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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission File Number: 0-24081

EVOLVING SYSTEMS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: None

Securities registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act:

Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share
(Title of class)

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý    No o

        Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ý

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o    No ý

        The approximate aggregate market value of the Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the last sale price of the Common Stock reported on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation National Market System was approximately $71.6 million as of June 30, 2004.

        The number of shares of Common Stock outstanding was 16,024,102 as of March 18, 2005.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

        The information required by Part III (Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14) is incorporated by reference to portions of the registrant's definitive proxy statement for the 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the close of the 2004 year.

EVOLVING SYSTEMS, INC.
Annual Report on Form 10-K
December 31, 2004
Table of Contents

        Except for the historical information contained in this document, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed here. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to those discussed in this section, in the sections entitled "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors."

PART I

Item 1. Business Overview

Introduction

        Evolving Systems, Inc. ("we", "our", "us") is a provider of mission critical software products and services to communications carriers. We maintain long-standing relationships with many of the largest wireline, wireless and cable communications carriers worldwide. Our customers rely on us to develop, deploy, enhance, maintain and integrate complex, highly reliable software solutions for a range of Operations Support Systems ("OSS") and Network Support Systems ("NSS"). Included among our more than 50 customers are four of the largest wireline carriers in North America and three of the world's 10 largest wireless carriers. We offer software products and solutions in three core areas—numbering solutions that enable carriers to comply with government-mandated requirements regarding number portability and phone number conservation; mediation solutions supporting data collection for both service assurance and billing applications; and a service activation solution that is used to activate complex bundles of voice, video and data services. Historically, our products have been used to support traditional telephony capabilities; however, during the year, a large communications carrier began using our products to support its Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") offerings.

        The core Evolving Systems portfolio that included ordering and provisioning solutions for Local Number Portability ("LNP"), as well as a number inventory and assignment platform, has recently been expanded, as a result of three acquisitions the company made over a period of 12 months from November of 2003 to November of 2004. Through the acquisition of CMS Communications, Inc. ("CMS") in November 2003 we acquired a network mediation and service assurance solution to add to our product portfolio. Additionally, with the acquisition of Telecom Software Enterprises, LLC ("TSE") on October 15, 2004 we added LNP and Wireless Number Portability ("WNP") number ordering and provisioning testing products which provide new OSS system integration capabilities. Most recently, on November 2, 2004, we acquired Tertio Telecoms Ltd. ("Tertio"), a privately held supplier of OSS software solutions to communication carriers throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, expanding our markets beyond North America. Tertio's activation solution Provident™, and mediation solution Evident™, strengthen our overall product portfolio. Our significantly expanded product and service capabilities now enable us to address a larger portion of our customer's application needs. As a result, we have become a company with global reach and a customer base that includes many of the world's leading communications carriers. We are positioned as a provider of OSS, NSS and comprehensive systems integration capabilities. These complementary competencies enable us to address and implement solutions across much of a customer's back office.

Company Background

        Founded in 1985, we initially focused on providing custom software development and professional services to a limited number of telecommunications companies in the United States. In 1996, concurrent with the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 ("the Telecom Act"), we made a strategic decision to add software products to our established professional services offerings. Since that time we have built a strong product portfolio, of which we are best known for, our LNP and service activation solutions.

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        Historically, we have helped our customers integrate our products into their existing business process and OSS environments. In 2002, we initiated a restructuring plan, which, in addition to significant operational cost reductions and greater leverage of offshore development, included the reengineering of our business model to a solutions strategy. The solutions business model reflects a more balanced mix of services and products, as well as integration and product enhancements for our customers' back office to meet the specific requirements of each customer. This customer specific effort is complementary to product development investments driven by more traditional marketing efforts. Solutions which include our products as well as product extensions and integration, are typically licensed to our customers and supported by us. In 2004, our sales reach was expanded to include both direct and indirect sales. New partnerships with network equipment providers and system integrators to extend our reach to new geographical regions as well as helping us further penetrate our existing territories were achieved during the year. We have also created packaged products with our channel partners, where we provide the underlying product and our partner provides some or most of the integration services.

Recent Developments

Acquisition of Telecom Software Enterprises, LLC

        In October 2004, we acquired TSE. TSE's VeriPort™ and Verify™ products are sold to United States of America ("U.S.") wireline and wireless carriers, and provide for simulation of the nation's centralized Number Portability Administration Center ("NPAC") and a testing environment for critical back office systems that carriers use for enabling number portability. Other products in the TSE portfolio are used for enhanced integration between back office OSS systems. TSE has installed its products at several of the leading wireless and wireline carriers in North America. By acquiring TSE, we have expanded our customer base and extended the set of solutions we offer our numbering solutions customers.

Acquisition of Tertio Telecoms Ltd.

        In November 2004, we acquired Tertio, our third acquisition in a twelve month period. By acquiring Tertio we became a global company with a customer base that includes many of the world's largest communication carriers. Tertio's activation and mediation solutions, Provident and Evident, fit well with elements of our product portfolio, enabling us to provide activation solutions and strengthening our current mediation and service assurance offerings.

        In 2005, we changed Tertio's name to Evolving Systems Limited. We also renamed the Provident activation solution to "Tertio", to build on the strong recognition of the Tertio brand in the service activation market. The name changes have not been reflected in this filing.

Expansion of Offshore Development Subsidiary

        In February 2004, we formed Evolving Systems Networks India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Evolving Systems ("Evolving Systems India"). For several years, offshore development, through a subcontractor, had been a key aspect of our low-cost, accelerated-deployment strategy. With the formation of Evolving Systems India we now have more control and flexibility and lower costs than with our previous outsourced development, which used an offshore third party contractor. As of December 31, 2004, we had approximately 46 employees in our Indian office with plans for further expansion as demand dictates.

LsmsXpress Product Launch

        In January 2005, we announced the launch of LsmsXpress™—a product targeted for carriers looking to reduce the total cost of ownership for their number portability routing requirements. The

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LsmsXpress solution is a full function, small footprint Local Service Management System ("LSMS") that provides the interface between the NPAC and the network elements that route calls. It is designed to meet the needs of carriers who want to manage core LNP functions in-house rather than using a service bureau.

        A vendor independent solution, LsmsXpress is designed to enable carriers to implement the LNP provisioning process cost-effectively and efficiently. We also offer a suite of services for carriers looking to transition from the service bureau environment to an in-house LSMS solution. This product is the result of integrating product assets gained from our acquisition of TSE with our experience in delivering number portability solutions. The first deployment of LsmsXpress occurred in December 2004.

Industry Background

        Historically, telecommunications carriers have operated in a highly regulated environment. Deregulation in many countries around the globe has increased the number of telecommunications carriers and consequently stimulated competition. This increase in competition coupled with the emergence of new telecommunications technologies, such as fiber optics, packet-data networks, digital and wireless telephony as well as Internet-based services has created an industry that is in the midst of significant change. Traditional wireline customers are migrating with an increasing frequency to wireless and broadband services requiring network operators to make large capital expenditures in the areas of broadband and wireless infrastructure. In response to these market changes, we have broadened our product portfolio through internal product development activities, customer-funded initiatives and the acquisition of key new products and technologies.

