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Equipment Installment Plans (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Equipment installment plans      
Guarantee liability $ 92,700 $ 57,500  
Imputed interest rate 9.70% 10.20%  
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections      
Immaterial Error Correction TDS recorded out-of-period adjustments in 2015 due to errors related to equipment installment plan transactions that were attributable to 2014.  TDS has determined that these adjustments were not material to prior annual periods, and also were not material to the current year results.  These equipment installment plan adjustments had the impact of reducing Equipment sales revenues by $6.2 million and Income before income taxes by $5.8 million in 2015.    
Equipment and product sales $ 854,272 $ 680,784 $ 457,745
Income before income taxes 434,602 (152,224) $ 292,864
Adjustment      
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections      
Equipment and product sales 6,200    
Income before income taxes $ 5,800    
Adjustment | Equipment installment plans      
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections      
Immaterial Error Correction TDS recorded out-of-period adjustments in 2015 due to errors related to equipment installment plan transactions that were attributable to 2014.  TDS has determined that these adjustments were not material to prior annual periods, and also were not material to the current year results.  These equipment installment plan adjustments had the impact of reducing Equipment sales revenues by $6.2 million and Income before income taxes by $5.8 million in 2015.    
Short-term      
Equipment installment plan receivables      
Unbilled equipment installment plan receivables, gross $ 278,709 127,400  
Unbilled deferred interest (20,810) (16,365)  
Unbilled allowance for credit losses (13,827) (3,686)  
Unbilled equipment installment plan receivables, net 244,072 107,349  
Long-term      
Equipment installment plan receivables      
Unbilled equipment installment plan receivables, gross 75,738 89,435  
Unbilled deferred interest (2,283) (2,791)  
Unbilled allowance for credit losses (5,537) (6,065)  
Unbilled equipment installment plan receivables, net $ 67,918 $ 80,579