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XDSL > SEC Filings for XDSL > Form 10-Q on 11-Feb-2013All Recent SEC Filings

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Form 10-Q for MPHASE TECHNOLOGIES INC


11-Feb-2013

Quarterly Report


ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION OF FINANCIAL CONDITIONS AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following is management's discussion and analysis of certain significant factors which have affected mPhase's financial position and should be read in conjunction with the accompanying financial statements, financial data, and the related notes.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SAFE HARBOR PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995:

Some of the statements contained in or incorporated by reference in this Form 10-Q discuss the Company's plans and strategies for its business or state other forward-looking statements, as this term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "plan," "intend," "should," "seek," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying them. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements concerning the Company's expectations regarding its working capital requirements, gross margin, results of operations, business, growth prospects, competition and other statements of expectations, beliefs, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends, and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Any forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those results expressed in or implied by the statements contained herein.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OVERVIEW

mPhase, a New Jersey corporation founded in 1996, is a publicly-held company with over 23,000 shareholders and approximately 1.5 billion shares of common stock outstanding. The Company's common stock is traded on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board under the ticker symbol XDSL. We are headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut with offices in Little Falls, NJ. mPhase shares common office space with Microphase Corporation, a privately held company. Microphase is a leader in the field of radio frequency and filtering technologies within the defense and telecommunications industry. It has been in operation for over 50 years and supports mPhase with both engineering and administrative and financial resources as needed.

mPhase is a development stage company specializing in microfluidics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology. mPhase is in the process of commercializing its first nanotechnology-enabled product for military and commercial applications - The Smart NanoBattery providing Power On Command™. The new patented and patent pending battery technology, based on the phenomenon of electrowetting, offers a unique way to store energy and manage power. Features of the Smart NanoBattery include potentially infinite shelf life, environmentally friendly design, fast ramp to power, programmable control, and direct integration with microelectronic devices.

The platform technology behind the Smart NanoBattery is a porous nanostructured material used to repel and precisely control the flow of liquids. The material has a Smart Surface that can potentially be designed for self-cleaning applications, water purification/desalination, liquid filtration/separation, and environmental cleanup.

mPhase has completed a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) grant, part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, with the U.S. Army for continued development of a reserve Smart NanoBattery for a critical computer memory application.

Since our inception in 1996 we have been a development-stage company and operating activities have related primarily to research and development, establishing third-party manufacturing relationships and developing product brand recognition among telecommunications service providers, and since July 1, 2007 we have focused primarily upon development of our smart reserve battery, and other battery and illuminator products.

Description of Operations Microfluidics, MEMS, and Nanotechnology

In February of 2004, mPhase entered the business of developing new products based on materials whose properties and behavior are controlled at the micrometer and nanometer scales. (For reference, a micrometer or micron is equal one millionth (10 -6) of a meter and a nanometer is one billionth (10 -9) of a meter - the scale of atoms and molecules. A human hair is approximately 50 microns in diameter, or 50,000 nanometers thick.) The Company has expertise and capabilities in microfluidics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and nanotechnology. Microfluidics refers to the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically micrometer scale. MEMS is the integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate through microfabrication technology. Nanotechnology is the creation of functional materials, devices and systems through control of matter (atoms and molecules) on the nanometer length scale (1-100 nanometers), and exploitation of novel phenomena and properties (physical, chemical, biological, mechanical, electrical) at that length scale. In its Smart NanoBattery, mPhase exploits the physical phenomenon of electrowetting by which a voltage is used to change the wetting properties of a liquid/solid interface at the nanometer scale. Consider water as the liquid. Through electrowetting, mPhase can change a surface from what is referred to as a hydrophobic ("water fearing") state to a hydrophilic ("water loving") state. In the hydrophobic state, the water beads up or is repelled by the surface. In the hydrophilic state, the water spreads out or is absorbed by the surface. The ability to electronically control the wetting characteristics of a surface at the nanometer scale forms the basis of mPhase's nanotechnology operations and intellectual property portfolio.


