted with a strike price of 1 pence. 

In July 2007 an Employee Benefi t Trust (EBT) was established. The EBT is managed by Bedell Trustees in Jersey. The results of the 
EBT have been consolidated into the Group’s results.

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

The opti ons granted under each scheme are as follows:

Outstanding
at start of year

Granted
during year

Forfeited 
in year

Exercised 
during the year

Outstanding
at end of year

2010 

EMI

Number of opti ons

Weighted average exercise price

Weighted average share price

Unapproved scheme (est. 2007)

Number of opti ons

Weighted average exercise price

Weighted average share price

Unapproved scheme (est. 2010)

Number of opti ons

Weighted average exercise price

Weighted average share price

LTIP

339,505

£0.01

£2.23

107,863

£0.01

£1.86

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

292,490

£0.01

£4.30

(51,000)

(39,202)

249,303

£0.01

£2.16

£0.01

£2.16

–

–

–

(3,000)

£0.01

£4.30

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

£0.01

£2.26

107,863

£0.01

£1.86

289,490

£0.01

£4.30

2,762,418

£0.01

£1.67

Number of opti ons

2,512,418

250,000

Weighted average exercise price

Weighted average share price

£0.01

£1.44

£0.01

£3.94

2009

EMI

Outstanding 
at start of year

Granted
during year

Forfeited 
in year

Exercised
during the year

Outstanding
at end of year

Number of opti ons

Weighted average exercise price

Weighted average share price

Unapproved scheme (est. 2007)

Number of opti ons

Weighted average exercise price

Weighted average share price

LTIP

Number of opti ons

Weighted average exercise price

Weighted average share price

344,932

£0.01

£2.23

107,863

£0.01

£1.86

2,551,743

£0.01

£1.45

–

–

–

50,000

£0.01

£1.86

–

–

–

(4,000)

£0.01

£1.82

(1,427)

£0.01

£2.50

339,505

£0.01

£2.23

–

–

–

–

–

–

(50,000)

107,863

£0.01

£1.86

£0.01

£1.86

(39,325)

2,512,418

£0.01

£1.78

£0.01

£1.44

17,926 of the EMI opti ons, and 170,423 of the LTIP opti ons had vested and were exercisable from 30 June 2010. No Unapproved 
Scheme opti ons were exercisable at 30 June 2010.   

The exercise price of opti ons outstanding at 30 June 2010 was £0.01 and the weighted average remaining contractual life was
4.6 years.  

Each model has slightly diff erent exercise criteria and therefore separate valuati on models were used.  

51

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

52

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

25. Share based payments conti nued
EMI Scheme 
The EMI scheme was used to issue opti ons to staff  on 24 July 2007 at an exercise price of 1p. The new opti ons are issued 
for 10 years with 25% vesti ng at the end of years 3, 4, 5 and 6. Those staff  who had previously held unvested opti ons in 
the former parent company at the ti me of the de-merger were given a shorter vesti ng period for these new opti ons. There 
are no performance criteria associated with these opti ons and are exercisable as long as the opti on holder remains an employee 
of the Company. 

The weighted average inputs to the Black-Scholes model are as follows:  

Share price at date of Grant  
Weighted average exercise price  
Expected volati lity  
Expected Life  
Risk free rate 
Expected dividend yield  

£2.16 
£0.01 
35%
4 years
 5.5%
1%

Expected volati lity was determined by calculati ng the actual volati lity of the Group’s share price since fl otati on. The expected 
life used in the model has been adjusted, based on management’s best esti mate, for the eff ects of non-transferability, exercise 
restricti ons, and behavioural considerati ons.

Unapproved Scheme (est. 2007)
The unapproved scheme was established during 2007. The opti ons are issued for 10 years with 25% vesti ng at the end of 
years 3, 4, 5 and 6 (with the excepti on of one former employee who had the ability to exercise in April 2009). There are no 
performance criteria associated with these opti ons and are exercisable as long as the opti on holder remains with the Company.

