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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003

OR

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission File Number 000-29085

IMPSAT Fiber Networks, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane 150

Piso 8, C1107BCA

Buenos Aires, Argentina

(5411) 5170-0000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: common stock, par value $0.01 per share

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 x NO ¨

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. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Securities Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).

Yes ¨ No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 12, 13, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.

Yes x No ¨

The aggregate market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $9.9 million as of June 30, 2003, the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter (based upon the closing price for the common stock as reported on such date by the Nasdaq Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board).

There were 10,100,000 shares of common stock outstanding on March 15, 2004.

Portions of our Proxy Statement to be delivered to securityholders in connection with the Annual Meeting to be held on April 30, 2004 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report.

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Outlook and Uncertainties

Certain information in this Report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of these provisions, including any projections of earnings, revenues or other financial items, any statements of the plans and objectives of management for future operations, any statements concerning proposed new products or services, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, and any statement of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as “may”, “will”, “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “potential”, or “continue”, or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology. Although IMPSAT Fiber Networks, Inc. believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations or any of its forward-looking statements will prove to be correct, and actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in these forward-looking statements.

Our Internet address is www.IMPSAT.com. We make available free of charge, on or through the investor relations section of our web site, annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

In this Report, “company,” “IMPSAT,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to IMPSAT Fiber Networks, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

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CERTAIN CONSIDERATIONS

In addition to other information in this Report, the following risk factors should be carefully considered in evaluating IMPSAT and its business because such factors currently may have a significant impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. As a result of the risk factors set forth below and elsewhere in this Report and the risks discussed in IMPSAT’s other SEC filings, actual results could differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements.

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Our Securities

We have emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and may need additional financing

On June 11, 2002, we filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. On September 4, 2002, we filed our plan of reorganization, which we refer to as the Plan, with the bankruptcy court. By order dated December 16, 2002, the bankruptcy court confirmed the Plan. In accordance to the terms of the Plan, we formally emerged from bankruptcy on March 25, 2003, which we refer to as the Effective Date. Our recent emergence from bankruptcy may adversely affect our ability to negotiate favorable trade terms with lenders, suppliers and vendors.

Our projections contained in the Plan contemplate a $20 million financing in 2005, regarding which there also can be no assurances that such financing will be achieved. Beginning in 2005, we are required to repay in installments the principal amount of our restructured senior debt owed by our subsidiaries to certain of their vendor financiers who elected to participate in the Plan. In addition, the new guaranteed senior notes issued under the Plan, which we refer to as the Senior Notes, begin to pay cash interest in 2005 and must be repaid, or refinanced, upon their maturity date in 2011. We may be required to refinance all or a portion of the indebtedness at such times in order to repay our indebtedness because we may not have sufficient internally-generated funds to do so. In that event, we assume that we would be able to arrange refinancing by means of the issuance of debt or the infusion of equity at such time. However, there can be no assurances that any such refinancing will be achieved or that additional financing will be available on acceptable terms or at all.

Our historical financial information is not comparable to our current financial condition and results of operations

As a result of emergence from bankruptcy, we are operating our business with a new capital structure. We are also subject to fresh-start reporting prescribed by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which we refer to as U.S. GAAP, and our balance sheet as of December 31, 2003 reflects the application of these rules. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operation are not comparable to the financial condition and results of operations reflected in our historical financial statements, making it difficult to assess our future prospects based on historical performance.

We have a history of incurring losses that may make it difficult to fund our future operations

We commenced commercial operations in 1990 and have experienced rapid growth, increasing our annual revenues from $8.2 million in 1991 to $128.4 million in 1996 and $220.3 million in 2003 (including, with respect to revenue amounts for the last three quarters in 2003, our company after its emergence from bankruptcy). We recorded net losses of $131.5 million in 1999, $154.1 million in 2000, $715.3 million in 2001 and $204.5 million in 2002. In 2003, we recorded net income of $740.5 million, which net income is attributable to the effect of the financial restructuring that resulted from the consummation of the Plan and related transactions. Increased competition, adverse economic conditions in our countries of operation and other factors have negatively affected our financial condition and business operations. Our revenues have not been capable of funding our operations and repaying our indebtedness when due.

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We continued to be leveraged and our debt service requirements make us more vulnerable to economic downturns in the markets we service or in the economy in general

Our indebtedness restricts our ability to obtain additional financing in the future and, because we may be more leveraged than some of our competitors, may place us at a competitive disadvantage. Also, the indentures and amended financing agreements that we entered into in connection with our emergence from bankruptcy contain covenants that impose operating and financial restrictions on us. These covenants could adversely affect our ability to finance future operations, potential acquisitions or capital needs or to engage in other business activities that may be in our interest. In addition, if we cannot achieve the financial results necessary to maintain compliance with these covenants, we could be declared in default and be required to sell or liquidate our assets to repay outstanding debt. Our total indebtedness as of December 31, 2003 was $261.2 million.

There is a limited trading market for our common stock

There is currently a limited trading market for our common stock, which began trading on the Nasdaq OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “IMFN” on June 13, 2003. Prior to June 13, 2003, there was no established market for our common stock since the date of our emergence from bankruptcy. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained.

We are restricted in our ability to pay dividends

We do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. In addition, the covenants under the indentures governing our Senior Notes (and any future financial facility to which we are a party will also likely) limit the ability of our company to pay dividends. Certain institutional investors may only invest in dividend paying securities or may operate under other restrictions that may prohibit or limit their ability to invest in our common stock.

As a result of the implementation of our plan of reorganization, we have a significant concentration of holders of our shares of our common stock

As part of the Plan, certain holders of claims received distributions of a significant number of shares of our common stock or of securities convertible into or exercisable for such common stock. If such holders of significant numbers of shares of the common stock were to act as a group, such holders would be in a position to control the outcome of actions requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors. The concentration of ownership could also facilitate or hinder a negotiated change of control of the company and, consequently, affect the value of the common stock.

As a result of the implementation of the Plan our initial board of directors were nominated by certain initial holders of our securities. As long as these initial holders continue to hold a certain percentage of our common stock, common stockholders will not have the right to elect individuals to our board of directors.

Further, the possibility that one or more of the holders of significant numbers of shares of the common stock may determine to sell all or a large portion of their shares of common stock in a short period of time may adversely affect the market price of the common stock.

Risk Related to Our Business

Economic and political conditions in Latin America pose numerous risks to our operations

Substantially all of our revenues are derived from operations in Latin America. During 2002 and 2003, we derived approximately 24.6% and 26.6% of our consolidated net revenues from services provided by IMPSAT Argentina,

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approximately 25.3% and 24.8% by IMPSAT Colombia. Our company also has operations in Venezuela, Brazil, the United States, Ecuador, Chile and Peru. Other than the United States, each country where we have significant operations has experienced political and economic instability in recent years. Moreover, as events in the Latin American region have demonstrated, negative economic or political developments in one country in the region can lead to or exacerbate economic or political crises elsewhere in the region. Furthermore, events in recent years in other developing markets have placed pressures on the stability of the currencies of a number of countries in Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. While certain areas in the Latin American region have experienced economic growth, this recovery remains fragile. Pressures on the local currencies in the countries in which we operate are likely to have an adverse effect on many of our customers, which, in turn, could adversely affect us. Volatility in regional currencies and capital markets has also had an adverse effect on our ability and that of our customers to gain access to international capital markets for necessary financing and refinancing. A lack of international capital sources for emerging market borrowers could have a material adverse effect on us and many of our customers.

According to published reports, during 2003, Argentina’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 8.4% while Brazil experienced a decline of 0.2% in its GDP. During 2003, Colombia’s GDP grew by 4.1% and Venezuela’s GDP contracted by 7.5%. Although reports have forecasted GDP growth for 2004 in most of our countries of operations, we do not expect fundamental improvements in macroeconomic conditions in Latin America in the near term.

While Argentina appears to be economically recovering it still faces a political and financial crisis

A significant portion of our operations, properties and customers are located in Argentina. Net revenues from services from our Argentine operations, acting through IMPSAT Argentina, for each of 2002 and 2003 represented approximately 24.6% and 26.6% of our consolidated net revenues from services during those years. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations depend to a significant extent on macroeconomic and political conditions prevailing from time to time in Argentina. The Argentine economy has experienced significant volatility in recent decades, characterized by periods of low or negative growth and high and variable levels of inflation.

