Cambium Networks (CMBM) Risk Factors

The wireless broadband market is generally characterized by rapidly evolving technology, changing needs of network operators, evolving regulations and industry standards and frequent introductions of new products and services. Historically, new product introductions have been a key driver of our revenue growth. To succeed, we must effectively anticipate and adapt in a timely manner to network operator requirements and changing standards and regulatory requirements and continue to develop or acquire new products and features that meet market demands, technology trends and evolving regulatory requirements and industry standards. Our new product development may also be driven by component shortages that may require us to redesign our products. Our ability to keep pace with technological developments, satisfy increasing network operator requirements, and achieve product acceptance depends upon our ability to enhance our current products and develop and introduce or otherwise acquire the rights to new products on a timely basis and at competitive prices. The process of developing new technology is complex and uncertain and can take time to develop as well as to perfect once released. The development of new products and enhancements typically requires significant upfront investment, which may not result in material improvements to existing products or result in marketable new products or cost savings or revenues for an extended period of time, if at all. Network operators have delayed, and may in the future delay, purchases of our products while awaiting release of new products or product enhancements. In addition, the introduction of new or enhanced products requires that we carefully manage the transition from older products to minimize disruption in channel partner ordering practices and maintain compatibility between older and newer versions of our products. If we fail to anticipate industry trends and evolving regulations by developing or acquiring rights to new products or product enhancements and timely and effectively introducing such new products and enhancements, or network operators do not perceive our products to have compelling technological advantages, our business would be adversely affected.

The markets for our products, including FWB and Enterprise solutions, are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change. We compete in a wide range of related categories, each with its set of competitors worldwide that vary in size and in the products and solutions offered. We expect competition to persist, intensify and increase in the future. In all our markets, we compete with a number of wireless equipment providers worldwide that vary in size and in the products and solutions offered. Some of the competitors in our markets include the following: - Our competitors for products and solutions for unlicensed wireless broadband in the sub-7GHz spectrum bands include Ubiquiti, Tarana, Airspan, Radwin, MikroTik, Ligowave, and HFCL Group. Competitors in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band, the Citizens Broadband Radio Service in FCC-governed markets, include Airspan, but also Ericsson, Nokia, Baicells, and Telrad. Our cnWave 60 GHz mmWave point-to-point and point-to-multi-point products compete with Ubiquiti, MikroTik, Siklu, Adtran, and Edgecore. - Our competitors in the licensed point-to-point microwave market include Aviat Networks, Ceragon, SIAE, NEC, and SAF Technica, among others. Our cnWave 5G fixed (28 GHz) products compete with Intracom, Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung. - Our home Wi-Fi routers are offered to subscribers by our fixed wireless service provider customers. These devices compete with all consumer-grade, home Wi-Fi brands. - Our cnReach narrowband fixed wireless IoT products and solutions compete principally with GE MDS and Freewave. - Our enterprise network edge solutions, which include Wi-Fi, cnMatrix ethernet switching, and Network Services Edge (NSE) products compete with a wide range of competitors, in some cases the competitor competing with two or more of our products. Ruckus (CommScope), Ubiquiti, Meraki (Cisco), Extreme Networks, Aruba (HPE), Fortinet, Mist (Juniper), and Ruiji, are competitors to our Wi-Fi Access Point portfolio. Our cnMatrix wireless aware ethernet switch platform competes with Ubiquiti, MikroTik, Cisco, and HPE, among others. Our cnMaestro X network management solution competes with each competitive manufacturers' management platform at a device-level, but also with system-level solutions developed in-house, or commercial solutions. As our target markets continue to develop and expand, and as the technology for wireless broadband continues to evolve, we expect competition to increase. Demand for our solutions versus those of our competitors is influenced by a variety of factors, including the following: - Product quality, performance, features and functionality, and reliability;- Depth and breadth of the sales channel;- Brand awareness and reputation;- Integration of intelligence into the product including the introduction of generative artificial intelligence tools or technology;- Total cost of ownership and return on investment associated with the products;- Ease of configuration, installation and use of the products;- Ability to provide a complete compatible and scalable solution;- Broad application across a range of use cases;- Ability to allow centralized management of the products and network to better enable network planning, including scalable provisioning, configuration, monitoring and complete network visualization; and - Strength, quality and scale of pre- and post-sales product support. We expect increased competition from our current competitors, as well as emerging companies and established companies that may enter our markets. Further, we have in the past and may again experience price competition from lower cost vendors selling to network operators that have lower budget or less demanding applications than our products have been designed to serve. We also expect that even higher cost competitors may engage in price competition to establish greater market share, which may adversely affect our ability to grow our revenues and profitability. Competition could result in loss of market share, increased pricing pressure, reduced profit margins, or increased sales and marketing expense, any of which would likely cause serious harm to our business, operating results or financial condition. A number of our current or potential competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition, significantly larger customer bases and sales channels and significantly greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources than we do. Our competitors may be able to anticipate, influence or adapt more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in network operator requirements, devote greater resources to the promotion and sale of their products and services, initiate or withstand substantial price competition, bundle similar products to compete, take advantage of acquisitions or other opportunities more readily, and develop and expand their product and service offerings more quickly than we can. Some of our competitors have been acquired or entered into partnerships or other strategic relationships and offer a more comprehensive solution than they had previously offered. We expect this trend to continue. The companies resulting from such consolidation may create more compelling products and be able to offer greater pricing flexibility, making it more difficult for us to compete effectively. In addition, continued industry consolidation might adversely affect network operators' perceptions of the viability of smaller and even medium-sized wireless broadband equipment providers and, consequently, their willingness to purchase from those companies. Additionally, the markets for development, distribution and sale of our products are rapidly evolving. New entrants seeking to gain market share by introducing new technology and new products may make it more difficult for us to sell our products, and could create increased pricing pressure, reduced profit margins due to increased expenditure on sales and marketing, or the loss of market share or expected market share, any of which may significantly harm our business, operating results and financial condition. Competitive pressures may also result from increased political tensions globally, and our ability to manufacture products meeting country of origin or country of manufacture requirements increasingly imposed by countries or end users. We may be unable to easily meet these location of manufacture requirements, which may adversely impact our ability to compete with other competitors who can. The success of new products depends on several factors, including appropriate new product definition, component costs, timely completion and introduction of products, differentiation of new products from those of our competitors and market acceptance of these products. We may not be able to successfully anticipate or adapt to changing technology on a timely basis, or at all. New technologies could render our existing products less attractive and if such technologies are widely adopted as the industry standard for wireless Internet service providers, our business financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially adversely affected.