The weighted average inputs to the Black-Scholes model are as follows:

Share price at date of Grant  
Weighted average exercise price  
Expected volati lity  
Expected Life  
Risk free rate  
Expected dividend yield  

£1.86 
£0.01 
35% 
3 years 
5.5% 
1%   

Expected volati lity was determined by calculati ng the actual volati lity of the Group’s share price since fl otati on. The expected 
life used in the model has been adjusted, based on management’s best esti mate, for the eff ects of non-transferability, exercise 
restricti ons, and behavioural considerati ons. 

Unapproved Scheme (est. 2010) 
The unapproved scheme was established in March 2010. The opti ons are issued for 10 years with 33% vesti ng at the end of years 
3, 4 and 5. In order for the vesti ng conditi ons to be met the market value of the shares must be £10.00 or more per share for a 
consecuti ve period of six months. 

The weighted average inputs to the Black-Scholes model are as follows:  

Share price at date of Grant  
Weighted average exercise price  
Expected volati lity  
Expected Life  
Risk free rate  
Expected dividend yield  

£4.33 
£0.01 
21% 
3 years 
2.1% 
1%   

Expected volati lity was determined by calculati ng the actual volati lity of the Group’s share price since fl otati on. The expected 
life used in the model has been adjusted, based on management’s best esti mate, for the eff ects of non-transferability, exercise 
restricti ons, and behavioural considerati ons. 

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Long Term Incenti ve Plan 
The LTIP has been established by the Company with approval from the Remunerati on Committ ee to reward and incenti vise the 
Executi ve Directors and senior managers of the Company. 

The LTIP allocati ons are in separate sub funds within the EBT and are subject to a discreti onary Trust. The shares are subject to 
automati c  revocati on if certain criteria (set out below) are not met and conti nue to be revocable for the enti re Trust period.

One additi onal grant was made during the year to a senior manager of 250,000 opti ons split across the three categories. 
The exercise criteria of this grant is consistent with the criteria of the existi ng LTIP scheme. 

The allocati ons into the LTIP vary for each executi ve. The total allocati on to each executi ve is split into three separate tranches:

i) The Core Tranche   
This element of the grant becomes exercisable in 7 equal instalments. The fi rst instalment was exercisable on grant and the 
second on 30 June 2008. The remaining 5 are yearly thereaft er. 

ii) The Excepti onal Achievement Tranche 
This element of the grant was amended during the year. Originally, these opti ons were only exercisable if the average market 
value of the share exceeded £5 for a consecuti ve period of six months prior to 30 June 2010. Given the unprecedented market 
conditi ons over the previous year, the remunerati on committ ee considered that whilst the executi ves had performed well and 
that the share price had outperformed the FTSE 100 and AIM all share index since the LTIPs were granted, the target set in the 
LTIP rules may sti ll not be achieved.  

In May 2010 the remunerati on committ ee agreed to extend the target date to 31 December 2010 and that the six month average 
target price should be increased £5.50. 

iii) The Extraordinary Achievement Tranche 
This element of the grant is only exercisable if the Market Value of a Share exceeds £10 for a consecuti ve period of six months 
before 30 June 2013. 

Number of opti ons:

Executi ve Directors

Senior managers

Core

Excepti onal

Extraordinary

Total

 1,153,635 

 125,000 

 1,278,635 

 679,570 

 62,500 

 742,070 

 679,213 

 62,500 

 741,713 

 2,512,418 

 250,000 

 2,762,418

The Core Tranche has been modelled using the Black-Scholes model while the Excepti onal and Extraordinary Tranches have been 
modelled using the Monte-Carlo model, allowing for the market-based performance conditi ons.

