v3.20.2
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
Note 10 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Disaggregation of Revenue

We provide wireless communications services to three primary categories of customers:

Postpaid customers generally include customers who are qualified to pay after receiving wireless communications services utilizing phones, wearables, DIGITS, or other connected devices which includes tablets and SyncUP products. Our postpaid customers include customers of T-Mobile and Sprint;
Prepaid customers generally include customers who pay for wireless communications services in advance. Our prepaid customers include customers of T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile; and
Wholesale customers include Machine-to-Machine and Mobile Virtual Network Operator customers that operate on our network but are managed by wholesale partners.

Postpaid service revenues, including postpaid phone revenues and postpaid other revenues, were as follows:
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)2020201920202019
Postpaid service revenues
Postpaid phone revenues$9,341  $5,287  $14,918  $10,470  
Postpaid other revenues618  326  928  636  
Total postpaid service revenues$9,959  $5,613  $15,846  $11,106  

We operate as a single operating segment. The balances presented within each revenue line item in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income represent categories of revenue from contracts with customers disaggregated by type of product and service. Service revenues also include revenues earned for providing value added services to customers, such as handset insurance services. Revenue generated from the lease of mobile communication devices is included within Equipment revenues in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

We provide wireline communication services to domestic and international customers. Wireline service revenues of $211 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 relate to the wireline operations acquired in the Merger and are presented in Roaming and other service revenues in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Equipment revenues from the lease of mobile communication devices were as follows:
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)2020201920202019
Equipment revenues from the lease of mobile communication devices$1,421  $143  $1,586  $304  
Contract Balances

The opening and closing balances of our contract asset and contract liability balances from contracts with customers as of December 31, 2019 and June 30, 2020, were as follows:
(in millions)Contract AssetsContract Liabilities
Balance as of December 31, 2019$63  $560  
Balance as of June 30, 2020197  845  
Change$134  $285  

Contract assets primarily represent revenue recognized for equipment sales with promotional bill credits offered to customers that are paid over time and are contingent on the customer maintaining a service contract. Through the Merger, we acquired contracts assets associated with promotional bill credits and subsidized devices with a value of $154 million as of April 1, 2020.

The change in the existing and acquired contract asset balance includes customer activity related to new promotions, offset by billings on existing contracts and impairment which is recognized as bad debt expense. The current portion of our Contract assets of approximately $168 million and $50 million as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, was included in Other current assets in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Contract liabilities are recorded when fees are collected, or we have an unconditional right to consideration (a receivable) in advance of delivery of goods or services. Through the Merger, we assumed contract liabilities with a value of $252 million as of April 1, 2020. Additional changes in contract liabilities are primarily related to the volume and rate plans of active prepaid subscribers. Contract liabilities are primarily included in Deferred revenue in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Revenues for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, include the following:
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)2020201920202019
Amounts included in the beginning of year contract liability balance$10  $43  $538  $603  

Remaining Performance Obligations

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate amount of transaction price allocated to remaining service performance obligations for postpaid contracts with subsidized devices and promotional bill credits that result in an extended service contract is $1.1 billion. We expect to recognize revenue as service is provided on these postpaid contracts over the extended contract term of 24 months. Transaction price allocated to remaining service performance obligations associated with subsidized devices and promotional bill credits acquired through the Merger at April 1, 2020, was $1.0 billion.

Through the Merger, on April 1 2020, we acquired contracts associated with lease promotional credits with aggregate amount of transaction price allocated to remaining service and lease performance obligations of $4.8 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively. As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate amount of transaction price allocated to remaining service and lease performance obligations associated with operating leases was $4.4 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively. We expect to recognize this revenue as service is provided over the lease contract term of 18 months.

Certain of our wholesale, roaming and other service contracts include variable consideration based on usage. This variable consideration has been excluded from the disclosure of remaining performance obligations. As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate amount of the contractual minimum consideration for wholesale, roaming and other service contracts is $696 million, $1.0 billion and $921 million for 2021, 2022 and 2023 and beyond, respectively. These contracts have a remaining duration ranging from less than one year to ten years.

Information about remaining performance obligations that are part of a contract that has an original expected duration of one year or less have been excluded from the above, which primarily consists of monthly service contracts.

Contract Costs

The total balance of deferred incremental costs to obtain contracts was $939 million and $906 million as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. Deferred contract costs incurred to obtain postpaid service contracts are amortized over a period of 24 months. The amortization period is monitored to reflect any significant change in assumptions. Amortization of
deferred contract costs is included in Selling, general and administrative expenses in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income and was $205 million and $137 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $410 million and $253 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Immediately preceding the close of the Merger, Sprint had deferred costs to obtain postpaid contracts of approximately $1.7 billion. This balance was adjusted to zero as part of our purchase price allocation. Contract costs capitalized for new postpaid contracts will accumulate in Other assets in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets from the Merger date. As a result, there will be a net benefit to Operating income in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income during the remainder of the year as capitalization of costs exceed amortization. As capitalized costs amortize into expense over time, the accretive benefit to Operating income anticipated for the remainder of the year is expected to moderate in 2021 and normalize in 2022.

The deferred contract cost asset is assessed for impairment on a periodic basis. There were no impairment losses recognized on deferred contract cost assets for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.