ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS | ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS Organization and Business GTT Communications, Inc. ("GTT" or the "Company") serves large enterprise and carrier clients with complex national and global networking needs, and differentiates itself from the competition by providing an outstanding service experience built on its core values of simplicity, speed and agility. The Company operates a global Tier 1 internet network ranked among the largest in the industry, and owns a fiber network that includes an expansive pan-European footprint and subsea cables. The Company's global network includes over 600 points of presence ("PoPs") spanning six continents, and the Company provides services in more than 140 countries. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited financial statements and footnotes thereto for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 , included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 1, 2019. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") have been omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s consolidated financial position and its results of operations. The operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year 2019 or for any other interim period. The December 31, 2018 consolidated balance sheet is condensed from the audited financial statements as of that date. Changes in Basis of Presentation and Accounting Certain prior period amounts in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows have been reclassified to conform with the current period presentation to reflect the total change in deferred revenue into a single line item as well as changes in operating assets and liabilities to more closely align with the related condensed consolidated balance sheet caption. Use of Estimates and Assumptions The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates are used when establishing allowances for doubtful accounts, accruals for billing disputes and exit activities, determining useful lives for depreciation and amortization, assessing the need for impairment charges (including those related to intangible assets and goodwill), determining the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations, assessing the fair value of derivative financial instruments, accounting for income taxes and related valuation allowances against deferred tax assets, and estimating the grant date fair values used to compute the share-based compensation expense. Management evaluates these estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis and makes estimates based on historical experience, current conditions, and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities as well as identifying and assessing the accounting treatment with respect to commitments and contingencies. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Segment Reporting The Company reports operating results and financial data in one operating and reporting segment. The Company's Chief Executive Officer is the chief operating decision maker and manages the Company as a single profit center in order to promote collaboration, provide comprehensive service offerings across its entire customer base, and provide incentives to employees based on the success of the organization as a whole. Although certain information regarding selected products or services is discussed for purposes of promoting an understanding of the Company's complex business, the chief operating decision maker manages the Company and allocates resources at the consolidated level. Additionally, integration efforts related to Interoute Communications Holdings, S.A. ("Interoute") are nearing completion, but have not currently changed the manner in which the chief operating decision maker has managed the consolidated business. These integration efforts are designed to establish scale and align Interoute's network assets and product offerings within the existing business. Revenue Recognition The Company's revenue is derived primarily from telecommunications services, which includes both revenue from contracts with customers and lease revenues. Lease revenue services include dark fiber, duct, and colocation services. All other services are considered revenue from contracts with customers. Revenue from contracts with customers is recognized when services are provided to the customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those services. Lease revenue represents an arrangement where the customer has the right to use an identified asset for a specified term and such revenue is recognized over the term the customer is given exclusive access to the asset. The Company's comprehensive portfolio of cloud networking services includes: wide area networking; internet services; transport & infrastructure services; voice services; and other managed services. The Company's services are provided under contracts that typically include an installation or provisioning charge along with payments of recurring charges on a monthly basis for use of the services over a committed term. The Company's contracts with customers specify the terms and conditions for providing such services, including installation date, recurring and non-recurring fees, payment terms, and length of term. These contracts call for the Company to provide the service in question (e.g., data transmission between point A and point Z), to manage the activation process, and to provide ongoing support (in the form of service maintenance and trouble-shooting) during the service term. The contracts do not typically provide the customer any rights to use specifically identifiable assets. Furthermore, the contracts generally provide the Company with discretion to engineer (or re-engineer) a particular network solution to satisfy each customer’s data transmission requirement, and typically prohibit physical access by the customer to the network infrastructure used by the Company and its suppliers to deliver the services. Fees charged for ongoing services are generally fixed in price and billed on a recurring monthly basis (one