In the fourth quarter of 1998, the Argentine economy entered into a recession that caused the gross domestic product to decrease by 3% in 1999, 0.5% in 2000, 4.5% in 2001, and 10.9% in 2002. Beginning in the second half of 2001, Argentina’s recession worsened significantly, precipitating a severe political and economic crisis. In December 2001, the Argentine government introduced a partial freeze on bank deposits, which resulted in widespread political protests and social disturbances and the resignation of Argentina’s then president, Fernando de la Rua. Such protests and disturbances persisted as the Argentine economy continued to deteriorate.

On May 25, 2003, Nestor Kirchner was inaugurated as president of Argentina. Thus far, there has been a generally positive market reaction to the economic and fiscal policies of Mr. Kirchner. However, since the election, there has been continued volatility in the value of Argentina’s currency compared to the U.S. Dollar and speculation about the willingness or ability of Argentina to service its multibillion-dollar public debt. On September 11, 2003, Argentina was able to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (the “IMF”) to refinance $31 billion of indebtedness with the IMF, staged over a three-year period. In return, Argentina agreed to implement economic reform and to negotiate with private creditors of over $80 billion of sovereign indebtedness upon which Argentina has defaulted.

Argentina’s foreign debt crisis and differences over how it should be resolved have pitted the Argentine government against creditors in the United States, Europe, and Asia, along with the IMF. Although the Argentine government, on March 9, 2004, made a scheduled debt payment in the amount $3.1 billion to the IMF, the Argentine government and the IMF have publicly disagreed on the terms by which Argentina has proposed to restructure its defaulted sovereign debt to private sector bondholders. In addition, Mr. Kirchner’s proposal that Argentina’s private creditors accept a 75 percent reduction in the face value of the foreign debt has been strongly rejected by many of these creditors. Some of these creditors have pressed their claims by seeking judicial action to have properties owned outside of Argentina by the Argentine government seized in exchange for payment. The stance adopted by Argentina against its creditors risks further deepening that country’s debt crisis and jeopardizing its ability to access international financial

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markets in the future. If realized, these circumstances are likely to have a material adverse effect on IMPSAT Argentina’s and our consolidated cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.

The political and financial crisis resulted in the devaluation of the Argentine peso

In late December 2001, Argentina’s ongoing political and financial crisis deepened and the country defaulted on its massive foreign debt. In early January 2002, the government of President Eduardo Duhalde abandoned the decade-old fixed peso-dollar exchange rate and permitted the peso to float freely against the U.S. dollar. The peso free market opened on January 11, 2002 and traded at 1.65 pesos to the U.S. dollar and has traded as low as 3.87 pesos to the U.S. dollar on June 26, 2002. Since that date, the peso has generally appreciated against the U.S. dollar. At December 31, 2003, the exchange rate was 2.95 pesos to the U.S. dollar. The devaluation of the Argentine peso affects our consolidated financial statements by generating foreign exchange transaction gains or losses on dollar-denominated monetary assets and liabilities of IMPSAT Argentina and generally results in a decrease, in U.S. dollar terms, in our revenues, costs and expenses in Argentina.

In February 2002, the Argentine government instituted the “pesification” decree. Generally, this decree mandates that all monetary obligations arising from agreements subject to Argentine law denominated in foreign currency and existing as of January 6, 2002 are mandatorily converted into monetary obligations denominated in pesos at an exchange rate of one U.S. dollar to one peso. Such obligations generally may be adjusted pursuant to an index published by the Argentine central bank called the “coeficiente de estabilización de referencia” (“CER”), which is based on the Argentine consumer price index. Contracts denominated in pesos before the decree continue to be denominated in pesos, unaffected by the decree. The devaluation and the “pesification” of agreements of our company governed by Argentine law may have adverse, unknown and unforeseeable effects on us.

As a result of the “pesification” decree, a significant number of IMPSAT Argentina’s customer contracts and a large percentage of its operating cash inflows were converted into pesos. As of December 31, 2003, approximately 57% of IMPSAT Argentina’s revenues were denominated in pesos and approximately 43% of its revenues were denominated in U.S. dollars. However, IMPSAT Argentina’s debt service payments and a significant portion of its costs (including capital equipment purchases and payments for certain leased satellite and terrestrial capacity) remain denominated and payable in U.S. dollars. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations in Argentina are dependent upon IMPSAT Argentina’s ability to generate sufficient pesos (in U.S. dollar terms) to pay its costs, expenses and to satisfy its debt service requirements. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the extent of the devaluation and the direction of the fiscal policies in Argentina. A continued economic crisis in Argentina and/or significant devaluation of the peso against the U.S. dollar could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated cash flows, financial condition, and results of operations.

Numerous uncertainties exist surrounding the ultimate resolution of Argentina’s economic and political instability, and actual results could differ from those estimates and assumptions utilized. The Argentine economic and political situation continues to evolve and the Argentine government may enact future regulations or policies that, when finalized and adopted, may adversely and materially impact, among other items: (i) the realized revenues we receive for services offered in Argentina; (ii) the timing of repatriations of any dividends or other cash flows from IMPSAT Argentina to our holding company in the United States; (iii) our asset valuations; and (iv) our peso-denominated monetary assets and liabilities.

Brazilian economic and political conditions may have a direct impact on our operations

Brazil, as the largest country and economy in Latin America, represents a significant existing and potential market for us. Our company, acting through IMPSAT Brazil, has expanded its operations in Brazil since that subsidiary’s inception in 1998. Revenues from services from our Brazilian operations for 2002 and 2003 represented approximately 15.6% and 13.8%, respectively, of our consolidated net revenues from services for such periods. For 2003, our operations in Brazil represented the fourth largest source of revenues among the eight countries in which we operate. Accordingly,

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our operations in Brazil subject our financial condition and results of operations to various additional economic and political risks.

The Brazilian government has frequently intervened in the Brazilian economy and occasionally makes drastic changes in policy. The Brazilian government’s actions to control inflation and effect other policies have often involved wage and price controls, currency devaluations, capital controls and limits on imports, among other things. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the left-wing candidate, was elected president of Brazil on October 27, 2002.

Our business, financial condition and result of operations in Brazil may be adversely affected by changes in policy involving factors outside of our control, such as:

In early 1999, the Brazilian government allowed the real to float freely, resulting in a 38% devaluation against the U.S. dollar from January 14, 1999 through December 31, 2000. During the past three years, Brazil’s currency has experienced further significant devaluations against the U.S. dollar. These and prior devaluations have had a negative effect on our real-denominated revenues. In addition, currency devaluations can also create inflationary pressures. Inflation itself, as well as some governmental measures to combat inflation, have had significant negative effects on the Brazilian economy in the past.

Brazil experienced economic uncertainty in the months leading up to the election of Mr. Lula da Silva as President of Brazil on October 27, 2002, as investors feared that the leftist Lula administration would fail to maintain fiscal discipline and that the nation would default on its debt obligations. In the aftermath of the election however, policy promises and cabinet appointments by the Lula administration have generally appeased the investor community and caused Brazilian markets to react positively. At December 31, 2002, the real traded at a rate of R$3.53 = $1.00 and appreciated during 2003 to a rate of R$2.91 = $1.00 at December 31, 2003. At March 15, 2004, the real traded at a rate of R$2.91 = $1.00. Despite appreciation of the real against the U.S. dollar during the last quarter of 2003 and stabilization of inflation, the Brazilian economy continues to experience difficulty. Brazil’s GDP contracted by around 0.2% during 2003. Failure to successfully implement necessary economic reforms and measures to preserve social and political stability and achieve economic growth in Brazil could prompt adverse responses from the international capital markets and investor community and halt or reverse any economic recovery in that country. The political and economic volatility in Brazil have had, and can be expected to continue to have, a material adverse effect on IMPSAT Brazil’s and our overall financial condition and results of operations.