We maintain limited inventory of finished goods and, to a lesser extent, raw materials and forecast demand from our third-party manufacturers in amounts that we believe are sufficient to allow timely fulfillment of sales, subject to the impact of supply shortages. Growth in our sales and new product launches may require us to build inventory in the future. Higher levels of inventory expose us to a greater risk of carrying excess or obsolete inventory, which may in turn lead to write-downs. We may also record write-downs in connection with the end-of-life for specific products. Our distributors may increase levels of inventory to meet supply shortages or expected demand; if demand decreases in future period, we may end up with excess channel inventory, leading to reductions in future period orders from our distributors. We endeavor to obtain information on inventory levels and sales data from our distributors. This information has been generally difficult to obtain in a timely manner, and we cannot always be certain that the information is reliable. If we over forecast demand, we may build excess inventory, incur increased costs to our suppliers for excess demand, and we may not be able to decrease our expenses in time to offset any shortfall in revenues, which could harm our ability to achieve or sustain expected results of operations and could lead to increased excess and obsolescence reserves, such as recently experienced. If we under forecast demand, our ability to fulfill sales orders will be compromised and sales to distributors may be deferred or lost altogether, which may impair our distributor relationships, would reduce our revenues and could harm our ability to achieve or sustain expected results of operations. Decisions to increase or maintain higher inventory levels are typically based upon uncertain forecasts or other assumptions. Because the markets in which we compete are volatile, competitive and subject to rapid technology and price changes, if the assumptions on which we base these decisions turn out to be incorrect, our financial performance could suffer and we have in the past and could in the future be required to write-off the value of excess products or components inventory. In addition, in order to manage manufacturing lead times and help ensure adequate component supply, we enter into agreements with contract manufacturers and suppliers that allow them to procure inventory based upon criteria as defined by us, such as forecasted demand. We may be liable to purchase excess product or aged material from our suppliers following reasonable mitigation efforts, resulting in an adverse impact on our cash flows, operating expenses, results of operation and financial condition. In the fourth quarter of 2023 we recorded significant charges due to excess and obsolete inventory and commitments to our suppliers. If we are unable to manage our inventory or commitments to suppliers in the future, particularly in light of continuing excess inventory in the channel, we could be required to record additional charges, which would adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

There is an increasing focus from regulators, certain investors, and other stakeholders concerning environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters, both in the United States and internationally. ESG-related initiatives, goals, and/or commitments such as those regarding environmental matters, diversity, responsible sourcing and social investments, and other matters, could be difficult to achieve and costly to implement. The achievement of any goals that we may announce may rely on the accuracy of our estimates and assumptions supporting those goals. We could fail to achieve, or be perceived to fail to achieve, ESG-related initiatives, goals or commitments that we might set, and the timing, scope or nature of these initiatives, goals, or commitments, or for any revisions to them may not be acceptable to the Securities Exchange Commission or other regulators or stakeholders, including our shareholders. Our actual or perceived failure to achieve any ESG-related initiatives, goals, or commitments that we make could negatively impact our reputation or otherwise materially harm our business.