The weighted average inputs to both models are as follows: 

Share price at date of Grant  
Weighted average exercise price  
Expected volati lity  
Expected Life  
Risk free rate  
Expected dividend yield  

£1.67 
£0.01 
34% 
5 years 
5.1% 
1%   

Expected volati lity was determined by calculati ng the actual volati lity of the Group’s share price since fl otati on and also taking 
into account historic volati lity of other companies within the same sector who have been listed for longer periods. The expected 
life used in the model has been adjusted, based on management’s best esti mate, for the eff ects of non-transferability, exercise 
restricti ons, and behavioural considerati ons.

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

54

Notes to the Accounts Conti nued

26. Obligati ons under fi nance leases 
Leasing arrangements 
Finance leases relate to capital equipment with lease terms of 5 years. The Group has the opti on to purchase the equipment for a 
nominal value at the conclusion of the lease agreement. The Group’s obligati ons under fi nance leases are secured by the lessor’s 
ti tle to the leased assets. 

Finance lease liabiliti es 

No later than one year

Later than 1 year no later than 5 years

Less future fi nance charge

Minimum lease payments

Present value of lease payments

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

299

220

519

(37)

482

455

518

973

(90)

883

269

213

482

–

482

402

481

883

–

883

30 June 2010
£’000

30 June 2009
£’000

Included in the fi nancial statements as:

Current borrowings

Non-current borrowings

Present value of minimum lease payments

269

213

482

27. Obligati ons under operati ng leases 
The Group’s future aggregate minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operati ng leases are as follows: 

No later than one year

Within 1 to 5 years

Aft er 5 years

30 June 2010

30 June 2009

Land &
buildings
£’000

345

874

860

2,079

Other
£’000

–

–

–

–

Land &
buildings
£’000

345

954

1,125

2,424

402

481

883

Other
£’000

8

–

–

8

Operati ng lease commitments principally relate to leased offi  ce space of the Group’s head offi  ce located at 74 Rivington 
Street, London. 

The total of future sub-lease payments expected to be received under non-cancellable sub leases at 30 June 2010 is £100,000 
over 2 years (as at 30 June 2009: £150,000 over 3 years).

28. Capital commitments
At 30 June 2010, Avanti  Space Limited had contracted for satellite expenditure totalling £22.9million which has yet to be 
paid. £5.4 million is refl ected in the year end creditor balance. Part of the total price, amounti ng to €10.6 million, is due to 
be paid directly from the European Space Agency (ESA) to the satellite contractor, Astrium EADS Limited and €12.5 million to 
Arianespace thereby reducing the commitment due directly from the Group.

Avanti  Hylas 2 limited has contracted for satellite expenditure totalling $162.6 million.

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Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

29. Related party transacti ons and directors’ emoluments 
Transacti ons with Directors – Group 
Details of the Directors’ remunerati on are set out below in aggregate for each of the categories specifi ed in the Companies 
Act 2006.  

Salaries and other short term employee benefi ts

Post employment benefi ts

30 June 2010

30 June 2009

693

196

889

741

43

784

Pension contributi ons amounti ng to £196,000 (2009: £43,000) were made into personal pension schemes in respect of four 
(2009: four) of the Directors. 

The emoluments of the highest paid Director totalled £255,000 (2009: £256,000), made up of:

Total emoluments

Salaries and other short term benefi ts

Post employment benefi ts

Total emoluments

30 June 2010

30 June 2009

151

104

255

236

20

256

Transacti ons with Directors and key management personnel – Group and company 
Details of the remunerati on of Directors and key management personnel are set out below in aggregate for each of the 
categories specifi ed in IAS 24 “Related Party Disclosures”. 

Salaries and other short term 
employee benefi ts

Post employment benefi ts

Share based payments

Group

Company

30 June 2010

30 June 2009

30 June 2010

30 June 2009

1,053

265

474

1,792

1,051

115

429

1,595

255

–

19

274

264

–

32

296

Other related party transacti ons 
Subsidiaries 
Intra-group transacti ons are eliminated on consolidati on and are not reported in the group accounts. Transacti ons between the 
company and its management fee charged to: 

Avanti  Communicati ons Limited (‘ACL’)

Avanti  Broadband Limited (‘ABL’)

Avanti  Space Limited (‘ASL’)

Avanti  (NI) Limited

Avanti  Caledonian Broadband Limited

30 June 2010

30 June 2009

688

1,368

1,212

1,172

784

5,224

610

1,158

719

186

1,091

3,764

30. Conti ngent liabiliti es
The Group’s bankers have provided guarantees totalling £7 million to certain customers in the event of a failure to operati onally 
deploy the HYLAS satellite. The group has arranged launch and in-orbit insurance on HYLAS.