Recent civil and political unrest in Venezuela may have an adverse impact on our operations

In April 2002, a general strike and violent civil unrest in Venezuela directed against the policies of that country’s head of state, President Hugo Chavez, forced Mr. Chavez from office. Less than two days later, strong support from tens of thousands of pro-Chavez demonstrators led to Mr. Chavez’s reinstatement. In December 2002, opposition groups again launched a nationwide labor strike. The strike, which lasted for two months, brought the Venezuelan economy to an almost standstill and severely curtailed the production and export of oil, the major source of Venezuela’s foreign exchange. In December 2003, opposition forces announced that they had secured a sufficient number of votes to trigger a recall referendum against Mr. Chavez’s continuation in office. In March 2004, the electoral authorities preliminarily ruled that there were insufficient legitimate signatures to support the petition. The authority’s decision has resulted in further civil unrest and protests.

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Venezuela’s political instability in the first quarter of 2003 caused many private businesses throughout the country to close temporarily and disrupted Venezuela’s petroleum industry, which provides the government with more than half its revenue. In response, the Venezuelan government imposed foreign exchange and price controls beginning in February 2003, which make it difficult for our customers in Venezuela to obtain the U.S. dollars needed to make payments due to us in U.S. dollars on a timely basis. These foreign exchange controls also limit our ability to convert local currency into U.S. dollars and transfer funds out of Venezuela. At December 31, 2002, the bolivar traded at a rate of Bs.1,392.00 = $1.00. On February 6, 2003, the Venezuelan government set a single fixed exchange rate for the bolivar against the U.S. dollar of approximately Bs.1,600.00 = $1.00 as part of the new currency controls. On February 9, 2004, the Venezuelan government further devalued the bolivar to Bs. 1,920.00 = $1.00. There is a risk that a continuation or worsening of these volatile political and economic conditions in Venezuela could materially and adversely impact our future business, operations, financial condition and results of operations.

We are vulnerable to currency fluctuations, devaluations and restrictions that may increase our losses and cause fluctuations in our operating results

A significant portion of our costs, including lease payments for certain satellite and fiber optic capacity, purchases of capital equipment, and payments of interest and principal on our indebtedness is payable in U.S. dollars. Our results of operations and financial conditions are therefore vulnerable to currency devaluations. Following the “pesification” decree, our contracts that were governed by Argentine law, denominated in foreign currency and existing as of January 6, 2002 were mandatorily converted into monetary obligations denominated in pesos at an exchange rate of one U.S. dollar to one peso, subject to adjustment pursuant to the Argentine CER consumer price index. In Brazil, our customer contracts with Brazilian counterparties cannot be denominated in U.S. dollars or linked to the exchange rate between the Brazilian real and the U.S. dollar, although we are permitted to amend the pricing of our services for our long-term telecommunications service contracts with our customers annually based on changes in the consumer price index in Brazil for the prior year. The inflation adjustment provisions in these laws do not eliminate completely the currency exchange risk facing our operations in Argentina and Brazil. For example, contracts entered into between Argentine parties after the “pesification” decree’s enactment that are initially denominated in pesos may not thereafter be adjusted according to the CER or any other consumer price index. Also, changes in the consumer price indices in Argentina and Brazil may lag or be lower than changes in the exchange rate between the Argentine and Brazil local currency and the U.S. dollar and therefore may not fully allow us to address the impact of a devaluation of those currencies against the U.S. dollar. Our operations in Argentina and Brazil represented a significant portion of our consolidated net revenues in 2003. Accordingly, our operations in Argentina and Brazil have exposed us, and will increase our exposure, to exchange rate risks.

Except in Argentina (since the “pesification” decree, to the extent discussed above) and Brazil, the contracts of the company and its subsidiaries with customers generally provide for payment in U.S. dollars or for payment in local currency linked to the exchange rate between the local currency and the U.S. dollar at the time of invoicing. Accordingly, inflationary pressures on local economies in the other countries in which we operate did not have a material effect on our net revenues during 2003. However, given that the exchange rate is generally set at the date of invoicing and that we in some cases experience substantial delays in collecting receivables, our operations in those other countries are also exposed to exchange rate risk.

Substantial or continued devaluations in local currencies relative to the U.S. dollar could have a material adverse effect on the ability of our customers to absorb the costs of a devaluation. This could result in our customers seeking to renegotiate their contracts with us or, failing satisfactory renegotiation, defaulting on or canceling their contracts. Our competitors and potential future competitors, including the monopoly public telephony operators, which we refer to as PTOs, and large, multinational telecommunications companies, may be less exposed to currency risk or may be better able to hedge their currency risk and could thereby gain a relative competitive advantage in the event of a currency devaluation. In addition, Latin American economies have experienced shortages in foreign currency reserves and restrictions on the ability to expatriate local earnings and convert local currencies into U.S. dollars. Currency devaluations in one country may have adverse effects in another country.

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Our earnings will deteriorate if we cannot collect on our customer accounts

We provide trade credit to our customers in the normal course of business. As of December 31, 2003, approximately 37.5% of our gross accounts receivable were past due more than six months. We recorded a provision for doubtful accounts of $2.9 million in 2003 compared to $13.1 million for 2002. At December 31, 2003, our allowance for doubtful accounts covered approximately 106.3% of our gross trade accounts receivable past due more than six months. As our business increases with small and medium customers and in relation to any economic contractions in our principal countries of operation, we may experience an increase in uncollectable accounts receivable. For example, we anticipate that we could experience an increase in our uncollectable accounts receivables because of the political and financial instability in Argentina and Venezuela (see “—Economic and political conditions in Latin America pose numerous risks to our operations”) and their adverse impact on the creditworthiness and solvency of our customers. Difficulties in collecting amounts due from our Argentine and Venezuelan customers during coming periods could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We face numerous risks that could adversely affect our Broadband Network strategy

Operating the Broadband Network may have a negative impact on our results of operations

Our operation of the Broadband Network, which may include the expansion into new services for our business customers, could involve any one or more of the following:

Our ability to obtain new capital that we might require in the future may be negatively affected by many factors beyond our control

Our future capital requirements will depend upon many factors, including:

Further development of the Broadband Network will require additional resources that we may not have

We may need to adapt the Broadband Network to respond to:

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We may require additional financial, operational and managerial resources to expand or adapt the Broadband Network. If we are unable to expand or adapt the Broadband Network to respond to these developments on a timely basis and at a commercially reasonable cost, our business will be materially adversely affected.

Our failure to acquire, integrate and operate new technologies could harm our competitive position

The telecommunications industry is characterized by rapid and significant technological advancements and the introduction of new products and services. We do not possess significant intellectual property rights with respect to the technologies we use and are dependent on third parties for the development of and access to new technology. In addition, we generally own the customer premises equipment used to provide our services and we own the fiber optic networks, including switching equipment, that constitute the Broadband Network. Therefore, technological changes that render our equipment and the Broadband Network out of date, less efficient or more expensive to operate than newer equipment could require us to incur substantial increases in capital expenditures to upgrade or replace such equipment.

We cannot predict the effect on our business of technological changes, such as changes relating to emerging wireline and wireless transmission technologies and the use of the Internet for traditional voice, data or other broadband services. In addition, it is impossible for us to predict with any certainty which emergent technologies relevant to our business will prove to be the most economic, efficient or capable of attracting new customers. A reduction in the demand for data transmission services or a failure by us to obtain and adapt to new technologies in our markets could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete successfully.

We face significant competition in Latin America

The telecommunications industry in Latin America is highly competitive and is generally characterized by low barriers to entry. We expect that competition in the industry will maintain its intensity. We compete on the basis of our experience, quality, customer service, range of services offered and price.

We have experienced pricing pressure for some of our services, and we expect to continue to face pricing pressure. We may further experience declining operating profit margins as the PTOs in the countries in which we operate become more competitive and place greater emphasis on data telecommunications.

PTOs have competitive advantages in the marketplace

In most of our markets, our principal competitor is the local PTO or an affiliate of the local PTO. The PTOs generally have significant competitive advantages. These advantages generally include:

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For example, our principal competitors in Argentina are Telecom Soluciones S.A. and Advance Telecomunicaciones S.A., which are data transmission companies controlled by Telecom Argentina STET-France Telecom S.A. (“Telecom Argentina”) and Telefonica de Argentina S.A. (“Telefonica”), respectively. Telecom Argentina and Telefonica are the PTOs in Argentina. In Brazil, our principal competitors are Embratel, Brasil Telecom, Telefonica, and Telemar.