month in advance) for a specified term. Fees may also be based on specific usage of the related services, or usage above a fixed threshold, which are billed monthly in arrears. The usage based fees represent variable consideration, however, the nature of the fees are such that the Company is not able to estimate these amounts with a high degree of certainty and therefore the usage based fees are excluded from the transaction price and are instead recognized as revenue based on actual usage charges billed using the rates and/or thresholds specified in each contract. At the end of the term, most contracts provide for a continuation of services on the same terms, either for a specified renewal period (e.g., one year) or on a month-to-month basis. Revenue is generally recognized over time for these contracts as the customers simultaneously receive and consume the benefit of the service as the Company performs. Fees may also be billed for early terminations based on contractually stated amounts. The early termination fees represent variable consideration. The Company estimates the amount of variable consideration it expects to be entitled to receive for such arrangements using the expected value method. The Company does not disclose information about remaining performance obligations that have original expected durations of one year or less. Primary geographical market. The Company’s operations are located primarily in the United States and Europe. The nature and timing of revenue from contracts with customers across geographic markets is similar. The following table presents the Company's revenue from contracts with customers disaggregated by primary geographic market based on legal entities (in millions): Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 2018 Primary geographic market: United States $ 204.2 $ 192.9 Europe 196.5 60.6 Other 11.9 6.2 Total revenue from contracts with customers 412.6 259.7 Lease revenue 37.6 1.0 Total telecommunications services revenue $ 450.2 $ 260.7 Contracts with multiple performance obligations. The majority of the Company’s contracts with customers have a single performance obligation - telecommunication services. The related installation services are generally considered not material within the context of the contract and the Company does not recognize these immaterial promised services as a separate performance obligation. Certain contracts with customers may include multiple performance obligations, specifically when the Company sells its connectivity services in addition to customer premise equipment ("CPE"). For such arrangements, revenue is allocated to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. The standalone selling price for each performance obligation is based on observable prices charged to customers in similar transactions or using expected cost plus margin. The Company applies permitted practical expedients to its revenue recognition. The Company does not adjust the promised amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component if the Company expects, at contract inception, that the period between when the Company transfers a promised good or service to a customer and when the customer pays for that good or service will be one year or less. Prepaid Capacity Sales and Indefeasible Right to Us e. The Company sells capacity on a long-term basis, where a certain portion of the contracted revenue is prepaid upon acceptance of the service by the customer. This prepaid amount is initially recorded as deferred revenue and amortized ratably over the term of the contract. Certain of these prepaid capacity sales are in the form of Indefeasible Rights to Use ("IRUs"), where the customer has the right to use the capacity of the fiber optic cable for a specified term. The Company records revenues from these prepaid leases of fiber optic cable IRUs over the term that the customer is given exclusive access to the assets. Universal Service Fund ("USF"), Gross Receipts Taxes and Other Surcharges. The Company is liable in certain cases for collecting regulatory fees and/or certain sales taxes from its customers and remitting the fees and taxes to the applicable governing authorities. Taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction, that are collected by the Company from a customer, are excluded from revenue. Conversely, USF contributions are assessed to the Company by and paid to the Universal Service Administration Company ("USAC") and are based on the Company’s interstate and inter-nation end-user revenues. The Company may assess its customers a separate fee to recoup its USF expense. These fees are included in telecommunications services revenue and costs of telecommunications services. USF fees and other surcharges billed to customers and recorded on a gross basis (as service telecommunications services revenue and cost of telecommunications services) were $5.9 million and $6.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. Contract balances. Contract assets consist of conditional or unconditional rights to consideration. Accounts receivable represent amounts billed to customers where the Company has an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date (i.e., unconditional rights to consideration). The Company does not have contract assets that represent conditional rights to consideration. The Company’s accounts receivable balance at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 includes $206.0 million and $157.6 million , respectively, related to contracts with customers. There were no other contract assets as of March 31, 2019 or December 31, 2018 . Contract liabilities are generally limited to deferred revenue. Deferred revenue is a contract liability, representing advance consideration received from customers primarily related to the pre-paid capacity sales noted above, where transfer of control occurs over time, and therefore revenue is recognized over the related contractual service period. The Company's contract liabilities were $78.2 million and $75.7 million as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. The change in contract liabilities during