        The U.S. long distance market was opened to competition in the early 1970s. More recently, the Telecom Act provided for competition in local telephone service, allowing long distance, wireless and other carriers to enter local telephone markets. The Telecom Act, among other things, requires carriers to offer LNP, which allows customers to retain their local phone numbers regardless of the carrier providing local telephone service. While LNP is a key application for enabling such competition, in 2001 the North American market saw a reversal of the previous trend of new telecommunication carriers entering the market. The North American wireline and wireless landscape today is dominated by a relatively small number of large carriers. Consolidation has played some role in creating the largest wireline and wireless carriers, a trend that appears to be continuing.

Operations Support Systems ("OSS")

        OSS encompasses a broad array of software and systems that perform critical functions for telecommunications carriers, including but not limited to ordering, inventory, provisioning, activation, service assurance, repair and billing. Ordering systems collect customer information, retrieve current service information, capture and validate new service requests, verify the availability of selected services and transmit completed orders to one or more provisioning OSS. Inventory systems maintain both physical and logical views of all the telecommunications assets required to turn up a service. Carriers use activation systems to turn on services for new customers and to change or add services for existing customers. Service assurance systems allow carriers to perform the testing, monitoring and reporting necessary to maintain appropriate network availability and feed operational data to other business systems. Repair and dispatch systems set up, track and report on service conditions or outages for the large craft force that works for a carrier. Carriers use billing systems to collate, manage and report usage information for customer billing. OSS typically operate on a 24x7 basis to support the real-time communications network that is the backbone of the carriers' service offerings.

        Traditionally, as carriers have added new services, such as wireless or Internet-based services, they have developed multiple, distinct OSS. These legacy, proprietary OSS in place at carriers often utilize

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incompatible hardware, operating systems, communications protocols, application software and other technologies, making interoperability among systems difficult. These OSS are further strained by the many incremental changes that have been made in order to accommodate new technologies, such as client/server technology and advancements in data networking to allow for the proliferation of value- added services, such as call waiting, call forwarding and voice mail, broadband data and video and to comply with government or regulatory mandates that in some cases change how systems and processes are required to work. Despite these difficulties, the carriers have been unable to completely replace existing OSS due to the large investment and vast amounts of historical data contained in these systems. As a result, carriers continue to make incremental modifications to these OSS, thereby further increasing their complexity and making it more difficult for the systems to interoperate successfully.

Product Portfolio

Numbering Solutions

        Evolving Systems' Numbering Solutions product line includes our LNP and WNP products as well as our NumeriTrack® number inventory and assignment solution.

LNP and WNP

        Our Number Portability software solution enables carriers to comply with U.S. mandates in the Telecom Act and subsequent Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") regulations implementing LNP and WNP. For traditional wireline, wireless networks, as well as Internet Protocol ("IP") networks, this requires service providers to allow customers the ability to retain, or "port", their phone numbers when changing from one service provider to another. Our LNP software for ordering, provisioning, reporting, testing and exchanging information between carriers is widely used by wireline service providers and is involved in approximately 50 percent of all porting transactions in the United States each year. In addition, we developed the initial custom software used by all eight regional NPACs in North America to control the porting process. This software receives ported telephone number information from carriers as changes occur and distributes the data to all subscribing carriers in the region. Our software was provided under contract to NeuStar, Inc., formerly a division of Lockheed Martin IMS. Over time, we have expanded our Number Portability product features and developed other Number Portability related OSS software products for the wireline and wireless markets. Today, our WNP software is used by five wireless carriers and two service bureaus. It is estimated that approximately 30 percent of wireless customers change carriers at least once per year. Our full LNP and WNP product line comprises the following collection of products: OrderPath® order entry; NumberManager® network provisioning; LNP DataServer™ data warehousing; PortExchange™ Inter-carrier Communications Processor ("ICP") pre-porting; VeriPort NPAC testing; VeriComm™ ICP testing; ServiceLink™ automated ICP System for WNP; and Verify product suite for monitoring carriers' application communications for optimum service assurance.

Number Inventory and Assignment

        We developed our NumeriTrack solution in response to the FCC mandated number conservation and number pooling regulations for both wireline and wireless carriers. These regulations, implemented in 2003, resulted from the FCC's concern that the U.S. was running out of 10-digit telephone numbers, were designed to extend the life of the 10-digit numbering plan well into the 21^st century by changing the way phone numbers are allocated to carriers, specifying rules regarding the assignment and classification of those numbers, requiring regular utilization reporting by carriers and articulation of circumstances under which previously underutilized telephone numbers must be returned to the "pool" to be reallocated to other carriers. Our NumeriTrack solution, which has been licensed to four carriers, facilitates compliance with the FCC mandates for both wireline and wireless carriers, provides inventory management of phone numbers and other assets such as SIM cards, supports inventory assignments,

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and supports integration with carriers' existing back-office systems. The NumeriTrack solution contains features for the inventory of and assignment logic for numbers associated with IP addresses and is used by a large carrier in the U.S. for deployment of its Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") service offering. As is the case with our LNP and WNP solutions, the implementation of our NumeriTrack solutions has far-reaching implications for integration with carriers' existing OSS environments and business processes.

Service Activation

        Our Service Activation solution, Provident, is employed by carriers to activate new services. Provident is used by some of the world's most advanced and demanding service providers as their next-generation solution. Our Provident product provides a flexible operating environment and can be used by carriers to manage their voice, data, and content service needs for both their traditional and broadband Internet Protocol ("IP") networks. Provident is an integrated solution comprised of three components:

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Provident Service Composer—a modeling tool that simplifies the creation of new services;



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Provident Activation Designer—a tool that is designed to speed network feature activation; and



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Provident Service Activation—the platform that provides scalability and performance, flexibility, and a graphical interface.

        Our Provident solution addresses the entire service lifecycle enabling service providers to better plan, manage and execute the introduction of new services. Provident allows carriers to introduce new network technologies and eases the burden of integration with existing devices and systems.

Mediation

        Our mediation portfolio consists of network data mediation products and billing mediation. The network mediation products include Traffic Data Management System ("TDMS") acquired in the CMS acquisition and our next generation product Mediation Central™. Our billing mediation product, Evident, was acquired as part of the Tertio acquisition.

Billing Mediation

        Billing mediation is the process of collecting network usage data and verifying that usage data is accurate, and is a required pre-condition for generating accurate bills for a carrier's customers. Billing mediation's importance lies in its ability to provide a systematic point of reliability and assurance between network consumption and the billing system input. Our Evident product supports convergent voice, data, and content services. Evident enables the accurate management of data, allowing reconciliation of data inputs and outputs. In addition, Evident provides support for compliance with relevant regulatory, accounting and data integrity requirements. This product also provides service usage data for business intelligence, revenue assurance, and next-generation billing solutions. Our Evident solution can be used by wireline, broadband and wireless carriers and provides carrier-grade support in terms of reliability, performance, and scalability.