In the Smart NanoBattery application, mPhase uses electrowetting as a new technique to activate or literally "turn on" a battery once it is ready to be used for the first time. At the heart of the Smart NanoBattery is a porous, nanostructured superhydrophic or superlyophobic membrane designed and fabricated by mPhase. The so-called superhydrophobic membrane applies to water and the superlyophobic membrane applies to nonaqueous or organic liquids such as ethanol or mineral oil. The difference between the two membrane types lies in the nanoscale architecture at the surface. By virtue of its superhydrophobic or superlyophobic character, the membrane, although porous, is able to physically separate the liquid electrolyte from the solid electrodes so that the battery remains dormant or inactive, thus providing no voltage or current until called upon. This electrolyte-electrode separation gives the battery the feature of potentially unlimited shelf life and the benefit of being always ready when needed, which is not necessarily the case for conventional batteries. Electrowetting alters the liquid/membrane interface so that the liquid is now able to flow over the membrane's surface and rapidly move through the pores where it is able to contact the solid electrode materials located on the other side of the membrane.

mPhase uses MEMS to precisely control the machining of silicon-based materials at the micrometer and nanometer scales. This ability has led to the Company's proprietary membrane design that controls the wetting and movement of liquids on a solid surface. mPhase uses microfluidics to control the flow of liquid electrolyte through the porous membrane and this is also the basis for other possible applications such as self-cleaning surfaces, filtration and separation and liquid delivery systems.

History of Nanotechnology Operations Smart NanoBattery

mPhase Technologies along with Bell Labs jointly conducted research from February 2004 through April of 2007 that demonstrated control and manipulation of fluids on superhydrophobic and superlyophobic surfaces to create a new type of battery or energy storage device with power management features obtained by controlling the wetting behavior of a liquid electrolyte on a solid surface. The scientific research conducted set the ground work for continued development of the Smart NanoBattery and formed a path to commercialization of the technology for a broad range of market opportunities. During 2005 and 2006, the battery team tested modifications and enhancements to the internal design of the battery to optimize its power and energy density characteristics, as well as making engineering improvements that were essential in moving the battery from a zinc-based chemistry to a commercial lithium-based chemistry that can be manufactured on a large scale. The Company began its efforts by entering into a $1.2 million 12 month Development Agreement with the Bell Labs division of Alcatel/Lucent for exploratory research of control and manipulation of fluids on superhydrophobic surfaces to create power cells ( batteries) by controlling wetting behavior of an electrolyte on nanostructured electrode surfaces. The goal was to develop a major breakthrough in battery technology creating batteries with longer shelf lives as the result of no direct electrode contact (meaning no power drain prior to activation). The Company extended its development effort twice for an additional 2 years ending in March of 2007 and for two additional periods thereafter through July 31, 2007. During this time, the technical focus shifted from trying to separate the liquid electrolyte from nanostructured electrodes to developing a nanostructured membrane that could physically separate the liquid electrolyte from the solid electrodes.

mPhase also began working with the Rutgers University Energy Storage Research Group (ESRG) in July of 2005 to conduct contract research in advanced battery chemistries involving lithium. This work involved characterizing and testing materials that could be used in the mPhase battery. In July of 2007, the relationship shifted to a collaboration focused on developing a memory backup battery needed by the U.S. Army. The work was funded through a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) grant.

In July of 2007, mPhase formed a new wholly-owned subsidiary, Always Ready, Inc., to focus on the development of its nanotechnology products. The Company has used this subsidiary as a division of the Company in order to develop increasing brand recognition of its battery product. The Company decided in September of 2007 to transfer its development work out of Bell Labs (Alcatel/Lucent) in order to broaden its nanotechnology product commercialization efforts. Prior to such time mPhase was limited to development using zinc-based batteries since Bell Labs did not have facilities to handle lithium chemistry. mPhase continued to work with Rutgers ESRG that has facilities capable of handing lithium battery development and also engaged in work with other companies to supply essential components, fabricate prototypes, and plan manufacturing approaches. These companies included a well-respected silicon foundry and battery manufacturer.


In February of 2008, the Company announced that a prototype of its Smart NanoBattery was successfully deployed in a gun-fired test at the Aberdeen Proving Ground at Maryland. The test was conducted by the U.S. Army Armament Research and Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) of Picatinny, New Jersey. The battery not only survived the harsh conditions of deployment at a gravitational force in excess of 45,000 g, but was also flawlessly activated in the process.