In the future, the PTOs may devote substantially more resources to the sale, marketing and provision of services that compete with us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

International telecommunications carriers have greater resources than we do

We also compete with operators of satellite data transmission networks and terrestrial telecommunications links, and face actual or potential competition from large international telecommunications carriers and from other industry participants. International telecommunications carriers, whose principal focus has traditionally been long distance telephony services, may increasingly focus on the private telecommunications network systems segment of the telecommunications market as deregulation continues. Many of these potential competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources than we do. In addition, consolidation of telecommunications companies and the formation of strategic alliances within the telecommunications industry could give rise to significant new competitors.

Our competitors could take advantage of new or competing technologies to our detriment

Although we believe we have the flexibility to act quickly to take advantage of any significant technological development, new competing technologies may negatively affect our business. For example, technologies such as digital subscriber line, or DSL, significantly enhance the speed of traditional copper lines. DSL or other technologies enable our PTO competitors to offer high-speed services without undergoing the expense of replacing their existing copper networks. Widespread use of DSL in our markets could have a material adverse effect on our “last mile” advantage. Our telecommunications network services also may face competition from entities that use new or emerging voice and data transmission services or technologies that currently are not widely available in Latin America. Furthermore, competing technologies may gain market and commercial acceptance. We are limited by our existing cash resources and our anticipated constraints on availability of financing from making any significant capital expenditures to acquire any new technologies. If these developing or new technologies are successful, they may provide significant long-term competition that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The downturn in the telecommunications industry negatively affects us

Regional economic difficulties, which have persisted since 2001, have had a materially negative impact on the telecommunications market in Latin America. The rate at which the industry improves is critical to our ability to improve overall financial performance. The financial difficulties recently experienced by other participants in the telecommunications industry has resulted in some of our competitors being able to purchase the assets of these troubled companies at depressed prices. This consolidation has resulted, and could further result, in multiple smaller competitors being absorbed into relatively few large entities (with significantly greater financial and other resources than we have, including greater access to financing), thereby increasing the operating profit margin pressures that we face. As a result of our financial difficulties prior to our emergence from Chapter 11, potential customers and suppliers may be unwilling to do business with us and may prefer to do business with competitors that have greater financial and other resources.

We face regulatory risks and uncertainty with respect to local laws and regulations

Our business is dependent upon the procurement and maintenance of licenses to provide various telecommunications network services in the countries in which we operate. We believe that we have all licenses required for the conduct of our current operations. We expect that those licenses that are subject to expiration will be renewed in

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due course upon our application to the appropriate authorities. Due to the political and economic risks associated with the countries in which we operate, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our licenses or that they will be renewed upon their expiration. The loss, or substantial limitation upon the terms, of our licenses could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. We cannot assure you that we will succeed in obtaining all requisite regulatory approvals to operate in those countries in which we may desire to do business.

Local laws and regulations differ significantly among the jurisdictions in which we operate and in which we may operate in the future. The interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations vary and are often based on the informal views of the local ministries which, in some cases, might be subject to influence by the PTOs. The conditions governing our service offerings may be altered by future legislation or regulation. In some of our principal existing and target markets, laws and regulations prohibit or limit our provision of certain telecommunications services.

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PART I

General

We are a provider of private telecommunications network and Internet services in Latin America. We offer integrated data, voice, data center and Internet solutions, with an emphasis on broadband transmission, for national and multinational companies, financial institutions, governmental agencies and other business customers. We have operations in Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Peru and the United States and also provide our services in other countries in Latin America. We provide telecommunications, data center and Internet services through our networks, which consist of owned fiber optic and wireless links, teleports, earth stations and leased fiber optic and satellite links. We own and operate 15 metropolitan area networks in some of the largest cities in Latin America, including Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Caracas, Quito, Guayaquil, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

In the fourth quarter of 2000, we completed the construction of an extensive pan-Latin American broadband fiber optic network (which we call our Broadband Network) connecting major cities across Argentina and Brazil, and the commencement of commercial operation of the full Broadband Network in those locations. At December 31, 2003, the Broadband Network comprised twelve metropolitan area fiber optic networks and wireless links, extending over 1,000 route kilometers in the largest cities in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Peru, and long-haul fiber optic backbones in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Colombia extending over 8,880 route kilometers. Our Broadband Network uses advanced transmission technologies, including dense wave division multiplexing, or DWDM, asynchronous transfer mode, or ATM, and Internet protocol, or IP.

IMPSAT Fiber Networks, Inc. was organized in 1994 as a Delaware holding company to combine the IMPSAT businesses in Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela. Our operations started in Argentina in 1990 under the name IMPSAT S.A. (IMPSAT Argentina). We began operations outside of Argentina with the establishment of IMPSAT S.A. (IMPSAT Colombia) in 1991 and the establishment of Telecomunicaciones Impsat S.A. (IMPSAT Venezuela) in 1992. New operating subsidiaries were created in Ecuador (Impsatel del Ecuador S.A., which we call IMPSAT Ecuador), in the United States (IMPSAT USA, Inc.) in 1995 and in Brazil (Impsat Comunicacoes Ltda., which we call IMPSAT Brazil) in 1998. In January 2000, we changed our company’s name from IMPSAT Corporation to IMPSAT Fiber Networks, Inc. During 2001, we commenced operations in Chile (Impsat Chile S.A., or IMPSAT Chile) and Peru (Impsat S.A., or IMPSAT Peru).

On June 11, 2002, we filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code with the bankruptcy court. On September 4, 2002, we filed the Plan with the bankruptcy court. During our bankruptcy proceedings, we operated our business and managed our assets in the ordinary course as a debtor-in-possession. By order dated December 16, 2002, the bankruptcy court confirmed the Plan. In accordance with the terms of the Plan, we formally emerged from bankruptcy on the Effective Date, March 25, 2003. As a result of our Chapter 11 reorganization we have reduced our principal and accrued interest by more than over $700 million which in turn has made us a financially stronger company.

Our Services

Our comprehensive telecommunications solutions consist of any combination of our service offerings, including the enhanced and additional services that we are able to offer using our Broadband Network. We currently classify these service offerings into three categories: data and value added services, Internet services, and telephony services.

Data Transmission and Value Added Services. We offer our customers a broad range of end-to-end network service combinations for their point-to-point and point-to-multipoint telecommunications needs, ranging from simple

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connections to customized private network solutions. We offer our network services over our proprietary and leased networks, which are comprised of metropolitan area fiber optic rings and wireless networks, fiber optic and satellite links. We also offer value-added services, including secure web and applications hosting services through our advanced data center facilities.

Internet Services. We have offered Internet access services to corporate and ISP customers since 1996. Our Broadband Network links our Latin American Internet backbone, which is managed as a single autonomous system, to the U.S. Internet through our U.S.-based point of presence using our fiber optic links in addition to our leased satellite links. With the objective of positioning ourselves as the Latin America Internet Backbone, we have deployed a series of data centers within the region utilizing tier-1 Internet service providers such as Cable & Wireless and Qwest.

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Telephony Services. We provide switched-voice domestic and international long distance telephony services to corporate customers and resellers in Argentina, international long distance service in the United States, where we have our international hub, and international long distance service in Peru and we plan to further expand these offerings to other countries in the region. We expect that Brazil (where we received licenses to provide basic telephony services to end-user customers), Argentina and Peru will provide the most significant market opportunities. As components of our telephony services, we currently offer local, national and international long-distance services, toll free services and local numbering, and telephony related value added services to our corporate customers as well as calling cards, public telephony services and wholesale voice services to other carriers and resellers.

The following table shows our company’s net revenues breakdown by service for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2002 and 2003:

The Broadband Network

Our Broadband Network, enables us to provide high capacity, high speed telecommunications services across Latin America. Our Broadband Network comprises:

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We believe that our Broadband Network enables us to:

Our Broadband Network is a fully integrated terrestrial fiber optic network connecting Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with points in between.

