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Note 10 - Revenue
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Notes to Financial Statements  
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Text Block]
10.
Revenue
 
Significant accounting policy
 
The Company’s revenues are derived from (a) the provisioning of mobile and fiber Internet services; and from (b) domain name registration contracts, other domain related value-added services, domain sale contracts, and other advertising revenue. Amounts received in advance of meeting the revenue recognition criteria described below are recorded as deferred revenue. All products are generally sold without the right of return or refund.
 
Revenue is measured based on consideration specified in a contract with a customer and excludes any sales incentives and amounts collected on behalf of
third
parties. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a product or service to a customer.
 
Nature of goods and services
 
The following is a description of principal activities – separated by reportable segments – from which the Company generates its revenue. For more detailed information about reportable segments. See note
12
– Segment reporting for more information.
 
 
(a)
Network Access Services 
 
The Company generates Network Access Services revenues primarily through the provisioning of mobile services (“Ting Mobile”). Other sources of revenue include the provisioning of fixed high-speed Internet access (“Ting Internet”) as well as billing solutions to Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”).
 
Ting wireless usage contracts grant customers access to standard talk, text and data mobile services. Ting mobile contracts are billed based on the actual amount of monthly services utilized by each customer during their billing cycle and charged to customers on a postpaid basis. Voice minutes, text messages and megabytes of data are each billed separately based on a tiered pricing program. The Company recognizes revenue for Ting mobile usage based on the actual amount of monthly services utilized by each customer.
 
Ting Internet contracts provide customers Internet access at their home or business through the installation and use of our fiber optic network. Ting Internet contracts are generally prepaid and grant customers with unlimited bandwidth based on a fixed price per month basis. Because consideration is collected before the service period, revenue is initially deferred and recognized as the Company performs its obligation to provide Internet access. Though the Company does
not
consider the installation of fixed Internet access to be a distinct performance obligation, the fees related to installation are immaterial and therefore revenue is recognized as billed.
 
Both Ting Mobile and Ting Internet access services are primarily contracted through the Ting website, for
one
 month at a time and contain
no
commitment to renew the contract following each customer’s monthly billing cycle. The Company’s billing cycle for all Ting Mobile and Ting Internet customers is computed based on the customer’s activation date. In order to recognize revenue as the Company satisfies its obligations, we compute the amount of revenues earned but
not
billed from the end of each billing cycle to the end of each reporting period. In addition, revenues associated with the sale of wireless devices and accessories and Internet hardware to subscribers are recognized when title and risk of loss is transferred to the subscriber and shipment has occurred. Incentive marketing credits given to customers are recorded as a reduction of revenue.
 
Our Roam Mobility brand also offers standard talk, text and data mobile services. Roam customers prepay for their usage through the Roam Mobility website. When prepayments are received the amount is deferred, and subsequently recognized as the Company satisfies its obligation to provide mobile services. In addition, revenues associated with the sale of SIM cards are recognized when title and risk of loss is transferred to the subscriber and shipment has occurred. Incentive marketing credits given to customers are recorded as a reduction of revenue.
 
In those cases, where payment is
not
received at the time of sale, revenue is
not
recognized at contract inception unless the collection of the related accounts receivable is reasonably assured. The Company records costs that reflect expected refunds, rebates and credit card charge-backs as a reduction of revenues at the time of the sale based on historical experiences and current expectations. 
 
 
(b)
Domain Services
   
Domain registration contracts, which can be purchased for terms of
one
to
ten
years, provide our resellers and retail registrant customers with the exclusive right to a personalized internet address from which to build an online presence. The Company enters into domain registration contracts in connection with each new, renewed and transferred-in domain registration. At the inception of the contract, the Company charges and collects the registration fee for the entire registration period. Though fees are collected upfront, revenue from domain registrations are recognized ratably over the registration period as domain registration contracts contain a ‘right to access’ license of IP, which is a distinct performance obligation measured over time. The registration period begins once the Company has confirmed that the requested domain name has been appropriately recorded in the registry under contractual performance standards.
 
Domain related value-added services like digital certifications, WHOIS privacy and hosted email provide our resellers and retail registrant customers tools and additional functionality to be used in conjunction with domain registrations. All domain related value-added services are considered distinct performance obligations which transfer the promised service to the customer over the contracted term. Fees charged to customers for domain related value-added services are collected at the inception of the contract, and revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contracted term, consistent with the satisfaction of the performance obligations.
 
The Company is an ICANN accredited registrar. Thus, the Company is the primary obligor with our reseller and retail registrant customers and is responsible for the fulfillment of our registrar services to those parties. As a result, the Company reports revenue in the amount of the fees we receive directly from our reseller and retail registrant customers. Our reseller customers maintain the primary obligor relationship with their retail customers, establish pricing and retain credit risk to those customers. Accordingly, the Company does
not
recognize any revenue related to transactions between our reseller customers and their ultimate retail customers.
 
The Company also sells the rights to the Company’s portfolio domains or names acquired through the Company’s domain expiry stream. Revenue generated from sale of domain name contracts, containing a distinct performance obligation to transfer the domain name rights under the Company’s control, is generally recognized once the rights have been transferred and payment has been received in full.
 
Advertising revenue is derived through domain parking monetization, whereby the Company contracts with
third
-party Internet advertising publishers to direct web traffic from the Company’s domain expiry stream domains and Internet portfolio domains to advertising websites. Compensation from Internet advertising publishers is calculated variably on a cost-per-action basis based on the number of advertising links that have been visited in a given month. Given that the variable consideration is calculated and paid on a monthly basis,
no
estimation of variable consideration is required.
 
