IDT and Net2Phone Agree to Merger; Net2Phone Stockholders to Receive $2.05 Per Share in Cash
February 17 2006 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT, IDT.C), an international telecom,
entertainment and technology company, and Net2Phone, Inc. (NASDAQ:
NTOP), a leading Voice over IP (VoIP) enabler for service
providers, jointly announced today that they have executed a merger
agreement, dated February 17, 2006, providing for the acquisition
of Net2Phone by IDT. Under the terms and subject to conditions
described in the merger agreement, NTOP Acquisition, Inc., a
wholly-owned subsidiary of IDT, would merge with and into
Net2Phone, with Net2Phone continuing as the surviving corporation.
If the merger is consummated, each issued and outstanding share of
common stock and Class A common stock of Net2Phone, other than
shares held by IDT or its subsidiaries or as to which dissenters'
rights have been perfected, will be canceled and converted
automatically into the right to receive $2.05 in cash, without
interest. This is the same price per share paid by IDT in its
tender offer for Net2Phone common stock that expired after a
subsequent offer period on January 27, 2006, in which IDT acquired
approximately 31.6 million Net2Phone shares. Following the merger,
Net2Phone will be a privately held, wholly-owned subsidiary of IDT,
and shares of Net2Phone common stock will cease to be quoted on the
Nasdaq National Market and will be deregistered under the
Securities Exchange Act. The aggregate consideration payable in the
merger would be approximately $28.1 million. The transaction has
been approved unanimously by both the Net2Phone board of directors,
following the recommendation of the Independent Committee of the
Net2Phone board of directors, and the IDT board of directors.
During the course of its deliberations, the Independent Committee
has been advised by Kirkland & Ellis, LLP as legal advisor and
The Blackstone Group, L.P. as financial advisor. Prior to making
its determination, the Independent Committee received the opinion
of The Blackstone Group, L.P. that, as of February 16, 2006 and
subject to certain qualifications set forth in the opinion, the
consideration of $2.05 per share in cash, without interest, in the
proposed merger is fair to the holders of shares of Net2Phone's
capital stock (other than IDT and its subsidiaries) from a
financial point of view. Net2Phone expects to file solicitation
materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") to seek stockholders' written consents to approve and
adopt the merger and the merger agreement as promptly as
practicable, and expects to close the merger promptly following
receipt of the requisite stockholder approval, subject to the
closing conditions described in the merger agreement. The Net2Phone
board of directors is recommending that Net2Phone's stockholders
approve the transaction. As of February 1, 2006, Net2Phone shares
beneficially owned by IDT represented approximately 87.2% of the
voting power of Net2Phone's outstanding capital stock. IDT has
informed the Independent Committee that it intends to grant its
consent in favor of the merger agreement and the merger. The
consent of the shares controlled by IDT is sufficient under
Delaware law to adopt the merger agreement and approve the merger.
Accordingly, if the other conditions in the merger agreement are
satisfied, Net2Phone is likely to complete the merger whether or
not its remaining shareholders grant their consent. About Net2Phone
Net2Phone provides VoIP PacketCable, SIP and wireless solutions
around the world. As a leader in turn-key hosted VoIP telephony
services, Net2Phone has routed billions of VoIP minutes globally,
servicing more than 100,000 users in the US as well as hundreds of
thousands of more overseas. Net2Phone provides partners with a
SIP-based broadband telephony solution, calling cards, prefix
dialing and enterprise services in over 100 countries. Net2Phone's
PacketCable platform provides cable operators with the ability to
deliver a high quality primary line-type service with features such
as emergency calling. For more information about Net2Phone's
products and services, please visit www.net2phone.com. About IDT
IDT Corporation, through its IDT Telecom subsidiary, is a
facilities-based, multinational carrier that provides a broad range
of telecommunications services to retail and wholesale customers
worldwide. IDT Telecom, by means of its own international
telecommunications backbone and fiber optic network infrastructure,
provides its customers with integrated and competitively priced
international and domestic long distance and domestic all-distance
telephony and prepaid calling cards. IDT Corporation directly and
through its wholly-owned subsidiaries beneficially owned
approximately 64.8 million shares of Net2Phone capital stock
representing approximately 82.5% of Net2Phone's outstanding equity
interest and approximately 87.2% of Net2Phone's voting interest as
of February 1, 2006. Important Additional Information and Where to
Find It Net2Phone will file with the SEC a consent solicitation
statement, and Net2Phone and IDT will file with the SEC other
documents, regarding the proposed merger referred to in this press
release. Investors are urged to read the solicitation statement and
other relevant materials when they become available because they
will contain important information. A definitive solicitation
statement will be sent to Net2Phone stockholders seeking their
consent for the transaction. Investors may obtain a free copy of
the solicitation statement and other documents filed by Net2Phone
with the Commission at the Commission's website at www.sec.gov, or
by directing a request to: Net2Phone, Inc., 520 Broad Street,
Newark, NJ 07012, Attention: Investor Relations. Investors may also
obtain a free copy of any documents filed by IDT with the
Commission at the Commission's website at www.sec.gov, or by
directing a request to: IDT Corporation, 520 Broad Street, Newark,
NJ 07012, Attention: Investor Relations, Telephone: (973) 438-1000.
A copy of this press release will be available on IDT's website at
www.idt.net in the "About IDT" Press Releases section. Howard S.
Jonas, a director of the Company, and James A. Courter,
Vice-Chairman of the Company's board of directors, are also
directors of IDT and will be subject to Rule 13e-3 promulgated
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In addition, Net2Phone
and its other officers and directors may, under the rules of the
Commission, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of
consents in connection with the proposed merger. Investors may
obtain additional information regarding the interests of such
participants by reading the solicitation statement when it becomes
available.
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