XML 29 R18.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.19.2
Note 11 - Revenue
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2019
Notes to Financial Statements  
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Text Block]
11.
Revenue
 
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
14
– 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 Mobility 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):
 
Revenue
 
   
Three months ended June 30,
   
Six months ended June 30,
 
   
2019
   
2018
   
2019
   
2018
(1)
 
Network Access Services:
                               
Mobile Services
  $
20,986
    $
22,411
    $
41,795
    $
44,283
 
Other Services
   
2,644
     
1,895
     
5,087
     
3,631
 
Total Network Access Services
   
23,630
     
24,306
     
46,882
     
47,914
 
                                 
Domain Services
                               
Wholesale
                               
Domain Services
   
46,485
     
42,540
     
89,076
     
100,968
 
Value Added Services
   
4,775
     
4,601
     
8,959
     
9,035
 
Total Wholesale
   
51,260
     
47,141
     
98,035
     
110,003
 
                                 
Retail
   
8,783
     
8,477
     
17,425
     
16,913
 
Portfolio
   
444
     
1,163
     
728
     
2,052
 
Total Domain Services
   
60,487
     
56,781
     
116,188
     
128,968
 
                                 
    $
84,117
    $
81,087
    $
163,070
    $
176,882
 
 
 
1
As a result of the bulk transfer of
2.65
million domain names to Namecheap on
January 5, 2018,
recognized revenue for the
six
months ended
June 30, 2018
includes
$14.6
million related to previously deferred revenue for these names.
 
During the 
three
and
six
months ended
June 30, 2019,
no
customer accounted for more than
10%
of total revenue. During the
three
months ended
June 30, 2018,
no
customer accounted for more than
10%
of total revenue. During the
six
months ended
June 30, 2018,
one
customer accounted for
11%
of revenue. As at
June 30, 2019
and
December 31, 2018,
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): 
 
Cost of Revenue
  
 
   
Three months ended June 30,
   
Six months ended June 30,
 
   
2019
   
2018
(1)
   
2019
   
2018
(1)
 
Network Access Services:
                               
Mobile Services
  $
10,806
    $
11,978
    $
21,549
    $
23,243
 
Other Services
   
956
     
1,290
     
2,025
     
2,230
 
Total Network Access Services
   
11,762
     
13,268
     
23,574
     
25,473
 
                                 
Domain Services
                               
Wholesale
                               
Domain Services
   
37,817
     
35,844
     
72,656
     
87,161
 
Value Added Services
   
738
     
748
     
1,531
     
1,605
 
Total Wholesale
   
38,555
     
36,592
     
74,187
     
88,766
 
                                 
Retail
   
4,409
     
4,446
     
8,768
     
8,855
 
Portfolio
   
147
     
195
     
276
     
379
 
Total Domain Services
   
43,111
     
41,233
     
83,231
     
98,000
 
                                 
Network Expenses:
                               
Network, other costs
   
2,385
     
2,701
     
4,780
     
5,275
 
Network, depreciation and amortization costs
   
2,352
     
1,727
     
4,327
     
3,357
 
     
4,737
     
4,428
     
9,107
     
8,632
 
                                 
    $
59,610
    $
58,929
    $
115,912
    $
132,105
 
  
1
As a result of the bulk transfer of
2.65
million domain names to Namecheap on
January
5th,
2018,
recognized cost of sales for the
six
months ended
June 30, 2018
includes
$14.5
million related to prepaid costs for these names.
 
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
$143.7
million as of
January 1, 2019.
Significant changes in deferred revenue were as follows (Dollar amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars):
 
 
Deferred Revenue
   
 
   
Six months ended June
30, 2019
 
Balance, beginning of period
  $
143,694
 
Acquired in a business combination
1
   
11,387
 
Deferred revenue
   
119,356
 
Recognized revenue
   
(117,218
)
Balance, end of period
  $
157,219
 
 
1
The Company acquired Ascio on
March 18, 2019.
As part of the transition, the Company acquired active domain name contracts for terms ranging from
1
-
10
years, for which the registration fees have already been collected from customers. As required by ASC
805,
Business Combinations, the Company has recorded deferred revenue at fair value at the acquisition date, which was determined by estimating the costs associated with customer support services and prepaid domain name registration fees to fulfill the contractual obligations over the remaining life of the contract at the acquisition date plus a normal profit margin.
 
 
Remaining Performance Obligations:
 
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).
 
Although domain registration contracts are deferred over the lives of the individual contracts, which can range from
one
to
ten
years, approximately
80
percent of our deferred revenue balance related to domain contracts is expected to be recognized within the next
twelve
months.
 
Deferred revenue related to Roam Mobility and Exact hosting contracts are also deferred over the lives of the individual contracts, which are expected to be fully recognized within the next
twelve
months.