Customers

Overview. We have grown rapidly since the commencement of our operations in 1990. Our customer base has increased from 125 corporate customers in two countries at December 31, 1992 to 2,799 corporate customers in eight countries at December 31, 2003. Larger entities, which often have significant needs for reliable, cost-effective data transmissions and other telecommunications services, were the first to use our customized telecommunications services. As a result, a significant portion of our revenues has been derived from our largest customers. A significant number of our customers, including our largest customers, are in Argentina and Colombia, which, having commenced in 1990 and 1992, respectively, are the locations of our longest-standing operations. Our customer base in Brazil has grown from 48 at the end of 1998 to 390 at the end of 2003. As our business further matures and as we extend the operation of the Broadband Network, we expect that the average size of our customers will decline.

Our customers consist of financial institutions, major governmental agencies, and leading national and multinational corporations and private sector companies, including Global Crossing Limited, Instituto Nacional de Hipodromos (INH), Confederaión Nacional de Industria, and Corporacion Nacional de Ahorro y Vivienda (Conavi). Our ten largest customers accounted for approximately 19.0% of our revenues in 2003 and approximately 20.8% in 2002.

Our ten largest customers as of December 31, 2003 were:

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The following table shows our customer concentration by country as of the dates indicated.

Customer Contracts. Our contracts with our customers have in the past typically ranged in duration from six months to five years and contracts with our private telecommunications network customers have generally been three-year contracts. Under the Argentine “pesification” decree, if a contract denominated in pesos is entered into after the decree’s enactment, payments under that contract are not entitled to be adjusted according to the CER or any other consumer price index. Accordingly, in order to mitigate our inflation risk, our new peso-denominated contracts in Argentina are typically for shorter terms ranging from three to six months. Contracts generally may be terminated by the customer without penalty. The private telecommunications network customers generally pay a one-time installation fee and a fixed, monthly fee.

The ongoing severe economic downturn in Argentina and recessionary economic conditions in Latin America as a whole, has adversely affected many of our customers and caused a number of them to terminate their contracts with us, fail to renew their contracts, or reduce the amount of services contracted.

Except in Brazil (and in certain instances since the “pesification” decree, in Argentina), our contracts generally provide for payment in U.S. dollars or for payment in local currency linked to the exchange rate at the time of invoicing between the local currency and the U.S. dollar. The revenues of our customers are generally denominated in local currencies. Although our customers include some of the largest and most financially sound companies and financial institutions in their markets, devaluation of local currencies relative to the U.S. dollar and foreign exchange controls restricting the exchange or convertibility of such currencies could have a material adverse effect on the ability of our customers to pay us for our services. Currency devaluations and foreign exchange controls could also result in our customers seeking to renegotiate their contracts with us or, alternatively, defaulting on their contracts.

Sales, Marketing and Customer Services

We view our relationship with our customers as a long-term partnership in which customer satisfaction is of paramount importance. For this reason, we apply an integrated approach to our sales, marketing and customer service functions. We emphasize the highest quality in our sales, marketing and customer services and an enduring commitment to providing fast and flexible responses to customer demands. In order to efficiently meet these challenges, we adapt and tailor our customer service function to match the scale and complexity of the solutions we provide.

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Customers who require or are better-suited to standardized or bundled solutions are serviced by dedicated sales teams with shared centralized support, along with available assistance from our 24 hours a day, 365 days a year call centers. Customers that utilize complex, customized solutions composed of a variety of different services are assigned to designated multi-task customer service teams that develop and maintain long-term, cooperative relationships with these customers. These relationships provide us with an in-depth understanding of the customer’s evolving telecommunications service requirements and levels of service satisfaction. The customer service team oversees all phases of initial customer contact, service planning, installation and ongoing service. After we establish initial contact with a potential customer, the customer service team conducts a thorough evaluation of the customer’s telecommunications needs. As a result of this team-oriented approach, we believe that we have achieved high levels of customer satisfaction while being able to identify new revenue generating opportunities, customer telecommunications solution enhancements and product or service improvements previously overlooked or not adequately addressed by the client.

To market our new and enhanced services, such as telephony and data centers, we have developed several sales and marketing teams, each focusing on a particular type of service. In addition to salaried sales and marketing personnel, we often use the services of third-party sales representatives to assist in generating sales and managing the contract process between us and our potential customers. We typically pay these third parties a commission and royalties equal to a percentage of the revenues we collect from any contract with those customers obtained as a result of the efforts of the third-party sales representative.

Competition

We compete on the basis of our experience, network quality, customer service, range of services offered and price. Our competitors fall into three broad categories:

In the past, the PTOs and international telecommunications carriers have focused on local and long-distance telephony services. More recently, however, they have focused a degree of attention and resources towards the private telecommunications network systems segment of the telecommunications market, and may be expected to increasingly do so in the future. Several of these entities have significantly greater financial and other resources than we do, including greater access to financing. These competitors may also be able to subsidize their private telecommunications network businesses with revenues from their other business lines.

With the first group of competitors, our further expansion into the telecommunications services market along with continued deregulation of the telecommunications industry in Latin America, has brought us into more direct competition with the PTOs. Many of the PTOs in the countries where we operate have established and marketed “large customer” or “grand user” business teams in an attempt to provide dedicated services to the type of customer that represents our most important target market.

We believe that by maintaining our position as a reliable, high quality provider of telecommunications services, while strengthening the quality of our network and the breadth of service offerings through our Broadband Network, we will be able to maintain our current customers and successfully attract new customers. We might consider strategic alliances and other cooperative ventures with the PTOs to take advantage of each partner’s relative strengths.

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In the second category, our competitors include data transmission providers. We believe that we are able to compete successfully in data transmission services because we offer a broad array of services, provide high quality, custom-designed services that are tailored to meet the specific needs of each customer and have a greater geographical footprint for our Broadband Network than our current competitors among these providers. Among our competitors in this category are:

Our competitors in the above category also potentially include large multinational information technology companies with operations in Latin America, such as the IBM Corporation and EDS Corporation.

In the third category, major telecommunications carriers have entered or indicated their intention to enter the market as deregulation in Latin America and elsewhere opens new market opportunities. Increasing competition may significantly affect our pricing policies. We cannot assure you that any future competition arising from major telecommunications carriers will not adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

Furthermore, we cannot assure you that competing technologies will not become available that will negatively affect our position. For example, technologies such as DSL can significantly enhance the speed of traditional copper lines. These technologies enable our PTO competitors to offer customers high-speed services without undergoing the expense of replacing their existing twisted-pair copper networks. This, in turn, could negate our last mile advantage. Our private telecommunications services could also face future competition from entities using or proposing to use new or emerging voice and data transmission services or technologies that are not widely available in Latin America, such as space based systems dedicated to data distribution services.

Rates are not regulated in our countries of operation, and the prices for our services are strongly influenced by market forces. We believe that increasing competition will result in increased pricing pressures. We have faced and expect to continue to face declining prices and may experience margin pressure as the PTOs in the countries where we have operations modernize their facilities, adapt to a competitive marketplace and place greater emphasis on data transmission and as other companies enter the Latin American telecommunications market. These price and margin declines have also accelerated, and will likely continue to do so, as new competitors enter our markets.

The principal barriers to entry for prospective providers of private telecommunications network services such as ours are the development of the requisite understanding of customer needs and the technological and commercial experience and know-how, infrastructure to provide quality services to meet those needs and working capital.

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Regulation

Domestic Service. We are subject to regulation by the national telecommunications authorities of the countries where we operate, and our operations require us to procure permits and licenses from these authorities. While we believe that we have received all required authorizations from regulatory authorities for us to offer our services in the countries in which we operate, the conditions governing our service offerings may be altered by future legislation or regulation that could affect our business and operations.

Cross-Border Service. We provide integrated data, voice and video transmission between and among nineteen Latin American and Caribbean countries and the United States. International private line services are traditionally provided by local carriers in each country acting as correspondents and establishing dedicated telecommunications links between their facilities. Due to our pan-Latin American presence, we are often able to offer our transnational service using our own facilities and personnel at both ends of the private line circuit. As a result of this end-to-end control, we maintain customer service and quality assurance at both ends of a link and realize better margins than when we use a correspondent carrier. In November 2000 we were granted a license to provide switched voice services to or from Argentina, and in November 2002 we received authorization to provide these services in Brazil.