        As carriers bring new services to market they are often accompanied by the need for a new mediation process to support those new services. Evident has been designed with the flexibility to support new service concepts and designs.

Network Assurance and Data Collection Solutions

        A common challenge for telecommunications carriers is to create an integration layer between network element ("NE") devices and the OSS applications that provision, monitor, and control them.

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Deploying new devices needed for extending service offerings into the network can therefore be difficult, time consuming, and expensive. Our mediation solutions provide a common framework for simplifying the data collection and distribution of critical network data. Our network mediation product, Mediation Central, supports a broad array of technologies that carriers typically deploy in their network. Mediation Central provides support for wireline, broadband, transport and wireless networks. Our Mediation Central product supports both centralized and distributed configurations allowing, for example, carriers to deploy a single solution for all their data collection and distribution needs.

        We also offer our TDMS solution, which is designed to automate key business processes and make valuable network data available to select employees in the enterprise, including Alarm and Fault Management, Capacity and Network Planning, Data Collection, Mediation, Performance Management, Service Activation, Service Design and Assignment, and Service Quality Analysis. TDMS is installed as the narrow band traffic collection data system in three of the nation's largest wireline carriers.

Custom Solutions and Integration

        Since our inception we have developed and supported a variety of custom solutions for the OSS environment. Based on that experience, we have developed domain knowledge that continues to help us serve our customers. As an example, we still maintain and support a complex Cellular Digital Packet Data ("CDPD") network element solution, as well as legacy provisioning systems deployed at a major wireless carrier.

Business Structure and Strategy for Growth

        We have developed a solutions business model that leverages our products and strong telecommunications domain expertise with a worldwide work force. This business model combines our U.S. presence (offices in Denver, Colorado and Columbus, Ohio) and United Kingdom presence (offices in London and Bath, England) with the lower-cost offshore development capabilities provided by our growing Indian subsidiary (with offices in Bangalore, India). We developed this model in response to the downturn in the telecommunications industry, and in 2002, we successfully completed a restructuring plan that resulted in dramatically improved financial results—revenue growth and solid profitability—for our year ended December 31, 2003.

        In March 2004, we launched Evolving Systems India in the city of Bangalore, with an initial staffing of 15 employees. This subsidiary has now grown to 46 employees. Utilization of this captive development team in India enables us to continue to offer our customers high-quality, lower-cost solutions and a more consistent round-the-clock workday.

        Beginning in late 2003 and continuing through 2004, we extended our strategy to focus on growth through a combination of organic and acquisitive activity and have worked to build one integrated company from our three recent acquisitions; CMS, TSE and Tertio.

        We have completed integration of CMS and TSE into our business model and operations. We are working to integrate Tertio into our business model and operations and plan to complete that integration by the end of 2005.

Sales and Marketing

        The primary objective of our sales and marketing efforts is to educate existing and potential customers throughout the telecommunications industry about the depth and breadth of our capabilities, experience and product portfolio. We work with those customers through discovery, concept, business case and implementation to create solutions that reduce cost, increase revenue opportunities or allow compliance with government and regulatory mandates. In addition, we conduct many of our sales

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activities as a result of responding to requests for proposals and competitive tenders. Our sales and marketing efforts include constant interaction with existing and target customers and prospects, participation in relevant industry bodies, a website presence, presentations at industry conferences and forums, news releases to the industry and other marketing initiatives. Our sales focus is to create solution opportunities for our product offerings. The majority of our sales efforts are conducted by direct sales teams. However, increasingly we are engaging in sales through business partners or system integrators that have been selected by our customers for larger solution implementations where our products represent only a portion of the overall solution. A key component of the value of Tertio was based on its strong business partner relationships with global systems integration firms. In addition, sales activities are also being delivered through channel partners, whose efforts are directed at different market segments than those of our direct sales force. We plan to continue the approach of working with channel partners and system integrators in 2005 and beyond—this is predicated by the success we have seen using partners at Evolving Systems and the fact that a large portion of the distribution model at Tertio relied on sales through strategic partners.

Product Development and Support

        Our product development efforts are focused on identifying specific customer business needs as well as market requirements and then developing possible solutions for those needs that leverage our existing product capabilities. Based upon the identified customer business needs, our product development efforts comprise a combination of design and development of new products or features to enhance our existing products, and design and development of new product functionality as identified in our product "roadmaps," funded as research and development. Investment plans are built for the three principal product areas which include number solutions, service activation and mediation/assurance. We make other investments in tools and product extensions to accelerate the development, implementation and integration process for customer solutions. We usually do not develop completely new products, major product enhancements or tools until we have at least one customer who has agreed to license what we will develop.

Competition

        The market for telecommunications OSS products is intensely competitive and is subject to rapid technological change, changing industry standards and regulatory developments. We face continuous demand for improved product performance, new product features and rapid integration capabilities, and reduced prices, as well as pressure to accelerate the release of new products and product enhancements. Our existing and potential competitors include many large domestic and international companies and certain of our customers' internal IT organizations, that have substantially greater financial, technological, marketing, distribution and other resources, larger installed customer bases and longer-standing relationships with telecommunications customers than we do. The market for telecommunications software and services is extremely large. Consequently, we hold only a small portion of the total market share. However, by concentrating our focus on number solutions, activation solutions and mediation and assurance solutions, we hold reasonable market share in those three areas. We differentiate ourselves from competitors through our combination of telecommunications domain knowledge, low-cost offshore development, products, services, integration capabilities and strong customer relationships.

        Our principal competitors in the LNP and WNP market include Telcordia Technologies, Inc., Syniverse Technologies and Tekelec. Our principal competitors in activation are Metasolv and Comptel. In mediation, we compete with many different companies with no single dominant competitor.

        Many of our customers have large internal development organizations, which develop software solutions and provide services similar to our products and services. As a result, our customers often choose to implement their own solutions rather than choosing solutions we offer. In addition, other

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integration companies such as Accenture, Bearing Point and IBM, compete with us for integration work.

        We believe that our ability to compete successfully depends on a wide range of factors. We plan to compete by offering quality low-cost solutions that are tailored specifically to the customer. Furthermore, once one of our customers has implemented one of our core software products, we are in a preferable position, in contrast to our competitors, to develop additional functionality or react to changes in our customers' business needs by offering additional products or services. Many of our customer relationships span five years or more with some extending beyond ten years. We believe these long-term relationships also give us a competitive advantage.

Intellectual Property

        We rely on a combination of copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality agreements and licensing arrangements, to establish and protect our proprietary rights. We presently have U.S. patents on elements of our principal LNP OSS products, NumberManager and OrderPath, and we have both a U.S. patent on certain elements of and a pending application for patent protection on certain elements of our OmniPresenceServer™ application. In addition, we have applied for patent protection on elements of our ServiceXpress™ test harness application.