In March of 2008, mPhase announced that it had been invited to submit a proposal for a Phase II STTR grant based upon the successful work it had performed on the Phase I grant to develop a version of the Smart NanoBattey referred to as the multi-cell, micro-array reserve battery for a critical U.S. Army memory backup application. The Phase II grant in the gross amount of $750,000 (net $500,000) was granted to the Company in the middle of September of 2008. In March of 2008, the Company also announced the successful transfer to a commercial foundry of certain processes critical to the manufacturing of its Smart NanoBattery. This enabled fabrication of the porous membranes for the multi-cell, micro-array reserve battery mentioned above. The Company successfully manufactured nanostructured membranes at the foundry that are essential to commercial production of the battery. By achieving a series of delayed activations, the shelf-life and continuous run-time of such battery is increased to a period of time in excess of twenty years. In April of 2008, the Company announced that it had successfully activated its first Smart NanoBattery prototype by electrowetting using a hard-wired configuration and a remotely-activated device. Remote activation plays a key role in providing power to wireless sensors systems and RFID tags.

Also, in April of 2008, the Company announced that it had successfully produced its first lithium-based reserve battery with a soft or pouch package and breakable separator (in place of the electrowettable membrane) that relies on mechanical rather than electrical activation to provide Power On Command™. The Company believes that it is a significant milestone in moving from a low energy density zinc-based battery to a higher energy density lithium-based battery towards proving that the Smart NanoBattery will eventually be economically and commercially viable.

In fiscal years ended June 30, 2009 and June 30, 2011, the Company focused upon further development of its Smart Nano Battery under a Phase II STTR grant from the U.S. Army as a potential reserve battery for a back-up computer memory application for a weapons system. The Company has recently completed such Phase II Army grant. On November 12, of 2010, the Company announced that it had successfully triggered and activated its first functional multi-cell smart nano battery. Triggering and activation of the cells of the battery were achieved by using the technique of electrowetting or programmable triggering. Triggering was accomplished by applying a pulse of electrical energy to a porous, smart surface membrane located inside each cell in the battery causing the electrolyte to come in contact with the cell's electrodes, creating the chemical reaction to produce voltage inside of the multi-cell battery. The multi-cell battery consists of a matrix of 12 individual cells populated with an electrode stack consisting of lithium and carbon monofluoride materials with each rated at 3.0 volts. Using a custom designed circuit board for testing, each of the cells in the battery were independently triggered and activated without affecting any of the non-activated cells in the multi-cell configuration. Each cell in the battery has a very long shelf-life prior to triggering.

On February 9, 2011, the Company announced that it had signed a 3 year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny, New Jersey, to continue to cooperatively test and evaluate the mPhase Smart NanoBattery, including new design features functionally appropriate for DoD based systems requiring portable power sources. The army researchers are evaluating the prototypes using the Army's testing facilities at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey in order to determine applicability of the technology to gun fired munitions and potentially to incorporate the technologies into research and development and other programs sponsored by Picatinny. The Research Agreement is supported by the Fuze & Precision Armaments Technology Directorate.

Emergency Flashlight

On December 5, 2008, mPhase Technologies, Inc. signed a contract with Porsche Design Gesellschaft m.b.H. in Austria ("Porsche Design' Studio"), to design a premium version of the AlwaysReady Emergency Flashlight. A pilot program that began in March of 2010 has resulted in the sale of approximately 56 emergency flashlights. The flashlight sold in the pilot program contained mPhase's proprietary mechanically-activated lithium reserve battery. The battery contains a breakable barrier that separates the solid electrodes from the liquid electrolyte until the battery is manually activated. Unlike traditional batteries, the mPhase battery remains in an inert state with no leakage or self-discharge until activation. The mPhase battery is designed to have an almost infinite shelf life making it ideal for emergency lighting applications. The premium flashlight will be marketed as an accessory for automobile roadside emergency kits.