Disaggregation of Revenue
 
The following is a summary of the Company’s revenue earned from each significant revenue stream (Dollar amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars):
 
   
Three months ended September 30,
   
Nine months ended September 30,
 
   
2018
   
 
2017*
   
 
2018
   
 
2017*
 
                                 
Network Access Services:
                               
Mobile Services
  $
22,546
    $
21,749
    $
66,829
    $
60,090
 
Other Services
   
2,033
     
1,442
     
5,664
     
3,978
 
Total Network Access Services
   
24,579
     
23,191
     
72,493
     
64,068
 
                                 
Domain Services:
                               
Wholesale
                               
Domain Services
   
45,070
     
47,770
     
146,038
     
135,413
 
Value Added Services
   
4,541
     
4,203
     
13,576
     
13,526
 
Total Wholesale
   
49,611
     
51,973
     
159,614
     
148,939
 
                                 
Retail
   
8,731
     
8,873
     
25,644
     
22,937
 
Portfolio
   
598
     
971
     
2,650
     
2,856
 
Total Domain Services
   
58,940
     
61,817
     
187,908
     
174,732
 
                                 
    $
83,519
    $
85,008
    $
260,401
    $
238,800
 
 
During the 
three
and
nine
months ended
September 30, 2018,
no
customer accounted for more than
10%
of total revenue. During the
three
and
nine
months ended
September 30, 2017,
no
customer accounted for more than
10%
of revenue. As at
September 30, 2018
and
December 31, 2017,
no
customer accounted for more than
10%
of accounts receivable.
 
The following is a summary of the Company’s cost of revenue from each significant revenue stream (Dollar amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars): 
 
   
Three months ended September 30,
   
Nine months ended September 30,
 
   
2018
   
 
2017*
   
 
2018
   
 
2017*
 
                                 
Network Access Services:
                               
Mobile Services
  $
11,399
    $
12,365
    $
34,643
    $
32,634
 
Other Services
   
872
     
595
     
3,103
     
2,366
 
Total Network Access Services
   
12,271
     
12,960
     
37,746
     
35,000
 
                                 
Domain Services:
                               
Wholesale
                               
Domain Services
   
37,414
     
42,293
     
124,572
     
119,207
 
Value Added Services
   
807
     
687
     
2,412
     
1,878
 
Total Wholesale
   
38,221
     
42,980
     
126,984
     
121,085
 
                                 
Retail
   
4,465
     
4,611
     
13,320
     
12,776
 
Portfolio
   
148
     
180
     
528
     
627
 
Total Domain Services
   
42,834
     
47,771
     
140,832
     
134,488
 
                                 
Network Expenses:
                               
Network, other costs
   
2,315
     
2,461
     
7,590
     
7,064
 
Network, depreciation and amortization costs
   
1,838
     
1,322
     
5,195
     
3,463
 
     
4,153
     
3,783
     
12,785
     
10,527
 
                                 
    $
59,258
    $
64,514
    $
191,363
    $
180,015
 
 
Contract Balances
 
The following table provides information about contract liabilities (deferred revenue) from contracts with customers. The Company accounts for contract assets and liabilities on a contract-by-contract basis, with each contract presented as either a net contract asset or a net contract liability accordingly.
 
Given that Company’s long-term contracts with customers are billed in advance of service, the Company’s contract liabilities relate to amounts recorded as deferred revenues. The Company does
not
have material streams of contracted revenue that have
not
been billed.
 
Deferred revenue primarily relates to the portion of the transaction price received in advance related to the unexpired term of domain name registrations and other domain related value-added services, on both a wholesale and retail basis, net of external commissions.
 
The opening balance of deferred revenue was
$160.6
million as of
January 1, 2018.
Significant changes in deferred revenue were as follows (Dollar amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars):
 
   
Three months ended
September 30, 2018
   
Nine months ended
September 30, 2018
 
                 
Balance, beginning of period
  $
152,052
    $
160,582
 
Deferred revenue
   
54,181
     
170,904
 
Recognized revenue
1
   
(57,741
)    
(182,994
)
Balance, end of period
  $
148,492
    $
148,492
 
 
1
As a result of the bulk transfers of
2.65
million domain names to Namecheap on
January 5, 2018
and
0.24
million domain names to Namecheap on
September 25, 2018,
recognized revenue for the
three
and
nine
months ended
September 30, 2018
includes
$1.7
million and
$16.3
million, respectively, related to previously deferred revenue, a portion of which would have otherwise been recognized after
September 30, 2018.
 
Remaining Performance Obligations:
 
As the Company fulfills its performance obligations, the following table includes revenues expected to be recognized in the future related performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) as at
September 30, 2018 (
Dollar amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars):
 
For mobile and internet access services, where the performance obligation is part of contracts that have an original expected duration of
one
year or less (typically
one
month), the Company has elected to apply a practical expedient to
not
disclose revenues expected to be recognized in the future related performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) (Dollar amounts in thousands of US dollars).
 
   
September 30,
2018
 
         
Remainder of 2018
  $
48,701
 
 2019
   
76,153
 
 2020
   
10,331
 
 2021
   
5,040
 
 2022
   
3,244
 
   Thereafter
   
4,760
 
         
Total
  $
148,229