On May 22, 2024, a putative shareholder class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Hamby v. Cambium Networks Corporation et al, Case No. 1:24-cv-04240) against us and three of our current or former officers. The complaint purports to assert claims under Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, Exchange Act Rule 10b-5, and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, on behalf of persons and entities who acquired our ordinary shares between May 8, 2023 and January 18, 2024, or the Class Period. The complaint alleges that, during the Class Period, the Company and certain of its executive officers made false and misleading statements and failed to disclose material adverse facts about its business, operations, and prospects in violation of Sections 10(b) (and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act. Litigation of this type could result in substantial costs and diversion of management's attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.

Our business depends on the overall demand for wireless network technology and on the economic health and general willingness of our current and prospective end-customers to make those capital commitments necessary to purchase our products. Weak domestic or global economic conditions and continuing economic uncertainty, fear or anticipation of such conditions, inflation, a recession, international trade disputes, political tensions, global pandemics, or a reduction in information technology and network infrastructure spending even if economic conditions improve, have from time to time contributed, and may continue to contribute, to slowdowns in the markets in which we compete, resulting in reduced demand for our products as a result of constraints in capital spending, longer sales cycles, increased price competition for our products including lower sales prices, risk of excess and obsolete inventories, risk of supply constraints, and higher overhead costs as a percentage of revenue and higher interest expense, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, higher default rates among our distributors, reduced unit sales and lower or no growth. If the conditions in the U.S. and global economies deteriorate, become uncertain or volatile, if inflationary pressures continue, our business, operating results and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. Economic weakness, end-customer financial difficulties, limited availability of credit and constrained capital spending have resulted, and may in the future result, in challenging and delayed sales cycles, slower adoption of new technologies and increased price competition, and could negatively impact our ability to forecast future periods, which could result in an inability to satisfy demand for our products and a loss of market share. In particular, we cannot be assured of the level of spending on wireless network technology, the deterioration of which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and growth rates. The purchase of our products or willingness to replace existing infrastructure is discretionary and highly dependent on a perception of continued rapid growth in consumer usage of mobile devices and in many cases involves a significant commitment of capital and other resources. Therefore, weak economic conditions or a reduction in capital spending would likely adversely impact our business, operating results and financial condition. A reduction in spending on wireless network technology could occur or persist even if economic conditions improve. In addition, if interest rates rise or foreign exchange rates weaken for our international customers, overall demand for our products and services could decline and related capital spending may be reduced. Furthermore, any increase in worldwide commodity prices may result in higher component prices for us and increased shipping costs, both of which may negatively impact our financial results. A downturn or a recession may also significantly affect financing markets, the availability of capital and the terms and conditions of any financing arrangements, including the overall cost of financing as well as the financial health or creditworthiness of our end customers. Circumstances may arise in which we need, or desire, to raise additional capital, and such capital may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Higher interest rates and increased inflation may reduce the ability of our channel partners to stock inventory of our product, decreasing their ability to meet customer demand leading customers to source product from our competitors, as well as reduce capital spending by end users, all of which could adversely impact our revenue, results of operations and our business. The global macroeconomic environment could be negatively affected by, among other things, epidemics, instability in global economic markets, increased U.S. trade tariffs and trade disputes between the U.S., China and other countries, inflationary pressures, higher interest rates, instability in the global credit markets, the impact and uncertainty regarding global central bank monetary policy, instability in the geopolitical environment, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, political tensions between Taiwan and China, tensions and war in the Middle East including Israel, and other countries in the Middle East and elsewhere, political demonstrations, and foreign governmental debt concerns which have caused, and are likely to continue to cause, uncertainty and instability in local economies and in global financial markets.

Our sales contracts are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars, and therefore, substantially all of our revenue is not subject to foreign currency risk; however, as a result of the strengthening U.S. dollar, there has been an increase in the cost of our products to our end customers outside of the U.S., which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, a decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could increase our product and operating costs in foreign locations. Further, a portion of our operating expenses is incurred outside the U.S., is denominated in foreign currencies and is subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. If we are not able to successfully hedge against the risks associated with the currency fluctuations, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.