On January 29, 2009, the Company announced that it had contracted with EaglePicher Technologies to design and manufacture, in small quantities, its mechanically-activated battery that were used in the pilot program of sales of the Company's new Emergency Flashlight. EaglePicher was selected for the project because of their experience in custom and standardized power solutions for the extreme environments of aerospace and military applications as well as medical and commercial applications.

The reserve battery is a manually activated lithium cell designed to provide Power On Command. The battery remains dormant until "turned on" by the user. It is built to the highest standards with a minimum storage life of 20 years. Once activated, the reserve battery is expected to deliver the electrical performance of a standard primary CR123 battery used in many portable electronic applications today.

EaglePicher Technologies, LLC, along with EaglePicher Company, is a world leader in custom and standardized power solutions for the extreme environments of aerospace and military applications as well as medical and commercial applications. The company specializes in design and manufacture of battery cells, battery packaging, battery management systems (BMS), analysis, environmental testing, and energetic devices. Active in battery development and testing since 1922, EaglePicher Technologies has the most experience and broadest capability in battery electrochemistry of any battery supplier.

Owing to cost considerations, the Company has decided to utilize a cost reduced active-reserve battery in its current version of its emergency flashlight product for potential sales after the pilot program. Such active reserve battery also has a very long shelf life and enables the Company to significantly reduce the selling price of the Emergency Flashlight. In March 2011,the Company received an initial order from Porsche Design Group in Germany for mPhase's Porsche design branded mPower Emergency illuminators to be sold in Porsche Design stores in Germany, Great Britain and the United States and it began shipments of the Emergency Illuminators in April of 2011.

Magnetometer

In March of 2005, the Company entered into a second Development Agreement for 12 months at a cost of $1.2 million with the Bell Labs to develop MEMS-based ultrasensitive magnetic sensor devices, also known as magnetometers, that could be used in military and commercial electronics ( e.g., cell phones) for determining location, as well as in portable security and metal detection applications. The agreement was renewed in April of 2006 for another 12 months. Although proven to work in the lab, the magnetometer technology could not be scaled up as quickly and as cost effectively as the Company's nano battery. The project was suspended in September 2007 so that all technical resources could be allocated to the nano battery project.


FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

Revenues. Since July 1, 2007, and inclusive of the most current quarter, revenue has primarily been attributable to grants from the United States Army and testing arrangements involving its nanotechnology products. The Company also derived minor revenues in connection with sales of its emergency flashlight product under an initial pilot program that commenced in March of 2010.

Cost of revenues Cost associated with revenues from Army Grants and fees for testing our nanotechnology products is currently very low. It is anticipated that the Company's cost of revenues will increase significantly as the Company moves forward with the commercialization and distribution of its emergency flashlight product and other potential products associated with its mechanically-activated reserve battery.

Research and development. Research and development expenses have consisted principally of direct labor and payments made to MKE manufacturing (an approved vendor of Porsche), Porsche Design Studio and Microphase Corporation in connection with the Company's Emergency Illuminator product and to Silex, a foundry located in Sweden, as well as other third party vendors involved in the development of the nanotechnology products. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

General and administrative. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related expenses for personnel engaged in its nanotechnology product line, legal and accounting personnel. Certain administrative activities are outsourced on a monthly fee basis to Microphase Corporation and mPhase leases its office in Norwalk, Connecticut from Microphase Corporation.

Non-cash compensation charges . The Company makes extensive use of stock, stock options and warrants as a form of compensation to employees, directors and outside consultants. We incurred non-cash compensation charges totaling $77,023,989 from inception (October 2, 1996) through December 31, 2012.

Other Income (Expense). Included in Other Expense are non-recurring items related to the change in the value of derivative securities and amortization as related debt discount. Such amounts will fluctuate significantly and should not be considered as recurring or in any way indicative of operating results. In addition, it has been the Company's policy to record as an expense the cost of re-pricing securities (Reparation Cost) to raise capital.

Cumulative losses, net worth and capital needs

The Company has incurred cumulative development stage losses of $203,875,746 and negative cash flow from operations of $88,936,546 from inception through December 31, 2012. The auditors' report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 includes the statement that "there is substantial doubt of the Company's ability to continue as a going concern". As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a negative net worth of ($5,503,680) compared to a negative net worth of ($5,502,767) as of June 30, 2012 as a result of continuing net losses, reduced in the current three months primarily by conversions of convertible notes and accrued interest in excess of the net loss for the current period.