Backlog

        We define backlog as firm non-cancelable sales orders that are anticipated to be delivered and recognized in revenue over the next twelve months. As of December 31, 2004 and 2003, our backlog, as defined, was approximately $12.5 million and $11 million, respectively. Our backlog, as defined, at December 31, 2004 is comprised of license fees and services of $8.0 million and customer support of $4.5 million compared to license fees and services of $3.4 million and customer support of $7.6 million at December 31, 2003.

Employees

        As of December 31, 2004, we employed 240 people including 96 in the United States, 98 in the United Kingdom and 46 in Bangalore, India. Of our worldwide staff, 78% are involved in product delivery, development, support and professional services, 11% in sales and marketing, and 11% in general administration. Additionally, Tertio used the services of an offshore subcontractor who provided the equivalent of approximately 20 employees, primarily in the area of delivery of professional services. The work being performed by the offshore subcontractor will be transitioned to Evolving Systems India during 2005.

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RISK FACTORS

Risks related to Tertio Acquisition

We are subject to financial and operating risks associated with international sales and services.

        Historically sales of our products have been limited to customers in the United States. Our only international operational experience has been with our Indian offshore development subsidiary. The acquisition of Tertio resulted in the addition of significant sales and operations outside the United States, including Europe, Asia and Africa. If we are unable to manage our sales and operations on a global basis, our financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. Our international business is subject to the financial and operating risks including:

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unexpected changes in, or impositions of, legislative or regulatory requirements;



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difficulties in maintaining effective controls over financial reporting across geographically dispersed entities, including those related to different business practices in foreign countries;



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internal control related risks of running a foreign subsidiary;



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changes in demand of our products and services due to the perception that we are an "American" company in countries where the United States' foreign policy is not viewed favorably;



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fluctuating exchange rates, tariffs, currency repatriation restrictions and other barriers;



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difficulties in staffing and managing foreign subsidiary operations;



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import or export restrictions;



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greater difficulties in accounts receivable collection and longer payment cycles;



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potentially adverse tax consequences and additional tax considerations such as foreign withholding taxes and payment of value added tax ("VAT");



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potential hostilities and changes in diplomatic and trade relationships;



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changes in a country's economic or political conditions; and



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differing customer and/or technology standards requirements.

Our stockholders will be diluted by the conversion of outstanding Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and, if approved by our stockholders, the exchange of the long-term notes into convertible notes.

        In consideration for our acquisition of Tertio, we made a cash payment of $11.0 million, issued 966,666 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock ("Series B Preferred Stock"), issued a short-term secured note with a principal amount of $4.0 million bearing interest at 5.5% per annum and issued long-term seller financed notes (the "Long-Term Notes") with an aggregate principal amount of approximately $11.9 million bearing interest initially at 11% per annum (increasing to 14% on the second anniversary). Subject to stockholder approval, the holders of the Long-Term Notes have elected to exchange these notes for convertible notes (the "Convertible Notes") convertible into shares of our common stock which would bear interest at the applicable federal rate at the time the Convertible Notes are issued, currently about 3.3%.

        Each share of Series B Preferred Stock is convertible into three shares of our common stock which could result in the issuance of up to 2,899,998 shares of our common stock. In the event that the Series B Preferred Stock and/or the Convertible Notes are converted into shares of common stock, there will be a significant dilutive effect on the ownership interests and voting rights of our existing stockholders.

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        Prior to our acquisition of Tertio, only one of our stockholders beneficially owned in excess of five percent of our common stock. If the Series B Preferred Stock and the Convertible Notes are exchanged for shares of our common stock, the holder and their affiliates would hold in excess of twenty percent (but no more than thirty-three percent) of the outstanding shares of our common stock. The sale by such holders of one or more large blocks of our common stock could have a negative impact on the market price of our common stock. Additionally, such ownership interests could effectively deter a third party from making an offer to buy us, which might involve a premium over our current stock price or other benefits for our stockholders, or otherwise prevent changes in the control or management of Evolving Systems. In addition, there are no restrictions, in the form of a standstill agreement or otherwise, on the ability of such stockholders or their affiliates to purchase additional shares of our common stock and thereby further increase their ownership interests.

The holders of our Series B Preferred Stock have preferential rights that may be adverse to holders of our common stock.

        The holders of the Series B Preferred Stock have preferential rights with respect to distributions upon a liquidation of Evolving Systems, including certain business combinations deemed to be a liquidation. Accordingly, no distributions upon liquidation may be made to the holders of common stock until the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock have been paid their liquidation preference. As a result, it is possible that, on liquidation, all amounts available for the holders of equity of Evolving Systems would be paid to the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock, and that the holders of common stock would not receive any payment. Additionally, in connection with the Tertio acquisition we are obligated to file and keep effective a registration statement providing for the resale of the shares of our common stock issuable upon the conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock and the Convertible Notes. If the Securities and Exchange Commission refuses to declare the registration statement effective or we fail to keep the registration statement effective, the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock will have the right to cause us to repurchase for cash the shares of the Series B Preferred Stock for $3.89 per share (on an as converted basis), or approximately $11.3 million. If we are required to make this payment, it would have a significant adverse impact on our liquidity and could cause us to incur additional indebtedness.

        Additionally, the Series B Preferred Stock, as well as the Convertible Notes (if approved), contain certain weighted average price based anti-dilution protections that, as long as those securities remain outstanding, would be triggered if we issued shares of our common stock (subject to certain adjustments and standard exclusions relating to Company options) below $3.89 per share. In the event that we issued shares below this threshold, the holders of our common stock would be diluted to an unknown degree. Furthermore, the mere existence of such anti-dilution protections could make it difficult for us to issue any common stock below $3.89 per share, if at all. In the event the anti-dilution adjustments of the Series B Preferred Stock are triggered, such adjustments would result in a deemed dividend to the Series B Preferred Stock holders that would reduce income available to common stockholders. The charge would be equal to the number of additional shares issuable as a result of the anti-dilution calculation, multiplied by the fair value of the common stock on the date of the issuance of the Series B Preferred Stock, or $4.64. The deemed dividend charge could negatively affect the price of our common stock.

The indebtedness incurred in connection with the Tertio acquisition may limit our ability to grow and could adversely affect our financial condition.

        The indebtedness incurred with respect to the short- and long-term secured notes and, possibly, the redemption of the Series B Preferred Stock, is material in relation to our current level of indebtedness, our ability to service the debt from our operating cash flow and our ability to repay the debt in full at maturity. If we do not obtain stockholder approval to permit holders to exchange the

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Long-Term Notes into Convertible Notes, and such notes are not converted into common stock, we will be required to service the full amount of the long-term debt and related interest payments. Additionally, if we do not receive such stockholder approval, the Series B Preferred Stock will not automatically be converted into common stock and will remain outstanding in accordance with its terms. No assurance can be given that sufficient funds will be available to meet our operating needs, to pay the interest due on the short and the long-term secured notes or, if required, to redeem the Series B Preferred Stock. The notes are secured by a general lien on all of our assets. If we are unable to pay the notes as they become due, the holders of the notes could foreclose on all of our assets. The increased level of our indebtedness, among other things, could:

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make it difficult for us to obtain any necessary future financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements or other purposes;



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limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to changes in, our business; and



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make us more vulnerable in the event of a downturn in our business.