the three months ended March 31, 2019 included $8.4 million for revenue recognized that was included in the contract liability balance as of January 1, 2019 and $11.6 million for new contract liabilities net of amounts recognized as revenue during the period. The following table includes estimated revenue from contracts with customers expected to be recognized for each of the years subsequent to March 31, 2019 related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) at March 31, 2019 and have an original expected duration of greater than one year (amounts in millions): 2019 remaining $ 19.5 2020 13.4 2021 11.7 2022 11.3 2023 9.8 2024 and beyond 12.5 $ 78.2 For a table of estimated revenue to be recognized for consolidated deferred revenue for each of the years subsequent to March 31, 2019 refer to Note 6 - Deferred revenue. Deferred costs to obtain a contract. The Company defers sales commissions earned by its sales force when they are considered to be incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. These costs are deferred and then amortized over a period of benefit which is determined by taking into consideration the Company's customer contracts and other factors. Amortization of sales commissions expense is included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Installation costs related to provisioning of communications services that the Company incurs from third-party suppliers, directly attributable and necessary to fulfill particular service contracts, and which costs would not have been incurred but for the occurrence of that service contract, are recorded as deferred contract costs and expensed ratably over the contractual term of service in the same manner as the deferred revenue arising from that contract. Based on historical experience, the Company believes the initial contractual term is the best estimate for the period of earnings. Deferred sales commissions were $5.1 million and $3.4 million as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. There were no other significant amounts of assets recorded related to contract costs as of March 31, 2019 or December 31, 2018 . Cost of Telecommunications Services Cost of telecommunications services includes direct costs incurred in accessing other telecommunications providers’ networks in order to maintain the Company's global Tier 1 IP network and provide telecommunication services to the Company's customers, including access, co-location, usage-based charges, and certain excise taxes and surcharges recorded on a gross basis. Leases A lease is a contract, or part of a contract, that conveys the right to control the use of identified property, plant or equipment (i.e., an identified asset) for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Lessee Lease contracts from a lessee perspective are classified as either operating or finance. Operating leases are included in Operating lease right of use assets, Operating lease liabilities, and Operating lease liabilities, long-term portion. Finance leases are included in Property and equipment, net, Finance lease liabilities, and Finance lease liabilities, long-term portion. For operating leases, the Company has recognized a lease liability equal to the present value of the remaining lease payments, and a right of use asset equal to the lease liability, subject to certain adjustments. The Company used its incremental borrowing rate for leases which do not have a readily determinable implicit rate to determine the present value of the lease payments. The Company’s incremental borrowing rates are the rates of interest that it would have to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term in an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment. Operating leases result in a straight-line lease expense, while finance leases result in an accelerated expense pattern. The lease term at the lease commencement date is determined based on the non-cancellable period for which the Company has the right to use the underlying asset, together with any periods covered by an option to extend the lease if the Company is reasonably certain to exercise that option. The Company considered a number of factors when evaluating whether the options in its lease contracts were reasonably certain of exercise, such as length of time before option exercise, expected value of the leased asset at the end of the initial lease term, importance of the lease to overall operations, costs to negotiate a new lease, and any contractual or economic penalties. Certain of the Company’s leases include variable lease costs to reimburse the lessor for real estate tax and insurance expenses, and non-lease components that transfer an additional service to the Company, such as common area maintenance services. The Company has elected not to separate the accounting for lease components and non-lease components for lessee contracts, for all classes of leased assets except for its dark fiber arrangements. Lessor Lease contracts from a lessor perspective are classified as either sales-type, direct financing, or operating. Lessor arrangements include dark fiber, duct, and colocation services. The arrangements are operating leases that can also include non-lease components such as operations and maintenance or power services. For its dark fiber and duct arrangements, the Company accounts for lease and non-lease components separately. Revenue attributable to the lease components in these arrangements is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease while revenue attributable to non-lease components is accounted for in accordance with other applicable GAAP. The Company has elected not to separate the accounting for non-lease components from lease components in its accounting for colocation arrangements. Marketing and Advertising Costs Costs related to marketing and advertising are expensed as incurred and included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Third-party marketing and advertising expense was $2.6 million and $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. Share-Based Compensation The Company issues three types of equity grants under its share-based compensation plan: time-based restricted stock, time-based stock options, and performance-based restricted stock. The time-based restricted stock and stock options generally vest over a four -year period, contingent upon meeting the requisite service period requirement. Performance awards typically vest over a shorter period, e.g. one to two years, starting when the performance criteria established in the grant have been met. The share price of the Company's common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") on the date of grant is used as the fair value for all restricted stock. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the estimated fair value for stock options. Critical inputs into the Black-Scholes option-pricing model include the following: option exercise price, fair value of the stock price, expected life of the option, annualized volatility of the stock, annual rate of quarterly dividends on the stock, and risk-free interest rate. Implied volatility is calculated as of each grant date based on our historical stock price volatility along with an assessment of a peer group. Other than the expected life of the option, volatility is the most sensitive input to our option grants. The risk-free interest rate used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model is determined by referencing the U.S. Treasury yield curve rates with the remaining term equal to the expected life assumed at the date of grant. Forfeitures are estimated based on our historical analysis of attrition levels. Forfeiture estimates are updated quarterly for actual forfeitures. The share-based compensation expense for time-based restricted stock and stock options is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The Company begins recognizing share-based compensation expense for performance awards when the Company considers the achievement of the performance criteria to be probable through the expected vesting period. Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method pursuant to GAAP. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future impacts attributable to the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the period of the change. Further, deferred tax assets are recognized for the expected realization of available net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. A valuation allowance is recorded on gross deferred tax assets when it is "more likely than not" that such asset will not be realized. When evaluating the realizability of deferred tax assets, all evidence, both positive and negative, is evaluated. Items considered in this analysis include the ability to carry back losses, the reversal of temporary differences, tax planning strategies, and expectations of future earnings. The Company reviews its deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis to determine if a valuation allowance is required based upon these factors. Changes in the Company's assessment of the need for a valuation allowance could give rise to a change in such allowance, potentially resulting in additional expense or benefit in the period of change. The Company's income tax provision includes U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign income taxes and is based on pre-tax income or loss. In determining the annual effective income tax rate, the Company analyzes various factors, including its annual earnings and taxing jurisdictions in which the earnings were generated, transfer pricing methods, the impact of state and local income taxes, and its ability to use tax credits and net operating loss carryforwards. Under GAAP, the amount of tax benefit to be recognized is the amount of benefit that is "more likely than not" to be sustained upon examination. The Company analyzes its tax filing positions in all of the U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign tax jurisdictions where it is required to file income tax returns, as well as for all open tax years in these jurisdictions. If, based on this analysis, the Company determines that uncertainties in tax positions exist, a liability is established in the consolidated financial statements. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax positions in the provision for income taxes. Comprehensive Loss In addition to net loss, comprehensive loss includes certain charges or credits to equity occurring other than as a result of transactions with stockholders. For the Company, this consists of foreign currency translation adjustments. Loss Per Share Basic loss per share is computed by dividing net loss available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted loss per share reflects, in periods with earnings and in which it has a dilutive effect, the effect of common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options and warrants. The table below details the calculations of loss per share (in millions, except for share and per share amounts): Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 2018 Numerator for basic and diluted EPS – net loss available to common stockholders $ (27.3 ) $ (30.7 ) Denominator for basic EPS – weighted average shares 55,839,212 44,632,365 Effect of dilutive securities — — Denominator for diluted EPS – weighted average shares 55,839,212 44,632,365 Loss per share: Basic $ (0.49 ) $ (0.69 ) Diluted $ (0.49 ) $ (0.69 ) All outstanding stock options were anti-dilutive as of March 31, 2019 and 2018 due to the net loss incurred during the periods. There were approximately 474,880 and 626,000 outstanding stock options as of March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents may include deposits with financial institutions as well as short-term money market instruments, certificates of deposit and debt instruments with maturities of three months or less when purchased. The Company invests its cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments in accordance with the terms and conditions of its 2018 Credit Agreement, which seeks to ensure both liquidity and safety of principal. The Company’s policy limits investments to instruments issued by the U.S. government and commercial institutions with strong investment grade credit ratings, and places restrictions on the length of maturity. As of March 31, 2019 , the Company held no investments in auction rate securities, collateralized debt obligations, structured investment vehicles, or non-government guaranteed mortgage-backed securities. Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents that are contractually restricted from operating use are classified as restricted cash and cash equivalents. The Company had no restricted cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2019 or December 31, 2018 . Accounts Receivable, Net Accounts receivable balances are stated at amounts due from the customer net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. Credit extended is based on an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition and is granted to qualified customers on an unsecured basis. The Company, pursuant to its standard service contracts, is typically entitled to impose a monthly finance charge of a certain percentage per month with respect to amounts that are past due. The Company’s standard terms require payment within 30 days of the date of the invoice. The Company treats invoices as past due when they remain unpaid, in whole or in part, beyond the payment date set forth in the applicable service contract. The Company determines its allowance for doubtful accounts by considering a number of factors, including the length of time trade receivables are past due, the customer’s payment history and current ability to pay its obligation to the Company, and the condition of the general economy. Specific reserves are also established on a case-by-case basis by management. Credit losses have historically been within management's estimates. Actual bad debts, when determined, reduce the allowance, the adequacy of which management then reassesses. The Company writes off accounts after a determination by management that the amounts are no longer likely to be collected, following the exercise of reasonable collection efforts, and upon management's determination that the costs of pursuing collection outweigh the likelihood of recovery. The allowance for doubtful accounts was $12.7 million and $11.1 million as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. Property and Equipment Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation on these assets is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Assets are recorded at acquired cost. Costs associated with the initial customer installations and upgrade of services and acquiring and deploying customer premise equipment, including materials, internal labor costs, and related indirect labor costs are also capitalized. Indirect and overhead costs include payroll taxes, insurance, and other benefits. Capitalized labor costs include the direct costs of engineers and service delivery technicians involved in the installation and upgrades of services, and the costs of support personnel directly involved in capitalizable activities, such as project managers and supervisors. Internal labor costs are based on standards developed by position for the percentage of time spent on capitalizable projects while overhead costs are capitalized based on standards developed from historical information. Costs for repairs and maintenance, disconnecting service, or reconnecting service are expensed as incurred. The Company capitalized labor costs, including indirect and overhead costs, of $4.2 million and $3.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. Assets and liabilities under finance leases are recorded at the lesser of the present value of the aggregate future minimum lease payments or the fair value of the assets under lease. Leasehold improvements and assets under finance leases are amortized over the shorter of the term of the lease, excluding optional extensions, or the useful life. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Depreciable lives used by the Company for its classes of assets are as follows: Freehold buildings 30 years Furniture and fixtures 7 years Fiber optic cable and duct 20 - 40 years Fiber optic network equipment 3 - 15 years Leasehold improvements up to 10 years Computer hardware and software 3-5 years The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of an asset were to exceed its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, the asset would be considered to be impaired. Impairment losses would then be measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. Assets to be disposed of, if any, are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. Software Capitalization Software development costs include costs to develop software programs to be used solely to meet the Company's internal needs. The Company capitalizes development costs related to these software applications once the preliminary project stage is complete and it is probable that the project will be completed. Subsequent additions, modifications or upgrades to internal-use software are capitalized only to the extent that they allow the software to perform a function it previously did not perform. Software maintenance, data conversion and training costs are expensed in the period in which they are incurred. The Company capitalized software costs of $1.1 million and $0.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. Goodwill and Intangible Assets Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at least annually, in October, or more frequently if a triggering event occurs between impairment testing dates. There were no triggering events or goodwill impairments identified for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 . Intangible assets arising from business combinations, such as acquired customer contracts and relationships (collectively "customer relationships"), trade names, and/or intellectual property, are initially recorded at fair value. The Company amortizes these intangible assets over the determined useful life which generally ranges from 3 to 20 years. The Company reviews its intangible assets for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may |