31. Post balance sheet events
On 26 November 2010 the Group successfully launched HYLAS 1.

The Group received £70,000,000 on 30 July 2010 in payment for the 16,279,070 shares issued on 12 July 2010. This is discussed 
further in the fi nance and operati ng review on page 13. 

In additi on, on 30 July 2010 the Group repaid its long term loan carried at £49,398,000. The loan was repaid earlier than 
scheduled as the Group wanted to avoid further interest charges. On sett lement, the Group repaid £53,606,000 including 
interest and an early repayment penalty of £2,300,000.

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

56

Noti ce of Annual General Meeti ng

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Noti ce is hereby given that the Annual General Meeti ng of the Company for 2010 will be held on 23 December 2010 at 9.00 am at 
74 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3AY, for the following purposes:

Ordinary business
To consider and, if thought fi t pass the following resoluti ons which will be proposed as ordinary resoluti ons:

1. 

To receive the accounts for the year ended 30 June 2010, together with the reports of the Directors and Auditors therein.

2. 

To re-elect David Williams as a Director of the Company.

3. 

To re-elect John Brackenbury as a Director of the Company.

4. 

To re-elect Alan Foster as a Director of the Company.

5. 

To re-elect PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditors to the Company.

6. 

To authorise the Directors to determine the remunerati on of the auditors.

Special business
 To consider and, if thought fi t pass the following resoluti ons of which 7 will be proposed as an ordinary resoluti on and 8 will be 
proposed as a special resoluti on: 

7.  

 That the Directors are generally and unconditi onally authorised pursuant to secti on 551 of the Companies Act 2006 (The Act”) 
(in substi tuti on for all or such existi ng authoriti es which are hereby revoked) to allot shares in the Company, and grant rights to 
subscribe for or to convert any security into shares of the Company (such shares, and rights to subscribe for or to convert any 
security into shares of the Company being “relevant securiti es”) at such ti mes and to such persons, on such terms and in such 
manner as they think fi t, up to an aggregate nominal amount of £60,000, and unless previously renewed, revoked, varied or 
extended, this authority shall expire at the earlier of the date which is 18 months from the date of the passing of this resoluti on 
and the conclusion of the next annual general meeti ng of the Company except that the Company may at any ti me before such 
expiry make an off er or agreement which would or might require relevant securiti es to be allott ed aft er such expiry and the 
Directors may allot relevant securiti es in pursuance of such an off er or agreement as if this authority had not expired.

Special resoluti ons
8.  

 That, in substi tuti on for any equivalent authoriti es and powers granted to the Directors prior to the passing of this 
resoluti on, the Directors be and they are hereby empowered pursuant to secti on 570(1) of the Act to allot equity securiti es 
(as defi ned in secti on 560(1) of the Act) of the Company wholly for cash pursuant to the authority of the Directors under 
secti on 551 of the Act conferred by resoluti on 7 above, and/or where such an allotment consti tutes an allotment of equity 
securiti es by virtue of secti on 560(2) of the Act, as if secti on 561(1) of the Act did not apply to such allotment provided that 
the power conferred by this resoluti on shall be limited to:

(a) 

 the allotment of equity securiti es in connecti on with an invitati on or off er of equity securiti es to the holders of ordinary shares 
in the capital of the Company (excluding any shares held by the Company as treasury shares (as defi ned in secti on 724(5) of the 
Act)) on a fi xed record date in proporti on (as nearly as practi cable) to their respecti ve holdings of such shares or in accordance 
with the rights att ached to such shares (but subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem 
necessary or expedient in relati on to fracti onal enti tlements or as a result of legal or practi cal problems under the laws of, or 
the requirements of any regulatory body or any stock exchange in any territory or otherwise howsoever); 