        If we incur new indebtedness in the future, the related risks that we now face could intensify. Whether we are able to make required payments on our outstanding indebtedness and to satisfy any other future debt obligations will depend on our future operating performance and our ability to obtain additional debt or equity financing.

        Nasdaq Rule 4350(i)(1)(C) requires that a company whose stock is traded on Nasdaq obtain stockholder approval in connection with the acquisition of another company involving the issuance or potential issuance of common stock equal to twenty percent or more of its common stock. The issuance of the Series B Preferred Stock alone, does not exceed this twenty percent threshold. However, because the issuance of the shares of common stock upon conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock and the Convertible Notes would, collectively, result in us issuing in excess of twenty percent of our outstanding shares of common stock, we are required under the Nasdaq rules to seek stockholder approval for the exchange of the Long-Term Notes into Convertible Notes. No assurances can be given that our stockholders will approve the matters required for such conversion or that we will be able to obtain a sufficient quorum to vote on all such matters. If our stockholders do not approve such exchange or do not approve the amendment of our Articles of Incorporation to increase our authorized shares of common stock, needed to provide shares into which the Convertible Notes may be converted, the Long-Term Notes will remain outstanding until December 31, 2007 (unless earlier repaid), will require debt repayments during 2006 and 2007, and our ability to continue to service such debt could adversely affect our financial condition.

The terms and conditions of the Series B Preferred Stock and the indebtedness incurred in connection with the Tertio acquisition may have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial performance.

        There is a potential that the Company will incur additional charges in the future related to various provisions of the financial instruments issued in connection with the acquisition of Tertio. Subject to stockholder approval and election by the note holders, the Long-Term Notes initially bearing interest at 11% per annum could be exchanged for a combination (based on the allocation election of the note holders) of convertible notes bearing interest at the applicable federal rate at the time the convertible notes are issued (currently about 3.3%), and fixed rate, non-convertible notes bearing interest initially at 9% per annum. The holders of the Long-Term Notes have elected to exchange the full principal of those notes, and accrued interest, for Convertible Notes. Such exchange is dependent upon the approval by the Company's stockholders to increase the number of authorized shares and to approve such exchange. When and if such exchange occurs, the extinguishment of the Long-Term Notes and the issuance of the Convertible Notes will be recorded at their fair value, which could result in a charge

11

reducing our income which in turn could negatively affect our stock price. Fair value assessments are dependent upon market factors in existence at the time of measurement.

        In addition to the aforementioned charges related to remeasuring the Long-Term Notes exchange at fair value, if the conversion rate on the Convertible Notes is less than the fair value of the stock into which the notes are convertible, on the date of issuance, the Company will be required to record as additional interest expense a beneficial conversion feature that will negatively affect interest expense in the period in which the Convertible Notes are issued.

        The inability to register shares of our common stock underlying the Series B Preferred Stock and/or an inability to keep such registration effective, as described above, could result in the Series B Preferred Stock becoming mandatorily redeemable. Currently, the Series B Preferred Stock is classified as non-permanent equity since the events that would require its redemption have not occurred. If we are unable to obtain and/or maintain the effectiveness of the related registration statement, the Series B Preferred Stock will become mandatorily redeemable at the option of the holders and the instrument will be reclassified as a liability. Upon reclassification, the Series B Preferred Stock will be remeasured at its then current fair value and the difference between its fair value and redemption price will be charged to additional paid-in capital. Such charge to equity may negatively impact the price of our common stock. Subsequent changes to the fair value of this instrument would be recognized in earnings, as a charge or income, and such amounts could be significant and unpredictable.

Certain provisions of the notes payable issued in conjunction with the Tertio acquisition call for the acceleration of payments if certain covenants are breached or cash flow thresholds are achieved.

        The notes issued in conjunction with the Tertio acquisition contain certain affirmative and negative covenants that, if breached, could result in the acceleration of such notes becoming immediately due and payable. The covenants include the Company's agreement to do the following:

•

Convene a stockholders' meeting on or before May 16, 2005 to approve (a) the exchange of the Long-Term Notes for Convertible Notes and (b) an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation increasing the authorized common stock;



•

comply with applicable laws and licensing requirements;



•

file and pay all applicable taxes as they become due; and



•

operate in the ordinary course of business.

The covenants also include the Company's agreement not to do any of the following (except as specifically authorized in such notes):

•

liquidate, dissolve or wind-up operations;



•

pay any dividends or make prepayments on any indebtedness;



•

acquire any other businesses or entities or make investments in third parties;



•

sell or transfer a substantial portion of the Company's assets;



•

incur additional indebtedness or permit any liens on the Company's assets;



•

make capital expenditures beyond established thresholds; or



•

take certain other operational actions.

        The covenants may limit the Company's flexibility in planning for, or reacting to changes in, its business. Failure to comply with such covenants, if not waived, could result in the acceleration of the notes. If the Company is required to pay the notes on an accelerated basis, it would have a significant

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adverse impact on the Company's liquidity and financial condition and could cause us to incur additional indebtedness.

        Additionally, the notes issued in conjunction with the Tertio acquisition require us to offer the note holders a prepayment on such notes in the amount that our closing cash balance exceeds $7.0 million at the end of any fiscal quarter beginning with the quarter ended March 31, 2005. Such a requirement will restrict our liquidity and cash management flexibility. Until the notes are repaid, our ability to engage in transactions or to enter into agreements requiring significant cash investments may be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Business

Fluctuations in Quarterly Results of Operations

        Our operating results have fluctuated significantly in the past and may continue to fluctuate significantly in the future. Fluctuations in operating results may result in volatility of the price of our common stock. These quarterly and annual fluctuations may result from a number of factors, including:

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the size of new contracts and when the related revenue is recognized;



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our rate of progress under our contracts;



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acquisition and integration costs;



•

the timing of customer and market acceptance of our products and service offerings;



•

our ability to effectively manage offshore software development in India;



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actual or anticipated changes in government laws and regulations related to the telecommunications market;



•

judicial or administrative actions about these laws or regulations;



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the nature and pace of enforcement of the Telecom Act as well as other similar foreign statutes, regulations and acts;



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product lifecycles;



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the mix of products and services sold;



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changes in demand for our products and services;



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the timing of third-party contractors' delivery of software and hardware;



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budgeting cycles of our customers;



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changes in the terms and rates related to the renewal of support agreements;



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level and timing of expenses for product development and sales, general and administrative expenses;



•

competition by existing and emerging competitors in the telecommunications software markets;



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our success in developing and selling new products, controlling cost, attracting and retaining qualified personnel and expanding our sales and customer focused programs;



•

software defects and other product quality problems;



•

changes in our strategy;



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the extent of industry consolidation;



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foreign exchange fluctuations; and

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•

general economic conditions.