In countries where we do not maintain customer premises equipment or where we are not authorized to operate in that fashion, our service uses our facilities in the originating country to connect with a correspondent local carrier in the destination country or vice-versa. To date, we have signed correspondent agreements with carriers in several Latin American and Caribbean countries. We charge customers a monthly fee for that is based on the capacity of the circuit provided.

Deregulation. Various countries in Latin America have taken steps towards deregulation in the telecommunications market during the last few years. Several Latin American countries have completely or partially privatized their national carriers, including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. Furthermore, some countries have demonopolized their dominant telecommunications providers. For example, Argentina and Venezuela completed the demonopolization of public telephone services by their PTOs during 2000. We believe that these events of deregulation, while serving to increase competition, have presented and will continue to present significant opportunities for us to expand our private telecommunications network services to, from and within the region, as well as to present opportunities for us in areas of telecommunications currently permitted to be conducted only by the PTOs.

Employees

As of December 31, 2003, we employed a total of 1,270 persons, of whom 299 were employed by IMPSAT Argentina, 205 by IMPSAT Brazil, and 237 by IMPSAT Colombia. Except with respect to our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer, we do not have any long-term employment contracts with any of our employees, including management, and none of our employees are members of any union. We believe that our relations with our employees are good.

Metropolitan Area Networks. We operate 15 metropolitan area networks, composed of a combination of owned and leased fiber optic and microwave links covering a total of 1,000 route kilometers. Our first metropolitan area network was established in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1990. In addition, we currently provide services over our metropolitan area networks in Córdoba, Mendoza and Rosario, in Argentina; Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, Colombia; Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte in Brazil; Caracas, Venezuela; Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru.

Since 1995, we have managed and operated a fiber optic network covering 352 route kilometers in Bogotá, Colombia, pursuant to a joint venture with Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Santa Fe de Bogotá, the Colombian PTO

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that provides local telephone service in the Bogotá region. This joint venture expires in April 2005, and we do not expect that it will be renewed. We have commenced the construction of our own metropolitan fiber optic network in Bogotá, Colombia. The full implementation and construction of this metropolitan fiber optic network, which is scheduled to occur by the second half of 2004, is expected to result in aggregate capital expenditures by us of up to $2.0 million.

Fiber Optic Long-Haul Capacity. The long-haul segment of our Broadband Network, which comprises a seamless long-haul, high capacity fiber optic backbone extending over 8,880 route kilometers, stretches from the Pacific Ocean at Valparaiso, Chile to the Atlantic coast in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and from there into Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil. We also own and operate a long haul fiber optic network connecting the cities of Cali, Medellín and Bogotá in Colombia. To link the Broadband Network to other parts of Latin America and the world, we have purchased IRU capacity on Global Crossing Ltd.’s undersea digital fiber optic cable systems (and associated terrestrial capacity) between the United States and Latin America, including Global Crossing’s South American network, as well as leased capacity from other undersea fiber optic cable operators. This capacity enables our company to transmit telecommunications traffic seamlessly from the United States to major countries in South America using the latest fiber optic technology.

Data Centers. To complement our Broadband Network infrastructure, we operate in major cities in Latin America 13 advanced data center hosting facilities with an aggregate of approximately 500,000 gross square feet. These state-of-the-art facilities, which are capable of supporting the most advanced application hosting services, are located in Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Córdoba and Rosario in Argentina; São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba in Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Fort Lauderdale, United States; Bogotá, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru.

Teleports. We own and operate teleports in Buenos Aires, Argentina; São Paulo, Brazil; Bogotá, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; Quito, Ecuador; Lima, Peru; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. In addition to the teleport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, IMPSAT USA operates leased teleport facilities in New Jersey. We also own and operate regional teleports in Mendoza, Córdoba, Rosario, Tucumán, Mar del Plata, La Plata and Neuquén in Argentina; Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla in Colombia; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba, Brazil.

Satellite Capacity. Our satellite transmissions use both C-band (4-7 GHz) and Ku-band (10-18 GHz) frequencies. As of December 31, 2003, we had a total available leased capacity of 735 MHz. Our lease payments for satellite capacity totaled approximately $27.3 million in 2003. We will contract for additional leased satellite capacity if business requires. A portion of our satellite capacity is leased by our wholly-owned subsidiary, International Satellite Capacity Holding, Ltd. This subsidiary’s principal function is to lease private telecommunications capacity from telecommunications carriers and then sublease this capacity at market rates to our operating subsidiaries. We believe that this method of centralizing our leasing of telecommunications capacity provides us with better terms.

As more fully described in Item 1—“Business” and Item 7—“ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” we sought protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on June 11, 2002. We developed a plan that was confirmed by the bankruptcy court on December 16, 2002. On the Effective Date, the Plan became effective and we emerged from the proceedings under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code pursuant to the terms of the Plan.

IPO Allocations Class Action. On November 1, 2001, a lawsuit, referred to as the IPO Class Action, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against our company, certain individuals who were then officers and directors of our company, and the underwriters to our initial public offering. This lawsuit alleged on behalf of a proposed class of all shareholders that our company and its underwriters violated various provisions of the securities laws in connection with an initial public offering in February 2000. Pursuant to the Plan, the plaintiffs in the IPO Class Action received in connection with their claims the assignment of any insurance proceeds that we receive in connection with the litigation, but otherwise the claims of the plaintiffs against us or any of our other assets have been discharged as part of our Chapter 11 proceedings.

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Global Crossing Ltd. Global Crossing Ltd. filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in January 2002, and the Global Crossing subsidiaries to whom our company provides services and infrastructure, as described below, were included in Global Crossing’s Chapter 11 proceedings during August 2002. We are party to a series of agreements with Global Crossing for the provision of telecommunications services. Pursuant to those agreements, our company constructed a terrestrial portion of Global Crossing’s South American network between landing points on the Atlantic Ocean in Argentina and the Pacific Ocean in Chile, granted Global Crossing a series of IRUs over ducts and dark fiber on its broadband telecommunication network in Argentina, Brazil and Peru, provided Global Crossing with collocation space and related services in its telehouses in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela and Peru and provided Global Crossing with maintenance services for their telecommunications assets in Latin America. In addition, we acquired IRU and leased capacity on Global Crossing’s South American undersea fiber optic cable system in order to connect our Broadband Network with other parts of Latin America and the world.

As previously disclosed in our filings with the SEC, certain of our and Global Crossing’s subsidiaries have been engaged in various disputes relating to contracts entered into between and among those companies. In the third quarter of 2003, our company and Global Crossing agreed upon certain general terms and conditions regarding a proposed comprehensive settlement of all disputes involving the IMPSAT parties and Global Crossing parties. A motion to approve the proposed settlement was filed by Global Crossing in its Chapter 11 proceeding on November 17, 2003 and, on December 11, 2003, the bankruptcy court in those proceedings approved the proposed settlement. The settlement contains the following principal terms: (i) Global Crossing will provide IMPSAT with certain telecommunications capacity on Global Crossing’s undersea telecommunications network on a leased capacity basis at no charge through the end of 2010 and certain other additional capacity on an IRU basis at no charge through the end of 2025; (ii) the parties will amend the agreements currently existing between them with respect to certain terms related to pricing and tenor, and such agreements (with the exception of the telehouse agreement covering space in the Company’s Lima, Peru telehouse) have been assumed by Global Crossing as part of its bankruptcy proceeding; (iii) Global Crossing will pay IMPSAT $1.5 million in respect of all of IMPSAT’s outstanding claims against Global Crossing on or prior to March 31, 2004; and (iv) the parties dismissed without any consideration, other than described above, all claims and proceedings between each other. The proposed settlement became effective as of December 11, 2003.

Employee Severance Litigation. On December 26, 2003, a lawsuit was filed in an Argentine court against IMPSAT Argentina by the former chairman of our board of directors, Mr. Enrique M. Pescarmona. This lawsuit alleged that IMPSAT Argentina failed to pay Mr. Pescarmona severance compensation in the amount of $2.9 million required by Argentine labor law in connection with his termination from our company upon the effectiveness of the Plan. We believe that we have meritorious defenses to the allegations in the complaints and intend to defend the litigation vigorously.