(b) 

 the allotment of equity securiti es pursuant to the exercise of any opti ons granted by the Company at the date of this 
resoluti on; and 

(c) 

 the allotment, otherwise than pursuant to paragraph (a) above, of equity securiti es up to an aggregate nominal value equal 
to £60,000, and unless previously renewed, revoked, varied or extended, and unless previously renewed, revoked, varied or 
extended this power shall expire on the earlier of the date which is 18 months from the date of the passing of this resoluti on 
and the conclusion of the next annual general meeti ng of the Company except that the Company may before the expiry of 
this power make an off er or agreement which would or might require equity securiti es to be allott ed aft er such expiry and 
the Directors may allot equity securiti es in pursuance of such off er or agreement as if this power had not expired.

By Order of the Board

Nigel Fox
Secretary

Registered offi  ce: 74 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3AY

Registered number: 6133927 
30 November 2010

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Notes to Noti ce of Annual General Meeti ng

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

1. Proxies
A member who is enti tled to att end, speak and vote at the Annual General Meeti ng may appoint a proxy to att end, speak and 
vote instead of him. A proxy need not be a member of the Company but must att end the meeti ng in order to represent you. 
A member may appoint more than one proxy provided each proxy is appointed to exercise rights att ached to diff erent shares 
(so a member must have more than one share to be able to appoint more than one proxy). A Form of Proxy accompanies this 
document. The notes to the Form of Proxy include instructi ons on how to appoint the Chairman of the Annual General Meeti ng 
or another person as a proxy and how to appoint a proxy electronically. To be valid the Form of Proxy must reach the Company’s 
registrar, Neville Registrars at Neville House, 18 Laurel Lane, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 3DA by at least 48 hours before the 
Annual General Meeti ng.

2. Documents on display
The following documents are available for inspecti on at the registered offi  ce of the Company during the usual business hours 
on any weekday (Saturday, Sunday or public holidays excluded) from the date of this noti ce unti l the conclusion of the Annual 
General Meeti ng and will also be available for inspecti on at the place of the Annual General Meeti ng from 9:30 a.m. on the day of 
the Annual General Meeti ng unti l its conclusion:

(a) 

 copies of the executi ve directors’ service contracts with the Company and any of its subsidiary undertakings and lett ers of 
appointment of the non-executi ve directors; and 

(b) 

the Register of Directors’ Interests in the share capital of the Company.

3. Right to att  end and vote
The Company, pursuant to Regulati on 41 of the Uncerti fi cated Securiti es Regulati ons 2001, specifi es that only those shareholders 
registered in the register of members of the Company at 9.00 a.m. on 21 December 2010 (or, if the Annual General Meeti ng is 
adjourned, 2 working days before the ti me fi xed for the adjourned Annual General Meeti ng) shall be enti tled to att end and vote 
at the Annual General Meeti ng in respect of the number of shares registered in their name at that ti me. In each case, changes 
to the register of members aft er such ti me shall be disregarded in determining the rights of any person to att end or vote at the 
Annual General Meeti ng.

4. Please note that communicati ons regarding the matt ers set out in this Noti ce of Annual General Meeti ng will not be accepted 
in electronic form, other than as specifi ed in the accompanying Form of Proxy. 

5. A member that is a company or other organisati on not having a physical presence cannot att end in person but can appoint 
someone to represent it. This can be done in one of two ways: either by the appointment of a proxy (described in Note 1 above) 
or of a corporate representati ve. Members considering the appointment of a corporate representati ve should check their own 
legal positi on, the Company’s arti cles of associati on and the relevant provision of the Companies Act 2006. 