        Our expense levels are based in significant part on our expectations regarding future revenue. Our revenue is difficult to forecast as the market for our products and services is rapidly changing, and our sales cycle and the size and timing of significant contracts vary substantially among customers. Accordingly, we may be unable to adjust spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected shortfall in revenue. Any significant shortfall from anticipated levels of demand for our products and services could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

        Based on these factors, we believe our future quarterly and annual operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. As a result, quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year comparisons of operating results are not necessarily meaningful nor do they indicate what our future performance will be. Furthermore, we believe that in future reporting periods if our operating results fall below the expectations of public market analysts or investors, it is possible that the market price of our common stock could go down.

Regulatory Uncertainties

        The market for our traditional North American OSS products was created and has primarily been driven by the adoption of regulations under the Telecom Act requiring Regional Bell Operating Companies ("RBOCs") to implement LNP as a condition to being permitted to provide long distance services. Therefore, any changes to these regulations, or the adoption of new regulations by federal or state regulatory authorities under the Telecom Act, or any legal challenges to the Telecom Act, could hurt the market for our products and services. For example, when the FCC delayed implementation of the Telecom Act with respect to wireless carriers until November 2003, these delays had an impact on our revenue from our WNP products and services. Likewise, in mid-2001 when Verizon Wireless petitioned the FCC requesting forbearance from this requirement, we saw our wireless customers delay making decisions to purchase WNP products. WNP went into effect in November 2003. However, any invalidation, repeal or modification in the requirements imposed by the Telecom Act or the FCC, could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, customers may require, or we may find it necessary or advisable, to modify our products or services to address actual or anticipated changes in regulations affecting our customers. This could also materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Additionally, with our acquisition of Tertio, we are now subject to numerous regulatory requirements of foreign jurisdictions. Any compliance failures or changes in such regulations could also materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Reliance on Significant Customers

        In the past, and currently, we earn a significant portion of our revenue from a small number of customers in the telecommunications industry. We expect this to be mitigated somewhat by the expansion of our customer base through our recent acquisitions. However, the loss of any significant customer, delays in delivery or acceptance of any of our products by a customer, delays in the performance of services for a customer, or delays in collection of customer receivables could be materially harmful to our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

        During 2004, we recognized approximately 61% of our total revenue from four significant customers, who each were responsible for more than 10% of our total revenue. In 2003 and 2002 approximately 61% and 66% of our revenue came from three significant customers. It is likely that we will continue to depend on large contracts with a small number of major customers. This can cause our revenue and earnings to fluctuate between reporting periods based on the timing of contracts and when our customers install our products. None of our major customers have any obligation to purchase

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additional products or services beyond annual support contracts that they may or may not renew each year. As a result, our failure to maintain relationships with our existing customers or to develop relationships with significant new customers could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Integration of Tertio, TSE or Future Acquisitions

        The integration of Tertio and TSE or future acquisitions may present risks and we may be unable to achieve the product, financial or strategic goals intended at the time of any acquisition. The risks we may encounter in such transactions include:

•

we may have difficulty assimilating the operations and personnel of the acquired company;



•

we may have difficulty effectively integrating the acquired technologies or products with our current products and technologies;



•

we may incur unanticipated liabilities that are not covered by our indemnification rights under the applicable acquisition agreements;



•

we may have difficulty in maintaining controls, procedures and policies during the transition and integration, as well as successfully completing in 2005 management's assessment of its internal controls over financial reporting as required by Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and our independent registered public accounting firm's examination thereon as required by Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;



•

customers of the acquired company may decide not to renew their contracts with the combined entity and other ongoing business may be disrupted by transition and integration issues;



•

we may not be successful in cross-selling products between Evolving Systems' and the acquired companies' customer bases;



•

the financial and strategic goals for the acquired and combined businesses may not be achieved;



•

due diligence processes may have failed to identify significant issues with product quality, intellectual property ownership, product architecture, legal and financial contingencies, and product development;



•

significant impairment charges may be recorded if intangible assets, including goodwill, acquired in business combinations are determined to be unrecoverable or impaired;



•

acquisitions and their subsequent integration require considerable time and commitment of management, which can distract management from day-to-day operations and result in additional costs which reduce profits;



•

we do not know if we have or will be able to identify and purchase assets and/or companies that will complement our business;



•

our stockholders may experience additional dilution of their interests in Evolving Systems as a result of the issuance of convertible preferred stock, other convertible instruments and/or common stock in connection with our acquisitions;



•

certain management and other employees of Tertio and TSE, or future acquisitions, may be critical to the success of the acquired company, and we do not know if we will be successful in retaining these individuals in the combined companies; and



•

the price of our stock may go down as stockholders who received stock in the CMS transaction, and those receiving stock in connection with the Tertio transaction, or any future transaction, elect to sell their shares, or the marketplace does not favorably view the transaction.

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        Based on all of the foregoing, we believe it is possible for future revenue, expenses and operating results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. As a result, quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year comparisons of operating results are not necessarily meaningful or indicative of future performance.

Lengthy Implementation Process; Customer Acceptance of Our Solutions, Risk of Software Defects

        Implementing our solutions can be a relatively complex and lengthy process since we typically customize these solutions for each customer's unique environment. Often our customers may also require rapid deployment of our software solutions, resulting in pressure on us to meet demanding delivery and implementation schedules. Delays in implementation may result in customer dissatisfaction and/or damage our reputation. This could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

        The majority of our existing contracts provide for acceptance testing by the customer, which can be a lengthy process. Unanticipated difficulties or delays in the customer acceptance process could result in higher costs, delayed payments, and deferral of revenue recognition. In addition, if our software contains defects or we otherwise fail to satisfy acceptance criteria within prescribed times, the customer may be entitled to cancel its contract and receive a refund of all or a portion of amounts paid or other amounts as damages, which could exceed related contract revenue and which could result in a future charge to earnings. Any failure or delay in achieving final acceptance of our software and services could have a material harmful effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Lengthy Sales Cycle

        Large telecommunications solutions used for enterprise-wide, mission-critical purposes, involve significant capital expenditures and lengthy implementation plans. Prospective customers typically commit significant resources to the technical evaluation of our products and services and require us to spend substantial time, effort and money providing education regarding our solutions. This evaluation process often results in an extensive and lengthy sales cycle, typically ranging between three and twelve months, making it difficult for us to forecast the timing and magnitude of sales contracts. For example, customers' budgetary constraints and internal acceptance reviews may cause potential customers to delay or forego a purchase. The delay or failure to complete one or more large contracts could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and cause our operating results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year.