We are also involved in or subject to various litigation and legal proceedings incidental to the normal conduct of our business, including with respect to regulatory and foreign tax assessment matters.

There were no matters submitted by the Company during the fourth quarter of 2003 to a vote of security holders, through the solicitation of proxies or otherwise.

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PART II

In accordance with the Plan, all pre-existing equity interests of IMPSAT Fiber Networks, Inc. were cancelled on the Effective Date. Our common stock issued pursuant to the Plan began to trade on the Nasdaq Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board June 30, 2003 under the new symbol “IMFN.” As of March 15, 2004 there were approximately eight holders of record of our common stock, not including beneficial owners in nominee or street name. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. In addition, the terms of our Senior Notes restrict our ability to pay dividends on our common stock.

The following table shows the high and low sales price of the common stock for the third and fourth quarters during the year ended through December 31, 2003, as reported on the Nasdaq Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board.

The information required concerning compensation plans under which equity securities of our company are authorized for issuance is referenced in Item 12 of this Report.

The following selected financial data are for our company on a consolidated basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The following financial data have been derived from our company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the respective years. The selected financial data set forth below should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and notes included at the back of this Report.

Upon our emergence from bankruptcy on the Effective Date, we have adopted fresh start reporting as required by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Statement of Position 90-7, “Financial Reporting by Entities in Reorganization under the Bankruptcy Code,” which we refer to as SOP 90-7. As a result of the implementation of SOP 90-7 fresh start reporting, the consolidated financial statements of our company from and after its emergence from bankruptcy, which we refer to as the Successor Company, will not be comparable to the consolidated financial statements of our company in prior periods, which we refer to as the Predecessor Company.

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Overview

Reorganization. Pursuant to our Plan, we substantially reduced our outstanding debt and annual interest expense and increased our liquidity. At December 31, 2002, prior to the effectiveness of the Plan, our long-term debt, including current maturities and estimated liabilities subject to Chapter 11 proceedings, aggregated approximately $1.09 billion. Also at December 31, 2002, our total indebtedness (including unpaid accrued interest through the petition date related to the Plan) aggregated $1.04 billion and our cash, cash equivalents and trading investments totaled $55.6 million. As of December 31, 2003, our total indebtedness was approximately $261.2 million, and our cash, cash equivalents and trading investments totaled approximately $64.0 million. Our reported net interest expense for 2003 totaled $16.3 million (excluding pre-Effective Date contractual interest of $21.8 million).

Upon our emergence from bankruptcy on March 25, 2003, we adopted “fresh start” reporting as required by SOP 90-7. Under SOP 90-7 fresh start reporting, a new reporting entity is considered to be created and the recorded amounts of assets and liabilities are adjusted to reflect their estimated fair values at the date fresh start reporting is applied. Among other things, this required us to allocate the reorganization value of our reorganized company to its specific tangible and identifiable assets and liabilities. The effect of the reorganization and the implementation of SOP 90-7 fresh start reporting on our consolidated financial statements is discussed in detail in Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report. As a result of the implementation of SOP 90-7 fresh start reporting, the consolidated financial statements of our company from and after its emergence from bankruptcy will not be comparable to the consolidated financial statements in prior periods.

Revenues. Our contracts with our customers have in the past typically ranged in duration from six months to five years and contracts with our private telecommunications network customers have generally been three-year contracts. Under the Argentine “pesification” decree, if a contract denominated in pesos is entered into after the decree’s enactment, payments under that contract are not entitled to be adjusted according to the CER or any other consumer price index. Accordingly, in order to mitigate our inflation risk, our peso-denominated contracts in Argentina are typically for shorter terms ranging from three to six months. The customer generally pays an installation charge at the beginning of the contract and a monthly fee based on the quantity and type of equipment installed. Except in Brazil and, since the “pesification” decree, in Argentina, the fees stipulated in the contracts are generally denominated in U.S. dollar equivalents. See “Certain Considerations – We are vulnerable to currency fluctuations . . .” and “—Currency Risks.” Services (other than installation fees) are billed on a monthly, predetermined basis, which coincide with the rendering of the services. We report our revenues net of deductions for sales taxes.

We have experienced, and anticipate that we will continue to experience, downward pressure on our prices as we expand our customer base, confront growing competition for private telecommunications network services, and endure the effects of economic downturns in our countries of operation. When we have renewed and/or expanded our contracts with existing customers, the prices we charge have generally declined.

Although we believe that our geographic diversification provides some protection against economic downturns in any particular country, our results of operations and business prospects depend upon the overall financial and economic conditions in Latin America. Most of the countries in which we operate are undergoing, or have experienced in recent years, political and economic volatility. Each of the countries in which we operate have suffered in recent years and, in some cases, continue to experience, economic recession. See “Certain Considerations – Economic and political conditions in Latin America pose numerous risks to our operations.” These conditions may have material adverse effects on our business, results of operation and financial condition.

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Costs and Expenses. Our costs and expenses principally include:

Our direct costs include payments for leased satellite transponder and fiber optic capacity. Our Broadband Network has enabled us to decrease our payments for leased satellite capacity as we have shifted transmission from leased satellite facilities to our Broadband Network after satellite contracts expire. The other principal items composing direct costs are contracted services costs, and other direct costs. Contracted services costs include costs of maintenance and installation (and de-installation) services provided by outside contractors. Installation and de-installation costs are the costs we incur when we install or remove earth stations, microstations and other equipment from customer premises. Other direct costs include:

Our selling, general and administrative expenses consist principally of:

Currency Risks. Except in Argentina (since the “pesification” decree, to the extent discussed below) and Brazil, our contracts with customers generally provide for payment in U.S. dollars or for payment in local currency linked to the exchange rate between the local currency and the U.S. dollar at the time of invoicing. Accordingly, inflationary pressures on local economies in the other countries in which we operate did not have a material effect on our revenues during 2003. Nevertheless, given that the exchange rate is generally set at the date of invoicing and that we in some cases experience substantial delays in collecting receivables, we are exposed to exchange rate risk, even in countries other than Argentina and Brazil. Furthermore, under Brazilian law and, to the extent discussed above, under Argentina’s “pesification” decree, our contracts with customers in Brazil cannot and, under certain circumstances, our contracts with customers in Argentina may not, be linked to the exchange rate between the local currency and the U.S. dollar. Accordingly, operations in Argentina and Brazil increase our exposure to exchange rate risks. In addition, the foreign currency exchange and transfer controls established by the Venezuelan government in February 2003 have adversely affected the collectibility of our dollar-denominated contracts in Venezuela.

In early January 2002, the government of then Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde, abandoned the decade-old fixed peso-dollar exchange rate and permitted the peso to float freely against the U.S. dollar. The peso free market opened on January 11, 2002 and traded at 1.65 pesos to the U.S. dollar and has traded as low as 3.87 pesos to the U.S. dollar on June 26, 2002. As of March 15, 2004, the floating exchange rate was 2.91 pesos to the U.S. dollar. The devaluation of

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the Argentine peso will generally affect our consolidated financial statements by generating foreign exchange gains or losses on dollar-denominated monetary liabilities and assets of IMPSAT Argentina and will generally result in a decrease, in U.S. dollar terms, in our revenues, costs and expenses in Argentina.

Since the “pesification” decree, IMPSAT Argentina’s customer contracts and operating cash inflows are now predominantly denominated in pesos. However, IMPSAT Argentina’s debt service payments and a significant portion of its costs (including capital equipment purchases and payments for certain leased telecommunications capacity) remain denominated and payable in U.S. dollars. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations in Argentina are dependent upon IMPSAT Argentina’s ability to generate sufficient pesos (in U.S. dollar terms) to pay its costs and expenses and to satisfy its debt service requirements.

At December 31, 2002, the real traded at a rate of R$3.52 = $1.00 and it appreciated to R$2.89 = $1.00 at December 31, 2003. Overall, however, our operations in Brazil have also been affected by currency devaluation during 2003. The average daily exchange rate for the real during 2002 was R$2.97 = $1.00, as compared to the same average in 2003 of R$3.12 = $1.00. At March 15, 2004, the real traded at a rate of R$2.91 = $1.00.