Introducti on
Aft er his opening remarks, the Chairman will explain in the detail the procedures for the conduct of the meeti ng, parti cularly for 
asking questi ons. The resoluti ons which are set out in the Noti ce of Meeti ng will then be put to the meeti ng.

How to ask questi ons
At the meeti ng, shareholders will be given the opportunity to ask questi ons. Please explain the nature of your questi on and give 
your name and address. You may be asked to wait unti l called upon to speak. Please remember to state your name before asking 
your questi on.

Time
The doors will open at 8.30 am and the meeti ng will start promptly at 9.00 am.

Cameras, tape recorders etc.
No cameras, video recorders, tape recorders or mobile phones will be allowed into the meeti ng.

Registrati on
To ensure your entrance to the meeti ng is dealt with promptly, please bring your att endance card with you and register at the 
registrati on desk inside the building.

Shareholder informati on
If you have any questi ons concerning your shareholding, please speak to Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc staff .

Important
If you have questi ons about the meeti ng, or if you need any assistance, please telephone Georgina Campbell-Harris at Avanti  
Communicati ons Group plc on 0207 749 1600 during normal working hours.

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Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

58

Notes to Noti ce of Annual General Meeti ng conti nued

Analysis of Shareholders

Range of holdings

Less than 10,001

10,001-20,000

20,001-50,000

50,001-100,000

100,001-150,000

150,000-300,000

301,000-500,000

500,001-1,000,000

1,000,001 +

Financial Calendar
23 December 2010
Annual General Meeti ng

Number of shares

Number of shareholders

3,523,575

1,122,508

1,996,122

2,660,027

2,308,961

5,709,797

6,551,173

10,384,492

50,694,480

1,941

74

63

37

19

25

17

16

16

February 2011
Interim results for the six months ended 31 December 2010

September 2011
Preliminary results for the year ended 30 June 2011

Shareholder informati on
Annual General Meeti ng
The Annual General Meeti ng will be held at 74 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3AY.

Details of the resoluti ons to be proposed at the Annual General Meeti ng are contained in the Noti ce of Annual General Meeti ng 
on page 56.

Dividend
The Directors have not recommended the payment of a dividend for the year ended 30 June 2010.

Listi ng
Ordinary shares of Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc are traded on AIM.

The share price is available from the Avanti  website at www.avanti plc.com and in The Financial Times and The Times.

Registrars
All administrati ve enquiries relati ng to shareholdings should be directed to The Registrar, Neville Registrars Limited, Neville 
House, 18 Laurel Lane, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 3BR.

Avanti ’s services
Informati on about Avanti ’s services can be found at www.avanti plc.com

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✂
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Form of Proxy for Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 6133927) (the ‘Company’)

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

For use by holders of ordinary shares of 1p each in the Company (the ‘Shareholders’) at the annual general meeti ng of the 
Company to be held at 74 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3AY at 9.00 am on 23 December 2010 (the ‘AGM’). Please read the Noti ce 
of AGM and associated notes.

I/We*

of

being Shareholder(s)* enti tled to att end and vote at meeti ngs of Shareholders, hereby appoint the Chairman of the AGM †

as my/our proxy to att end, speak and vote for me/us and on my/our behalf at the AGM and at any adjournment thereof in relati on 
to the resoluti ons specifi ed in the noti ce of the AGM dated 1 December 2010 (the “Resoluti ons”) and any other business (including 
adjournments and amendments to the Resoluti ons) which may properly come before the AGM or any adjournment thereof.

† If it is desired to appoint some other person to be your proxy: 
(i)  delete ‘the Chairman of the AGM’;
(ii) 
(iii) 

initi al the alterati on; and 
insert the full name, ti tle and address of the person you wish to appoint as your proxy IN BLOCK CAPITALS.

* Delete as appropriate.

Please indicate with an ‘X’ in the appropriate space how you wish your proxy to vote on the Resoluti ons set out in the Noti ce.

Ordinary Resoluti ons

For

Against

Vote 
withheld 
(note 2)

Discreti onary 
(note 2)

To receive the accounts for the year ended 30 June 2010, 
together with the reports of the Directors and Auditors therein.

To re-elect David Williams as a Director of the Company.

To re-elect John Brackenbury as a Director of the Company. 

To re-elect Alan Foster as a Director of the Company.

To re-elect PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditors to the Company.

To authorise the directors to allot relevant securiti es.

   To authorise the Directors to determine the remunerati on of the auditors.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Special Resoluti ons

8

To disapply the statutory pre-empti on rights in certain circumstances.

Number of shares: 

Class of shares:

This proxy appointment is one of a multi ple proxy appointment (Note 4)

Dates: 

Signed: 

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Avanti Communications Group plc

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

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1.  Only holders of ordinary shares of 1p each in the capital of 
the Company are entitled to attend, speak and vote at the 
AGM and may appoint one or more proxies to attend, speak 
and vote instead of them. 

2.  Please indicate by inserting an “X” in the appropriate box 

how you wish your vote to be cast on the Resolutions. If you 
mark the box “vote withheld” it will mean that your proxy 
will abstain from voting and, accordingly, your vote will not 
be counted either for or against the relevant resolution. If 
you mark the box “discretionary” or fail to select any of the 
given options, the proxy can vote as he or she chooses or 
can decide not to vote at all.

3.  If the proxy is being appointed for less than your full 

entitlement, please indicate above your signature the 
number and class of shares in relation to which that person is 
authorised to act as your proxy. If left blank, your proxy will be 
deemed to be authorised in respect of your full entitlement.

4.  A member may appoint more than one proxy provided each 
proxy is appointed to exercise rights attached to different 
shares (so a member must have more than one share to be 
able to appoint more than one proxy). A separate form of 
proxy must be deposited for each proxy appointed. Further 
copies of this form may be obtained by contacting Neville 
Registrars Limited between 9.00am and 5.00pm (London time) 
Monday to Friday on 0121 585 1131 from within the UK or 
+44 121 585 1131 if calling from outside the UK or you may 
photocopy this form. If you appoint multiple proxies, please 
indicate above your signature the number and class of shares in 
relation to which the person named on this form is authorised 
to act as your proxy. Please also indicate by ticking the box 
provided if the proxy instruction is one of multiple instructions 
being given. All forms must be signed and returned to Neville 
Registrars Limited, Neville House, 18 Laurel Lane, Halesowen, 
West Midlands B63 3DA together in the same envelope. 
Where multiple proxies are appointed, failure to specify the 
number of shares to which this proxy appointment relates, or 
specifying a number which exceeds the number held by the 
member when totalled with the number specified on other 
proxy appointments by the same member, will render all 
appointments invalid.

5.  To be valid, this form of proxy together with any power of 
attorney or other authority under which it is signed or a 
notarially certified copy of such power or authority must reach 
the Company’s registrars, Neville Registrars Limited, Neville 
House, 18 Laurel Lane, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 3DA 
by no later than 48 hours before the time of the AGM (or if 
the AGM is adjourned, 48 hours before the time fixed for the 
adjourned AGM). 

6.  The appointment of a proxy will not preclude a member from 
attending the AGM and voting in person but if he or she does 
so this proxy appointment will terminate automatically.

7.  In the case of a company, this form of proxy must be executed 
under the common seal or signed on its behalf by an officer or 
attorney of the company.

8.  In the case of joint holders, the proxy appointment of the 

most senior holder will be accepted to the exclusion of any 
appointments by the other joint holders. For this purpose, 
seniority is determined by the order in which the names are 
stated in the register of members of the Company in respect 
of the joint holding.

9.  Any alterations made to this form of proxy should be initialled.

10. A member wishing to change his or her proxy instructions 

should submit a new proxy appointment using the methods set 
out in note 4 above. A member who requires another form of 
proxy should contact Neville Registrars Limited, Neville House, 
18 Laurel Lane, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 3DA. The time 
limits for proxy appointments in note 5 also apply to changes to 
proxy instructions. Any change to proxy instructions received 
after that time will be disregarded. If a member submits more 
than one valid proxy appointment, the appointment received 
last before the time limit in note 3 will take precedence.