Consolidations and Budget Cutbacks in the Industry

        The telecommunications industry has recently experienced significant reorganization and consolidation. This may continue. Mergers and acquisitions of large telecommunications companies, as well as the formation of new alliances, have resulted in a constantly changing marketplace for our products and services. Delays associated with these changes are common. These consolidations have caused us to lose customers and it is possible that we could lose additional customers as a result of more consolidations. In addition, due to a major downturn in the telecommunications industry which began in the second half of 2000 (and continues to the present), many of the companies in the telecommunications industry reduced their capital expenditures in response to changes in the telecommunications marketplace; some companies have declared bankruptcy, cancelled contracts, delayed payments to their suppliers or delayed additional purchases. The delay or failure to complete one or more large contracts, or the loss of a significant customer, could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows, and cause our operating results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year.

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Fixed-Price Contracts

        Currently, a large portion of our revenue is from contracts that are on a fixed-price basis. We anticipate that customers will continue to request we provide software and integration services as a total solution on a fixed-price basis. These contracts specify certain obligations and deliverables we must meet regardless of the actual costs we incur. Projects done on a fixed-price basis are subject to budget overruns. On occasion, we have experienced budget overruns, resulting in lower than anticipated margins. We can give no assurance we will not incur similar budget overruns in the future, including overruns that result in losses on these contracts. If we incur budget overruns, our margins and results of operations may be materially harmed.

Rapid Technological Change; Risks Associated with New Versions and New Products

        The market for our products and services is subject to rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, changes in carrier requirements and preferences and frequent new product introductions and enhancements. The introduction of products that incorporate new technologies and emergence of new industry standards can make existing products obsolete and unmarketable. To compete successfully, we must continue to design, develop and sell enhancements to existing products and new products that provide higher levels of performance and reliability in a timely manner, take advantage of technological advancements and changes in industry standards and respond to new customer requirements. As a result of the complexities inherent in software development, major new product enhancements and new products can require long development and testing periods before they are commercially released and delays in planned delivery dates may occur. There can be no assurance we will successfully identify new product opportunities or will achieve market acceptance of new products brought to market. In addition, products developed by others may cause our products to become obsolete or noncompetitive. If we fail to anticipate or respond adequately to changes in technology and customer preferences, or if our products do not perform satisfactorily, or if we have delays in product development, our business, financial condition, results of operations may be materially harmed.

Mature Market for Number Portability Products

        The market for our number portability products is mature in the U.S and we may not be able to successfully identify new product opportunities in the U.S. or abroad or achieve market acceptance of new products brought to the market. Although wireless number portability was only recently mandated in the U.S., many of the wireless carriers selected solutions from our competitors and it is unclear how many new opportunities there will be with these carriers. If we are unable to identify new product opportunities in the U.S. or abroad, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be materially harmed.

Risks Associated with Managing Expenses

        We have taken steps to reduce our expenses, such as reductions in staff, closing of our satellite facilities, reductions in employee benefits and general cost control measures. If, as a result of such cost reductions, we have not adequately responded to balance expenses against revenue, or if our fixed costs cannot be reduced enough, our financial condition could be materially harmed. Likewise, cutbacks in staff may have an impact on our ability to generate future revenue.

Risks Associated with Offshore Development

        In February 2004, we formed Evolving Systems India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Evolving Systems, to transfer the services provided by our Indian subcontractor, Infosys, to Evolving Systems India. If Evolving Systems India fails to provide quality software in a timely fashion, this could

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negatively affect our ability to satisfy our customer contracts. Furthermore, political changes and uncertainties in India could negatively impact the business climate there. As a result, we may be unable to satisfactorily perform our customer contracts and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially harmed.

Competition

        Our primary markets are intensely competitive and are subject to rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards and regulatory developments. We face continuous demand for improved product performance, new product features and reduced prices, as well as intense pressure to accelerate the release of new products and product enhancements. Our existing and potential competitors include many large domestic and international companies, including some competitors that have substantially greater financial, manufacturing, technological, marketing, distribution and other resources, larger installed customer bases and longer-standing relationships with customers than we do. Our principal competitors in the LNP and WNP market include Telcordia Technologies, Inc., Syniverse Technologies and Tekelec. Our principal competitors in activation are Metasolv and Comptel. In mediation, we compete with many different companies with no single competitor. There also can be no assurance that customers will not offer competitive products or services in the future since customers who have purchased solutions from us are not precluded from competing with us. Many telecommunications companies have large internal development organizations, which develop software solutions and provide services similar to the products and services we provide. We also expect competition may increase in the future from Application Service Providers, existing competitors and from other companies that may enter our existing or future markets with solutions which may be less costly, provide higher performance or additional features or be introduced earlier than our solutions.

        We believe that our ability to compete successfully depends on numerous factors. For example, the following factors affect our ability to compete successfully:

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how well we respond to our customers' needs;



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the quality and reliability of our products and services and our competitors' products and services;



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the price for our products and services, as well as the price for our competitors' products and services;



•

how well we manage our projects;



•

our technical subject matter expertise;



•

the quality of our customer service and support;



•

the emergence of new industry standards;



•

the development of technical innovations;



•

our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel;



•

regulatory changes; and



•

general market and economic conditions.

        Some of these factors are within our control, and others are not. A variety of potential actions by our competitors, including a reduction of product prices or increased promotion, announcement or accelerated introduction of new or enhanced products, or cooperative relationships among competitors and their strategic partners, could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully with existing or new competitors or that we will properly identify and address the demands of new markets. This is

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particularly true in new markets where standards are not yet established. Our failure to adapt to emerging market demands, respond to regulatory and technological changes or compete successfully with existing and new competitors would materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Associated with Recruiting and Retaining Personnel

        Our ability to manage future expansion, if any, effectively will require us to attract, train, motivate and manage new employees successfully, to integrate new management and employees into our overall operations and to continue to improve our operations, financial and management systems. There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain personnel or to hire additional personnel on a timely basis, if at all. Because of the complexity of our software solutions, a significant time lag exists between the hiring date of technical and sales personnel and the time when they become fully productive. We have at times experienced difficulty in recruiting and retaining such personnel. In addition, our stock option plan terminates on December 31, 2005 and under Nasdaq rules we will be required to obtain stockholder approval to establish a new equity compensation plan. If we are unsuccessful in obtaining this approval, our ability to attract or retain employee may be harmed. Our failure to retain personnel or to hire qualified personnel on a timely basis could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Product Liability

        Our agreements with our customers typically contain provisions designed to limit our exposure to potential liability for damages arising out of the use of or defects in our products. These limitations, however, tend to vary from customer to customer and it is possible that these limitations of liability provisions may not be effective. We currently have errors and omissions insurance, which, subject to customary exclusions, covers claims resulting from failure of our software products or services to perform the function or to serve the purpose intended. To the extent that any successful product liability claim is not covered by this insurance, we may be required to pay for a claim. This could be expensive, particularly since our software products may be used in critical business applications. Defending such a suit, regardless of its merits, could be expensive and require the time and attention of key management personnel, either of which could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our business reputation could be harmed by product liability claims, regardless of their merit or the eventual outcome of these claims.

