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Equipment Installment Plan Receivables, Unamortized Imputed Discount and Allowance for Credit Losses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2015
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses [Roll Forward] |  |
Allowance for credit losses, beginning of year | $ 26 |
Allowance for credit losses, end of year | 50 | $ 26
Equipment Installment Plan Receivable |  |
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses [Roll Forward] |  |
Allowance for credit losses, beginning of year | 26 | 10
Bad debts expense | 63 | 49
Write-offs, net of recoveries | (39) | (33)
Allowance for credit losses, end of year | $ 50 | $ 26

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- Definition A valuation allowance for financing receivables that are expected to be uncollectible. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 11B -Subparagraph (c)(1) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66008989&loc=SL6953423-111524 + Details
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- Definition A roll forward is a reconciliation of a concept from the beginning of a period to the end of a period. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Amount of direct write-downs of financing receivables charged against the allowance. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 11B -Subparagraph (c)(3) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66008989&loc=SL6953423-111524 + Details
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- Definition Amount of expense related loan transactions, lease transactions, credit loss from transactions other than loan and lease transactions, and other loss based on assessment of uncollectability from the counterparty to reduce the account to their net realizable value. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 11B -Subparagraph (c)(2) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66008989&loc=SL6953423-111524 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 225 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.9-04.11) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879574&loc=d3e536633-122882 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 230 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 28 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66902209&loc=d3e3602-108585 + Details
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- Details
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