11. A member wishing to revoke his or her proxy appointment 
should do so by sending a notice to that effect to the 
Company’s registrars to the address set out in note 5. The 
revocation notice must be received by the Company’s registrars 
by the time limit set out in note 5. Subject to note 6, any 
revocation notice received after this time will not have effect.

12. Please note that communications regarding the matters set out 
in this form of proxy will not be accepted in electronic form.

Please return to the following address in the envelope supplied:

Neville Registrars Limited
Neville House
18 Laurel Lane
Halesowen
West Midlands
B63 3BR

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01/12/2010   14:20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We sell wholesale satellite 
broadband to service providers.

“For a young company to have two satellites fully fi nanced with 
no debt service payments for another two years gives me great 
comfort that we are in control of our own desti ny.”

Chairman
John Brackenbury CBE

 Chairman’s Statement, page 8

“The successful launch and the bringing into use of our 
spectrum undoubtedly creates the signifi cant value we 
have been projecti ng for many years.”

 Chief Executi ve’s Report, page 9

Chief Executi ve
David Williams

“In July 2010, the company announced a further placing of 
16.3 million shares at 430 pence yielding gross proceeds of 
£70 million… £54 million was used to repay the PIK bond the 
company raised in July 2007”

 Finance and Operati ng Review, page 12

Group Finance Director
Nigel Fox

 Highlights

 Business Profi le

 The Year in Review

    Chairman’s Statement

    Chief Executi ve’s Statement

    Finance and Operati ng Review

 Governance

    Board of Directors

    Employees

    Corporate Social Responsibility

    Directors’ Report 

    Corporate Governance Report

01

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08

08

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12

16

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26

 Financial Statements

    Independent Auditors’ Report

    Consolidated Income Statement

    Consolidated Statement of 
    Comprehensive Income

    Consolidated Statement of Financial Positi on

    Company Statement of Financial Positi on

    Statement of Cash Flows

    Statements of Changes in Equity 

    Notes to the Financial Statements

 Shareholder Informati on

    Noti ce of Annual General Meeti ng

    Form of Proxy

    Offi  cers and Professional Advisers

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Offi  cers and Professional Advisers

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2010

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc

Bankers
HSBC Bank Plc
70 Pall Mall
London
SW1Y 5EZ

Solicitors
Osborne Clark
2 Temple Black East
Temple Quay
Bristol
BS1 6EG

Registered Auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
1 Embankment Place
London 
WC2N 6RHT

Directors
F E J G Brackenbury CBE
Chairman

D J Williams
Chief Executi ve

D J Bestwick
Chief Technology Offi  cer

N A D Fox 
Group Finance Director

M J O’Connor
Chief Operati ng Offi  cer

D A Foster 
Non-Executi ve Director

W P Wyatt   
Non-Executi ve Director

C R Vos
Non-Executi ve Director

I C Taylor MBE
Non-Executi ve Director

Secretary
N A D Fox

Registered Offi  ce
74 Rivington Street
London
EC2A 3AY

Company Number
6133927

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01/12/2010   09:10
01/12/2010   09:35

 
 
 
 
 
Avanti Communications Group plc 
Avanti Communications Group plc 
Avanti Communications Group plc 
Avanti Communications Group plc 

74 Rivington Street
74 Rivington Street
74 Rivington Street
74 Rivington Street
London EC2A 3AY
London EC2A 3AY
London EC2A 3AY
London EC2A 3AY

Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1600
Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1600
Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1600
Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1600
www.avantiplc.com
www.avantiplc.com
www.avantiplc.com
www.avantiplc.com

Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc
Avanti  Communicati ons Group plc
Annual Report & Accounts 2010
Annual Report & Accounts 2010
Annual Report & Accounts 2010
Annual Report & Accounts 2010

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