Protection of Intellectual Property

        Our success and ability to compete are dependent to a significant degree on our proprietary technology. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality agreements and licensing arrangements, to establish and protect our proprietary rights. We have U.S. patents on elements of our LNP products, NumberManager and OrderPath, and elements of our OmniPresenceServer application and have applied for patent protection on various other elements of our OmniPresenceServer application and our ServiceXpress Test Harness application. In addition, we have registered or filed for registration of certain of our trademarks. Despite these precautions, it may be possible for a third party to copy or otherwise obtain and use our products or technology without authorization or to develop similar technology independently through reverse engineering or other means. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries may not adequately protect our proprietary rights. There can be no assurance that our means of protecting our proprietary rights in the U.S. or abroad will be adequate or that others will not independently develop technologies that are similar or superior to our technology, duplicate our technology or design around any of our patents.

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Risks of Infringement

        It is also possible that our business activities may infringe upon the proprietary rights of others, or that other parties may assert infringement claims against us. If we become liable to any third party for infringing its intellectual property rights, we could be required to pay substantial damage awards and to develop non-infringing technology, obtain licenses, or to cease selling the applications that contain the infringing intellectual property. Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and any outcome unfavorable to us could materially harm our business. Furthermore, we could incur substantial costs in defending against any intellectual property litigation, and these costs could increase significantly if any dispute were to go to trial. Our defense of any litigation, regardless of the merits of the complaint, likely would be time-consuming, costly, and a distraction to our management personnel. Adverse publicity related to any intellectual property litigation also could harm the sale of our products and damage our competitive position.

        Certain software developed or used by Evolving Systems, as well as certain software acquired in our acquisitions of TSE or Tertio, may include or be derived from software that is made available under an open source software license.

•

Such open source software may be made available under a license such as the GNU General Public License ("GPL") or GNU Lesser General Public License ("LGPL") which impose certain obligations on us in the event we were to distribute derivative works based on the open source software. These obligations may require us to make source code for these derivative works available to the public or license the derivative works under a particular type of open source software license, rather than the license terms we customarily use to protect our software.



•

There is little or no legal precedent for interpreting the terms of certain of these open source licenses, including the terms addressing the extent to which a derivative work based on open source software may be subject to these licenses. We believe we have complied with our obligations under the various applicable open source licenses. However, if the owner of any open source software were to successfully establish that we had not complied with the terms of an open source license for a particular derivative work based on that open source software, we may be forced to release the source code for that derivative work to the public or cease distribution of that work.



•

We generally prohibit the combination of our proprietary software with open source software. Despite these restrictions, parties may combine our proprietary software with open source software without our authorization, in which case such parties could be forced to release to the public the source code of our proprietary software.

International Terrorism

        The continued threat of terrorism within the U.S. and throughout the world and acts of war may cause significant disruption to commerce throughout the world. Our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected to the extent that such disruptions result in delays or cancellations of customer orders, delays in collecting cash, a general decrease in corporate spending on information technology, or our inability to effectively market, manufacture or ship our products. We are unable to predict whether war and the threat of terrorism or the responses thereto will result in any long-term commercial disruptions or if such activities or responses will have any long-term material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

Possible Volatility of Stock Price

        The trading price of our common stock has been subject to wide fluctuations in response to quarterly variations in operating results, announcements of technological innovations or new products

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by us or our competitors, merger and acquisition activity, changes in financial estimates by securities analysts, the operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors may deem comparable to us, general stock market and economic considerations and other events or factors. This may continue in the future.

        In addition, the stock market has experienced volatility that has particularly affected the market prices of stock of many technology companies and often has been unrelated to the operating performance of these companies. These broad market fluctuations may negatively impact the trading price of our common stock. As a result of the foregoing factors, we cannot assure our investors that our common stock will trade at or higher than its current price.

Effects of Future Sales of Our Common Stock in the Public Market

        If our stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the market price of our common stock could fall. The perception among investors that such sales will occur could also produce this effect. These factors also could make it more difficult to raise funds through future offerings of common stock.

Reporting Requirements

        Because our common stock is publicly traded, we are subject to certain rules and regulations of federal, state and financial market exchange entities charged with the protection of investors and the oversight companies whose securities are publicly traded. These entities, including the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the SEC and the Nasdaq, have recently issued new requirements and regulations and are currently developing additional regulations and requirements in response to recent laws enacted by Congress, most notably the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Our compliance with certain of these rules, such as Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, is likely to require the commitment of significant and managerial resources. We are currently reviewing our material internal control systems, processes and procedures in compliance with the requirements of Section 404. There can be no assurance that such a review will not result in the identification of significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal controls.

We Have Never Paid Dividends

        We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all future earnings, if any, for use in the operation of our business. In addition, the notes issued in connection with the Tertio acquisition prohibit us from declaring dividends to our common stockholders during the term of the notes. Accordingly, we do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions

        Our restated certificate of incorporation allows our board of directors to issue up to 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock and to determine the price, rights, preferences and privileges of those shares without any further vote or action by our stockholders. The rights of the holders of our common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued in the future. Issuance of preferred stock, while providing desired flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock. In 1999, our Board of directors designated 250,000 shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock that contain "poison pill" provisions. In connection with the Tertio acquisition, we issued 966,666 shares of Series B Preferred Stock. We have no current plans to issue additional shares of preferred stock.

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        In addition, we are subject to the anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibit us from engaging in a "business combination" with an "interested stockholder" for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in the prescribed manner. The application of Section 203 and certain provisions of our restated certificate of incorporation, including a classified board of directors, may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control of our management, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock by discouraging or preventing takeover attempts that might result in the payment of a premium price to our stockholders.

Available Information

        You can find out more information about us at our Internet website located at www.evolving.com. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and our Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports are available free of charge on our Internet website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with the SEC. Additionally, these reports are available at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549 or on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

Item 2. Properties

        During 2004, we leased office space at ten locations (the Vienna, Virginia lease expired during 2004). The office spaces currently being utilized are the Englewood, Colorado location, the space in Columbus, OH, which was acquired as part of the CMS acquisition, the space in London, England, Bath, England and Munich, Germany, which was acquired as part of the Tertio Telecoms LTD acquisition and the Bangalore, India space. We closed all of our other offices in 2002, with the exception of the Greenwood Village, Colorado space, which was acquired and closed in 2004 as part of the Telecom Software Enterprises acquisition. Any remaining lease obligations associated with the closed offices were accrued as restructuring and other expenses, net of estimated sublease income (see Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements). We currently have sublease agreements on the California, New Jersey and Greenwood Village, Colorado locations. We also sublease a portion of our space in our Bath, England office. Our current leases are shown below:

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

        From time to time we are involved in various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business operations. We are not currently involved in any such proceedings.

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

        None

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PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

        Our common stock began trading publicly through the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol "EVOL" on May 12, 1998. Prior to that date, there was no public market for the common stock. We transferred from the NASDAQ National Market to the NASDAQ SmallCap Market on August 28, 2002. The closing price of our common stock as reported on the NASDAQ SmallCap Market as of March 18, 2005 was $2.40 per share. The following table sets forth for the periods indicated