The Company has convertible notes funded with JMJ Financial. Draws under this facility for the six months ended December 31, 2011 amounted to $0 (accounted for as a pay-down of notes receivable) and also the collection of $0 of accrued interest (included in the statement of operations). The Company has significant overhang from funded and unconverted portion of these convertible notes in excess of $1 million. The Company anticipates it will need to establish new and additional funding sources for fiscal year 2013. The Company raised $338,000 from private placements of 893,750,000 shares of its common stock plus a $35,000 Convertible Note issued to an Accredited Investor during the six months ended December 31, 2012. In addition the Company entered into an Equity Line with a fund sponsored by Dutchess Capital and has registered a total of 250 million shares of common stock on an Effective Form S-1 Registration Statement. Under the terms of the Equity Line, the Company is eligible to "PUT" from time to time to the Dutchess fund at a price equal to 94% of the proceeds received from periodic sales of the common stock in the open market by the Dutchess fund. To date the Company has received $166,428 from the equity line of credit and has remaining 147 million shares of registered common stock remaining that may be PUT every 10 trading days in increments of up to 20 million shares.

While the Company believes it will be able to fund short term capital needs, it will from time to time need to supplement such funding. In the longer term, we estimate that the Company will need to raise approximately $1-5 million of additional capital above these funds through June 30, 2013 in order to fund commercialization of its products. The Company does not expect to derive any material revenue from its nanotechnology product development during the current fiscal year.


The Company estimates that material revenues from its SmartNanoBattery could occur in 18 months depending upon the Company's ability to secure federal funding in the form of SBIR grants and adoption and custom tailoring of such product as a reserve battery to a computer memory or other function for a specific weapons system. Additional revenues may be derived as early as the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 from further sales of the Company's emergency flashlight product depending upon the establishment of a successful licensing arrangement with a major high-end product distributor.

THREE MONTHS ENDED December 31, 2012 VS. December 31, 2011

REVENUE

Total revenues were $399 for the three months ended December 31, 2012 compared to $1,261 for the three months ended December 31, 2011. Revenues derived in the quarter ended December 31, 2012 consisted of sales of the emergency flashlight.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Research and development expenses were $993 for the three months ended December 31, 2012 as compared to $9,985 during the comparable period in 2011 or a decrease of $8,992. This decrease in spending is a result of completion of its smart nano battery prototype and its emergency flashlight using its mechanically-activated reserve battery as brought to market in its pilot program as well as the Company' current austerity program with respect to costs.

Subject to available funds, the Company expects to increase its research and development efforts throughout fiscal years 2013 and 2014. Such research is expected to focus on other applications for "smart surfaces" including the Smart Nano Battery. The initial applications for the nano power cell technology will address the need to supply emergency and reserved power to a wide range of electronic devices for both commercial and defense applications.

GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $301,508 for the three months ending December 31, 2012, down from $346,820 or a decrease of $45,312 from the comparable period in 2011. Administrative expenses were held in check as the Company has made a concentrated effort to freeze or otherwise reduce administrative costs while it seeks to commercialize its smartnanobattery product capabilities and secure more substantial research funding for possible applications of its "smart surfaces" technology.

OTHER (EXPENSE) AND INCOME

Included in this category are non-cash gains and costs associated with convertible debt that include a cost for the change in derivative value of $306,227 plus amortization of debt discount costs of $35,955 plus $18,750 of prepayment fees, resulting in net costs of $360,932 from derivative liabilities associated with the Company's convertible debt and is not indicative of operating results. Additionally, net interest expense of $71,471 brought total other expense to $432,403 in the current period. For the same period ended December 31, 2011, net other income totaled $490,224, consisting primarily of net income of $534,509 from derivative liabilities, decreased by interest expense of $44,285.

NET INCOME AND (LOSS)

The Company recorded a net loss of $737,871 for the three months ended December 31, 2012 as compared to net income of $129,992 for the three months ended . . .

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