Widespread discontent with the policies of the current Venezuelan government produced a country-wide strike in the beginning of December 2002 that lasted two months and seriously disrupted economic activity in Venezuela and severely curtailed the production and export of oil, the major source of Venezuela’s foreign exchange. In response, on February 5, 2003, the Venezuelan government imposed foreign exchange and price controls, making it difficult for our customers in that country to obtain the U.S. dollars needed to make payments due to us in U.S. dollars on a timely basis. These foreign exchange controls also limit our ability to convert local currency into U.S. dollars and transfer funds out of Venezuela. At December 31, 2002, the bolivar traded at a rate of Bs.1,392.00 = $1.00, at December 31, 2003, it traded at a rate of Bs. 1,600.00 = $1.00. On February 6, 2003, the Venezuelan government set a single fixed exchange rate for the bolivar against the U.S. dollar of approximately Bs.1,600.00 = $1.00 as part of the new currency controls. On February 9, 2004, the Venezuelan government further devalued the bolivar to Bs.1,920.00 = $1.00.

Termination of Mexican Operations. During the first quarter of 2003, we determined to close our operations in Mexico, which we initially established in 1994. We entered into agreements with various parties to sell our real estate and other real and personal property, including our permits and licenses and our contracts with customers. These transactions closed during 2003. In connection with the assessment of our business plan following our restructuring, we concluded that our Mexican operations did not constitute a critical or core business and that our prospects for expanding our Mexican operations were inconsistent with our available financial resources. The Mexican telecommunications market, which is dominated by the existing PTO, Telmex, has been very difficult for foreign and new entrants.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

An off-balance sheet arrangement is any transaction, agreement or other contractual arrangement involving an unconsolidated entity under which a company has (1) made guarantees, (2) a retained or a contingent interest in transferred assets, (3) an obligation under derivative instruments classified as equity or (4) any obligation arising out of a material variable interest in an unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit risk support to the company, or that engages in leasing, hedging or research and development arrangements with the company. We have no arrangements of the types described in any of these four categories that we believe may have a material current or future effect on our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations.

Critical Accounting Policies

In the ordinary course of business, our company has made a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of results of operations and financial position in the preparation of its financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP. We use our best judgment based on our knowledge of existing facts and circumstances and actions that we may undertake in the future, as well as the advice of external experts in determining the estimates that affect our

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consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates under different assumptions and conditions. Our most critical accounting policies are:

Revenue Recognition. We record revenues from data, value-added telephony, IT solutions and Internet services monthly as the services are provided. Equipment sales are recorded upon delivery to and acceptance by the customer.

We have entered into agreements with carriers granting indefeasible rights of use (“IRUs”) and access to portions of our Broadband Network capacity and infrastructure. Pursuant to some of these agreements, we may receive fixed advance payments for the IRUs and will recognize the revenue from the IRUs ratably over the life of the IRUs. Amounts received in advance (if any) are recorded as deferred revenue. See Note 2 “Financial Restructuring, Petition For Relief Under Chapter 11 And Emergence – Allocation of Reorganization Value.”

Non-Monetary Transactions. We may exchange capacity on our Broadband Network for capacity from other carriers through the exchange of IRUs. We account for these transactions as an exchange of similar IRUs at historical carryover basis with no revenue, gain or loss recognized.

Property, Plant and Equipment. Our business is capital intensive. We record at cost our telecommunications network assets and other improvements that, in management’s opinion, extend the useful lives of the underlying assets, and depreciate such assets and improvements over their estimated useful lives. Our telecommunications network is highly complex and, due to innovation and enhancements, certain components of the network may lose their utility faster than anticipated. We periodically reassess the economic lives of these components and make adjustments to their expected lives after considering historical experience and capacity requirements, consulting with the vendors, and assessing new product and market demands and other factors. When these factors indicate that network components may not be useful for as long as anticipated, we depreciate their remaining book values over their residual useful lives. The timing and deployment of new technologies could affect the estimated remaining useful lives of our telecommunications network assets, which could have a significant impact on our results of operations in the future.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets. We periodically review the carrying amounts of our property, plant, and equipment to determine whether current events or circumstances warrant adjustments to the carrying amounts. As part of this review, we analyze the projected undiscounted cash flows associated with our property, plant, and equipment. Considerable management judgment is required in establishing the assumptions necessary to complete this analysis. Although we believe these estimates to be reasonable, they could vary significantly from actual results and our estimates could change based on market conditions. Variances in results or estimates could cause changes to the carrying value of our assets including, but not limited to, recording additional impairment charges for some of these assets in future periods. During the year ended December 31, 2001, we recorded a $381.9 million impairment charge primarily related to our telecommunications network.

Basis for Translation. IMPSAT maintains its accounts in U.S. dollars. The accounts of our subsidiaries are maintained in the currencies of the respective countries. In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 52, “Foreign Currency Translation,” the accounts of our subsidiaries are translated from local currency amounts to U.S. dollars. The method of translation is determined by the functional currency of our subsidiaries. A subsidiary’s functional currency is defined as the currency of the primary environment in which a subsidiary operates and is determined based on management’s judgment. When a subsidiary’s accounts are not maintained in the functional currency, the financial statements must be remeasured into the functional currency. This involves remeasuring monetary assets and liabilities using current exchange rates and non-monetary assets and liabilities using historical exchange rates. The adjustments generated by remeasurement are included in our consolidated statement of operations.

When the local currency of a subsidiary is determined to be the functional currency, the statements are translated into U.S. dollars using the current exchange rate method. The adjustments generated by translation using the current exchange rate method are accumulated in an equity account entitled “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)” within our consolidated balance sheets.

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Tax and Legal Contingencies. We are involved in foreign tax and legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. We periodically assess our liabilities and contingencies in connection with these matters based upon the latest information available. For those matters where it is probable that we have incurred a loss and the loss or range of loss can be reasonably estimated, we have recorded reserves in our consolidated financial statements. In other instances, because of the uncertainties related to both the probable outcome and amount or range of loss, we are unable to make a reasonable estimate of any liability. As additional information becomes available, we adjust our assessment and estimates of such liabilities accordingly.

In addition, we may be audited by foreign and state (as it relates to our U.S. operations) tax authorities. We provide reserves for potential exposures when we consider it probable that a taxing authority may take a sustainable position on a matter contrary to our position. We evaluate these reserves, including interest thereon, on a quarterly basis to ensure that they have been appropriately adjusted for events that may impact our ultimate payment for such exposures.

Financial Reporting by Entities in Reorganization under the Bankruptcy Code. Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with SOP 90-7. Pursuant to SOP 90-7, an objective of financial statements issued by an entity in Chapter 11 is to reflect its financial evolution during the proceeding. For that purpose, the consolidated financial statements for periods including and subsequent to the filing of our Chapter 11 petition should distinguish transactions and events that are directly associated with the reorganization from the ongoing operations of our business. Expenses and other items not directly related to ongoing operations are reflected separately in the consolidated statement of operations as reorganization items during 2002 and 2003.

Upon consummation of the Plan, we applied “Fresh-Start” reporting in accordance with GAAP and the requirements of SOP 90-7. Upon the Effective Date, a new capital structure was established and assets and liabilities, other than deferred taxes, were stated at their relative fair values. Deferred taxes are determined in conformity with the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109.

Changes in Policies. These policies, which are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require management’s most difficult, subjective and complex judgments, often are a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. We have not made any changes in any of these critical accounting policies during 2003, nor have we made any material changes in any of the critical accounting estimates underlying these accounting policies during 2003.

Period Comparisons

As discussed above, under SOP 90-7 fresh starting reporting, our consolidated financial statements after the Effective Date are those of a new reporting entity (the Successor Company) and certain costs are not comparable to those of our company during pre-Effective Date periods (the Predecessor Company). The lack of comparability in the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements is most apparent in our capital costs (interest expense and depreciation and amortization), as well as long-term indebtedness and reorganization items.

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Results of Operations

The following table summarizes our results of operations: