Verizon Communications (VZ) 10-Q 26 Apr 19 2019 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019shares
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	VZ
Entity Registrant Name	Verizon Communications Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0000732712
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	4,135,706,646

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Operating Revenues
Operating Revenues	$ 32,128	$ 31,772
Operating Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expense	7,198	6,844
Depreciation and amortization expense	4,231	4,324
Total Operating Expenses	24,419	24,423
Operating Income	7,709	7,349
Equity in losses of unconsolidated businesses	(6)	(19)
Other income (expense), net	295	(75)
Interest expense	(1,210)	(1,201)
Income Before Provision For Income Taxes	6,788	6,054
Provision for income taxes	(1,628)	(1,388)
Net Income	5,160	4,666
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	128	121
Net income attributable to Verizon	5,032	4,545
Net Income	$ 5,160	$ 4,666
Basic Earnings Per Common Share
Net income attributable to Verizon (USD per share)	$ 1.22	$ 1.11
Weighted-average shares outstanding (in shares)	4,138	4,104
Diluted Earnings Per Common Share
Net income attributable to Verizon (USD per share)	$ 1.22	$ 1.11
Weighted-average shares outstanding (in shares)	4,140	4,107
Service and Other
Operating Revenues
Operating Revenues	$ 27,197	$ 26,732
Service
Operating Expenses
Cost of services and equipment	7,792	7,946
Wireless equipment
Operating Revenues
Operating Revenues	4,931	5,040
Operating Expenses
Cost of services and equipment	$ 5,198	$ 5,309

Condensed Consolidated Statem_2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net Income	$ 5,160	$ 4,666
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax (Expense) Benefit
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $(5) and $(6)	24	93
Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges, net of tax of $5 and $(180)	(13)	501
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities, net of tax of $(2) and $1	4	(5)
Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans, net of tax of $56 and $60	(169)	(173)
Other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Verizon	(154)	416
Total Comprehensive Income	5,006	5,082
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	128	121
Comprehensive income attributable to Verizon	4,878	4,961
Total Comprehensive Income	$ 5,006	$ 5,082

Condensed Consolidated Statem_3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Foreign currency translation adjustments, tax	$ (5)	$ (6)
Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges, tax	5	(180)
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities, tax	(2)	1
Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans, tax	$ 56	$ 60

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 2,322	$ 2,745
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $744 and $765	24,469	25,102
Inventories	1,417	1,336
Prepaid expenses and other	5,189	5,453
Total current assets	33,397	34,636
Property, plant and equipment	254,457	252,835
Less accumulated depreciation	166,608	163,549
Property, plant and equipment, net	87,849	89,286
Investments in unconsolidated businesses	674	671
Wireless licenses	94,237	94,130
Goodwill	24,635	24,614
Other intangible assets, net	9,608	9,775
Operating lease right-of-use assets	23,105
Other assets	10,442	11,717
Total assets	283,947	264,829
Current liabilities
Debt maturing within one year	8,614	7,190
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	18,664	22,501
Current operating lease liabilities	2,997
Other current liabilities	8,332	8,239
Total current liabilities	38,607	37,930
Long-term debt	105,045	105,873
Employee benefit obligations	17,888	18,599
Deferred income taxes	34,344	33,795
Non-current operating lease liabilities	18,971
Other liabilities	11,632	13,922
Total long-term liabilities	187,880	172,189
Note 12
Equity
Series preferred stock ($0.10 par value; 250,000,000 shares authorized; none issued)	0	0
Common stock ($0.10 par value; 6,250,000,000 shares authorized in each period; 4,291,433,646 issued in each period)	429	429
Additional paid in capital	13,418	13,437
Retained earnings	46,493	43,542
Accumulated other comprehensive income	2,216	2,370
Common stock in treasury, at cost (155,727,000 and 159,400,267 shares outstanding)	(6,825)	(6,986)
Deferred compensation – employee stock ownership plans and other	125	353
Noncontrolling interests	1,604	1,565
Total equity	57,460	54,710
Total liabilities and equity	$ 283,947	$ 264,829

Condensed Consolidated Balanc_2

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Accounts receivable, allowances	$ 744	$ 765
Series preferred stock, par value (USD per share)	$ 0.1	$ 0.1
Series preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	250,000,000	250,000,000
Series preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	0	0
Common stock, par value (USD per share)	$ 0.1	$ 0.1
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	6,250,000,000	6,250,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	4,291,433,646	4,291,433,646
Treasury stock, shares issued (in shares)	155,727,000	159,400,267

Condensed Consolidated Statem_4

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net Income	$ 5,160	$ 4,666
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense	4,231	4,324
Employee retirement benefits	(195)	(151)
Deferred income taxes	459	702
Provision for uncollectible accounts	319	239
Equity in losses of unconsolidated businesses, net of dividends received	21	30
Changes in current assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisition/disposition of businesses	(2,702)	(2,033)
Discretionary employee benefits contributions	(300)	(1,000)
Other, net	88	(129)
Net cash provided by operating activities	7,081	6,648
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Capital expenditures (including capitalized software)	(4,268)	(4,552)
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(25)	(32)
Acquisitions of wireless licenses	(104)	(970)
Other, net	(406)	269
Net cash used in investing activities	(4,803)	(5,285)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Proceeds from long-term borrowings	2,131	1,956
Proceeds from asset-backed long-term borrowings	1,117	1,178
Repayments of long-term borrowings and finance lease obligations	(2,963)	(2,984)
Repayments of asset-backed long-term borrowings	(813)	0
Dividends paid	(2,489)	(2,407)
Other, net	360	941
Net cash used in financing activities	(2,657)	(1,316)
Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(379)	47
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	3,916	2,888
Cash, Cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note 1)	$ 3,537	$ 2,935

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Note 1. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the United States (U.S.) and based upon Securities and Exchange Commission rules that permit reduced disclosure for interim periods. For a more complete discussion of significant accounting policies and certain other information, you should refer to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018 of Verizon Communications Inc. (Verizon or the Company). These financial statements reflect all adjustments that are necessary for a fair presentation of results of operations and financial condition for the interim periods shown, including normal recurring accruals and other items. The results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. We have reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation. Earnings Per Common Share There were a total of approximately 2 million outstanding dilutive securities, primarily consisting of restricted stock units, included in the computation of diluted earnings per common share for the three months ended March 31, 2019 . There were a total of approximately 3 million outstanding dilutive securities, primarily consisting of restricted stock units, included in the computation of diluted earnings per common share for the three months ended March 31, 2018 . Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash Cash collections on the device payment plan agreement receivables collateralizing our asset-backed debt are required at certain specified times to be placed into segregated accounts. Deposits to the segregated accounts are considered restricted cash and are included in Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash are included in the following line items on the condensed consolidated balance sheets: At March 31, At December 31, Increase / (Decrease) (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,322 $ 2,745 $ (423 ) Restricted cash: Prepaid expenses and other 1,091 1,047 44 Other assets 124 124 — Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 3,537 $ 3,916 $ (379 ) Goodwill Goodwill is the excess of the acquisition cost of businesses over the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. Impairment testing for goodwill is performed annually in the fourth quarter or more frequently if impairment indicators are present. In November 2018, we announced a strategic reorganization of our business which resulted in certain changes to our operating segments and reporting units. We transitioned to the new segment reporting structure effective April 1, 2019 , in connection with which we are reassigning goodwill to each of our new reporting units. We performed an impairment assessment of the impacted reporting units, specifically our Wireless, Wireline and Connect reporting units at March 31, 2019 , immediately before our strategic reorganization became effective. Our impairment assessments indicated that the fair value for each of our Wireless, Wireline and Connect reporting units exceeded their respective carrying value and therefore, did not result in a goodwill impairment. Our Media reporting unit was not impacted by the strategic reorganization and there were no indicators of impairment during the quarter ended March 31, 2019 . Recently Adopted Accounting Standard The following Accounting Standard Updates (ASUs) were issued by Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and have been recently adopted by Verizon. Description Date of Adoption Effect on Financial Statements ASU 2016-02, ASU 2018-01, ASU 2018-10, ASU 2018-11, ASU 2018-20 and ASU 2019-01, Leases (Topic 842) The FASB issued Topic 842 requiring entities to recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for all leases, with certain exceptions. In addition, Topic 842 will enable users of financial statements to further understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. Topic 842 allows for a modified retrospective application and is effective as of the first quarter of 2019. Entities are allowed to apply the modified retrospective approach: (1) retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented in the financial statements with the cumulative-effect adjustment recognized at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented; or (2) retrospectively at the beginning of the period of adoption (January 1, 2019) through a cumulative-effect adjustment. The modified retrospective approach includes a number of optional practical expedients that entities may elect to apply. 1/1/2019 We adopted Topic 842 beginning on January 1, 2019, using the modified retrospective approach with a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening retained earnings recorded at the beginning of the period of adoption. Therefore, upon adoption, we have recognized and measured leases without revising comparative period information or disclosure. We recorded an increase of $410 million (net of tax) to retained earnings on January 1, 2019 which related to deferred sale leaseback gains recognized from prior transactions. Additionally, the adoption of the standard had a significant impact in our condensed consolidated balance sheet due to the recognition of $22.1 billion of operating lease liabilities, along with $23.2 billion of operating lease right-of-use-assets. The cumulative after-tax effect of the changes made to our condensed consolidated balance sheet for the adoption of Topic 842 were as follows: (dollars in millions) At December 31, 2018 Adjustments due to Topic 842 At January 1, 2019 Prepaid expenses and other $ 5,453 $ (329 ) $ 5,124 Operating lease right-of-use assets — 23,241 23,241 Other assets 11,717 (2,048 ) 9,669 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 22,501 (3 ) 22,498 Other current liabilities 8,239 (2 ) 8,237 Current operating lease liabilities — 2,931 2,931 Deferred income taxes 33,795 139 33,934 Non-current operating lease liabilities — 19,203 19,203 Other liabilities 13,922 (1,815 ) 12,107 Retained earnings 43,542 410 43,952 Noncontrolling interests 1,565 1 1,566 In addition to the increase to the operating lease liabilities and right-of-use assets and the derecognition of deferred sale leaseback gains through opening retained earnings, Topic 842 also resulted in reclassifying the presentation of prepaid and deferred rent to operating lease right-of-use assets. The operating lease right-of-use assets amount also includes the balance of any prepaid lease payments, unamortized initial direct costs, and lease incentives. We elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard. Accordingly, we have adopted these practical expedients and did not reassess: (1) whether an expired or existing contract is a lease or contains an embedded lease; (2) lease classification of an expired or existing lease; (3) capitalization of initial direct costs for an expired or existing lease. In addition, we have elected the land easement transition practical expedient, and did not reassess whether an existing or expired land easement is a lease or contains a lease if it has not historically been accounted for as a lease. We lease network equipment including towers, distributed antenna systems, small cells, real estate, connectivity mediums which include dark fiber, equipment leases, and other various types of assets for use in our operations under both operating and finance leases. We assess whether an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at inception. For arrangements considered leases or that contain a lease that is accounted for separately, we determine the classification and initial measurement of the right-of-use asset and lease liability at the lease commencement date, which is the date that the underlying asset becomes available for use. For both operating and finance leases, we recognize a right-of-use asset, which represents our right to use the underlying asset for the lease term, and a lease liability, which represents the present value of our obligation to make payments arising over the lease term. The present value of the lease payments is calculated using the incremental borrowing rate for operating and finance leases. The incremental borrowing rate is determined using a portfolio approach based on the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over a similar term. Management uses the unsecured borrowing rate and risk-adjusts that rate to approximate a collateralized rate, which will be updated on a quarterly basis for measurement of new lease liabilities. In those circumstances where the Company is the lessee, we have elected to account for non-lease components associated with our leases (e.g., common area maintenance costs) and lease components as a single lease component for substantially all of our asset classes. Additionally, in arrangements where we are the lessor, we have customer premise equipment for which we apply the lease and non-lease component practical expedient and account for non-lease components (e.g., service revenue) and lease components as combined components under the revenue recognition guidance in ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" (Topic 606) as the service revenues are the predominant components in the arrangements. Rent expense for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease and is included in either Cost of services or Selling, general and administrative expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income, based on the use of the facility on which rent is being paid. Variable rent payments related to both operating and finance leases are expensed in the period incurred. Our variable lease payments consist of payments dependent on various external indicators, including real estate taxes, common area maintenance charges and utility usage. Operating leases with a term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet; we recognize a rent expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We recognize the amortization of the right-of-use asset for our finance leases on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the term of the lease or the useful life of the right-of-use asset in Depreciation and amortization expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income. The interest expense related to finance leases is recognized using the effective interest method based on the discount rate determined at lease commencement and is included within Interest expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income. See Note 5 for additional information related to leases, including disclosure required under Topic 842. Recently Issued Accounting Standards The following ASUs have been recently issued by the FASB. Description Date of Adoption Effect on Financial Statements ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326) In June 2016, the FASB issued this standard update which requires certain financial assets be measured at amortized cost net of an allowance for estimated credit losses such that the net receivable represents the present value of expected cash collection. In addition, this standard update requires that certain financial assets be measured at amortized cost reflecting an allowance for estimated credit losses expected to occur over the life of the assets. The estimate of credit losses must be based on all relevant information including historical information, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the amounts. An entity will apply the update through a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective (January 1, 2020). A prospective transition approach is required for debt securities for which an other-than-temporary impairment has been recognized before the effective date. Early adoption of this standard is permitted. 1/1/2020 We are currently evaluating the impacts that this standard update will have on our various financial assets, which we expect to include, but is not limited to, our device payment plan agreement receivables, service receivables and contract assets. We have established a cross-functional coordinated team to address the potential impacts to our systems, processes and internal controls in order to meet the standard update's accounting and reporting requirements.

Revenues and Contract Costs

Revenues and Contract Costs	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenues and Contract Costs	Note 2. Revenues and Contract Costs We earn revenue from contracts with customers, primarily through the provision of telecommunications and other services and through the sale of wireless equipment. Revenue by Category We operate and manage our business in two reportable segments, Wireless and Wireline. Revenue is disaggregated by products and services, and customer groups, respectively, which we view as the relevant categorization of revenues for these businesses. See Note 11 for additional information on revenue by segment. Corporate and other includes the results of our Media business, Verizon Media, which operated in 2018 under the "Oath" brand, and our telematics business, branded Verizon Connect. Verizon Media generated revenues from contracts with customers under Topic 606 of approximately $1.8 billion and $1.9 billion , during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. Verizon Connect generated revenues from contracts with customers under Topic 606 of approximately $242 million and $234 million , during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. We also earn revenues, that are not accounted for under Topic 606, from leasing arrangements (such as towers), captive reinsurance arrangements primarily related to wireless device insurance and the interest on equipment financed on a device payment plan agreement when sold to the customer by an authorized agent. As allowed by the practical expedient within Topic 842, we have elected to combine the lease and non-lease components for those arrangements of customer premise equipment where we are the lessor as components accounted for under Topic 606. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , revenues from arrangements that were not accounted for under Topic 606 were approximately $787 million and $1.2 billion , respectively. Remaining Performance Obligations When allocating the total contract transaction price to identified performance obligations, a portion of the total transaction price may relate to service performance obligations that were not satisfied or were partially satisfied as of the end of the reporting period. Below we disclose information relating to these unsatisfied performance obligations. In the prior year, we have elected to apply the practical expedient available under Topic 606, which provides the option to exclude the expected revenues arising from unsatisfied performance obligations related to contracts that have an original expected duration of one year or less. This situation primarily arises with respect to certain month-to-month service contracts. At March 31, 2019 , month-to-month service contracts represented approximately 86% of Wireless postpaid contracts and approximately 55% of Wireline consumer and small business contracts, compared to March 31, 2018 , for which month-to-month service contracts represented approximately 82% of Wireless postpaid contracts and 57% of Wireline consumer and small business contracts . Additionally, certain Wireless and Wireline contracts provide customers the option to purchase additional services. The fee related to the additional services is recognized when the customer exercises the option (typically on a month-to-month basis). Wireless customer contracts are generally either month-to-month and cancellable at any time (typically under a device payment plan) or contain terms greater than one month (typically under a fixed-term plan). Additionally, customers may incur charges based on usage or may purchase additional optional services in conjunction with entering into a contract which can be cancelled at any time and therefore are not included in the transaction price. When a service contract is longer than one month, the service contract term will generally be two years or less. The transaction price allocated to service performance obligations, which are not satisfied or are partially satisfied as of the end of the reporting period, are generally related to our fixed-term plans. Our wireless customers also include other companies who utilize Verizon's network to resell wireless service to their respective end customers. Reseller arrangements generally include a stated contract term, which typically extend longer than two years. These arrangements generally include an annual minimum revenue commitment over the term of the contract for which revenues will be recognized in future periods. At March 31, 2019 , the transaction price related to Wireless unsatisfied performance obligations expected to be recognized for the remainder of 2019, 2020 and thereafter was $8.3 billion , $6.7 billion and $2.3 billion , respectively. Wireline customer contracts are either month-to-month, include a specified term with fixed monthly fees, or contain revenue commitments, and may also contain usage based services. Consumer Markets customers under contract generally have a service term of two years; however, this term may be month-to-month. Certain Enterprise Solutions, Partner Solutions and Business Markets service contracts with customers extend into future periods, contain fixed monthly fees and usage-based fees, and can include annual commitments per each year of the contract or commitments over the entire specified contract term. A significant number of contracts within these businesses have a contract term that is twelve months or less. At March 31, 2019 , the transaction price relating to Wireline unsatisfied performance obligations expected to be recognized for the remainder of 2019, 2020 and thereafter was $5.9 billion , $4.0 billion and $1.1 billion , respectively. In certain Enterprise Solutions, Partner Solutions and Business Markets service contracts within Wireline and certain telematics service contracts within Corporate and other, there are customer contracts that have a contractual minimum fee over the total contract term. We cannot predict the time period when revenue will be recognized related to those contracts; thus they are excluded from the time bands discussed above. These contracts have varying terms spanning over four years ending in January 2024 and have aggregate contract minimum payments totaling $3.8 billion . Accounts Receivable and Contract Balances The timing of revenue recognition may differ from the time of billing to our customers. Receivables presented in our consolidated balance sheet represent an unconditional right to consideration. Contract balances represent amounts from an arrangement when either Verizon has performed, by transferring goods or services to the customer in advance of receiving all or partial consideration for such goods and services from the customer, or the customer has made payment to Verizon in advance of obtaining control of the goods and/or services promised to the customer in the contract. Contract assets primarily relate to our rights to consideration for goods or services provided to the customers but for which we do not have an unconditional right at the reporting date. Under a fixed-term plan, the total contract revenue is allocated between wireless services and equipment revenues. In conjunction with these arrangements, a contract asset is created, which represents the difference between the amount of equipment revenue recognized upon sale and the amount of consideration received from the customer. The contract asset is reclassified as accounts receivable as wireless services are provided and billed. We have the right to bill the customer as service is provided over time, which results in our right to the payment being unconditional. The contract asset balances are presented in our consolidated balance sheet as Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets. We assess our contract assets for impairment on a quarterly basis and will recognize an impairment charge to the extent their carrying amount is not recoverable. Contract liabilities arise when we bill our customers and receive consideration in advance of providing the goods or services promised in the contract. We typically bill service one month in advance, which is the primary component of the contract liability balance. Contract liabilities are recognized as revenue when services are provided to the customer. The contract liability balances are presented in our condensed consolidated balance sheet as Other current liabilities and Other liabilities. The following table presents information about receivables from contracts with customers: At January 1, At March 31, At January 1, At March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2019 2018 2018 Receivables (1) $ 12,104 $ 11,601 $ 12,073 $ 11,028 Device payment plan agreement receivables (2) 8,940 9,687 1,461 3,630 (1) Balances do not include receivables related to the following contracts: leasing arrangements (such as towers), captive reinsurance arrangements primarily related to wireless device insurance and the interest on equipment financed on a device payment plan agreement when sold to the customer by an authorized agent. (2) Included in device payment plan agreement receivables presented in Note 7 . Balances do not include receivables related to contracts completed prior to January 1, 2018 and receivables derived from the sale of equipment on a device payment plan through an authorized agent. The following table presents information about contract balances: At January 1, At March 31, At January 1, At March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2019 2018 2018 Contract asset $ 1,003 $ 1,021 $ 1,170 $ 1,106 Contract liability (1) 4,943 4,973 4,452 4,571 (1) Revenue recognized related to contract liabilities existing at January 1, 2019 and January 1, 2018 were $3.7 billion and $3.5 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2018 , respectively. The balance of contract assets and contract liabilities recorded in our condensed consolidated balance sheet were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Assets Prepaid expenses and other $ 770 $ 757 Other assets 251 246 Total $ 1,021 $ 1,003 Liabilities Other current liabilities $ 4,255 $ 4,207 Other liabilities 718 736 Total $ 4,973 $ 4,943 Contract Costs Topic 606 requires the recognition of an asset for incremental costs to obtain a customer contract, which are then amortized to expense, over the respective periods of expected benefit. We recognize an asset for incremental commission expenses paid to internal sales personnel and agents in conjunction with obtaining customer contracts. We only defer these costs when we have determined the commissions are, in fact, incremental and would not have been incurred absent the customer contract. Costs to obtain a contract are amortized and recorded ratably as commission expense over the period representing the transfer of goods or services to which the assets relate. These costs are recorded in Selling, general and administrative expense. Wireless costs to obtain contracts are amortized over our customers' estimated device upgrade cycles, as such costs are typically incurred each time a customer upgrades. Wireline costs to obtain contracts are amortized as expense over the estimated customer relationship period for our Consumer Markets customers. Incremental costs to obtain contracts for our Enterprise Solutions, Partner Solutions and Business Markets are insignificant. We also defer costs incurred to fulfill contracts that: (1) relate directly to the contract; (2) are expected to generate resources that will be used to satisfy our performance obligation under the contract; and (3) are expected to be recovered through revenue generated under the contract. Contract fulfillment costs are expensed to Cost of services as we satisfy our performance obligations. These costs principally relate to direct costs that enhance our Wireline business resources, such as costs incurred to install circuits. We determine the amortization periods for our costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a customer contract at a portfolio level due to the similarities within these customer contract portfolios. Other costs, such as general costs or costs related to past performance obligations, are expensed as incurred. Collectively, costs to obtain a contract and costs to fulfill a contract are referred to as Deferred contract costs, which were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) Amortization Period 2019 2018 Wireless 2 to 3 years $ 3,084 $ 2,989 Wireline 2 to 5 years 868 850 Corporate 2 to 3 years 69 56 Total $ 4,021 $ 3,895 Deferred contract costs are classified as current or non-current within Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets, respectively. The balances of Deferred contract costs included in our condensed consolidated balance sheet were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Assets Prepaid expenses and other $ 2,230 $ 2,083 Other assets 1,791 1,812 Total $ 4,021 $ 3,895 For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , we recognized expense of $615 million and $405 million , respectively, associated with the amortization of Deferred contract costs, primarily within Selling, general and administrative expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income. We assess our Deferred contract costs for impairment on a quarterly basis. We recognize an impairment charge to the extent the carrying amount of a deferred cost exceeds the remaining amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for the goods and services related to the cost, less the expected costs related directly to providing those goods and services that have not yet been recognized as expenses. There have been no impairment charges recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2019 or March 31, 2018

Acquisitions and Divestitures

Acquisitions and Divestitures	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions and Divestitures	Note 3. Acquisitions and Divestitures Spectrum License Transactions During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we entered into and completed various wireless license transactions for an insignificant amount of cash consideration. Other During the three months ended March 31, 2019

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	Note 4. Wireless Licenses, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets Wireless Licenses The carrying amount of Wireless licenses are as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Wireless licenses $ 94,237 $ 94,130 At March 31, 2019 and 2018 , approximately $7.2 billion and $13.6 billion , respectively, of wireless licenses were under development for commercial service for which we were capitalizing interest costs. We recorded approximately $ 88 million and $124 million of capitalized interest on wireless licenses for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. The average remaining renewal period for our wireless licenses portfolio was 4.4 years as of March 31, 2019 . Goodwill Changes in the carrying amount of Goodwill are as follows: (dollars in millions) Wireless Wireline Other Total Balance at January 1, 2019 (1) $ 18,397 $ 3,871 $ 2,346 $ 24,614 Acquisitions (Note 3) — 20 — 20 Reclassifications, adjustments and other — 1 — 1 Balance at March 31, 2019 (1) $ 18,397 $ 3,892 $ 2,346 $ 24,635 (1) Goodwill is net of accumulated impairment charge of $4.6 billion , related to our Media reporting unit (included within Other in the table above), which was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018. Other Intangible Assets The following table displays the composition of Other intangible assets, net: At March 31, 2019 At December 31, 2018 (dollars in millions) Gross Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount Gross Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount Customer lists (8 to 13 years) $ 3,953 $ (1,213 ) $ 2,740 $ 3,951 $ (1,121 ) $ 2,830 Non-network internal-use software (3 to 7 years) 18,958 (13,192 ) 5,766 18,603 (12,785 ) 5,818 Other (2 to 25 years) 1,999 (897 ) 1,102 1,988 (861 ) 1,127 Total $ 24,910 $ (15,302 ) $ 9,608 $ 24,542 $ (14,767 ) $ 9,775 The amortization expense for Other intangible assets was as follows: Three Months Ended (dollars in millions) March 31, 2019 $ 555 2018 534 The estimated future amortization expense for Other intangible assets for the remainder of the current year and next 5 years is as follows: Years (dollars in millions) Remainder of 2019 $ 1,603 2020 1,837 2021 1,544 2022 1,276 2023 1,004 2024 749

Leasing Arrangements

Leasing Arrangements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Leasing Arrangements	Note 5. Leasing Arrangements We enter into various lease arrangements for network equipment including towers, distributed antenna systems, small cells, real estate, connectivity mediums including dark fiber, equipment leases, and other various types of assets for use in our operations. Our leases have remaining lease terms ranging from 1 year to 24 years , some of which include options to extend the leases term for up to 25 years , and some of which include options to terminate the leases. For the majority of leases entered into during the current period, we have concluded it is not reasonably certain that we would exercise the options to extend the lease or terminate the lease. Therefore, as of the lease commencement date, our lease terms generally do not include these options. We include options to extend the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. During March 2015, we completed a transaction with American Tower Corporation (American Tower) pursuant to which American Tower acquired the exclusive rights to lease and operate approximately 11,300 of our wireless towers for an upfront payment of $5.0 billion . We have subleased capacity on the towers from American Tower for a minimum of 10 years at current market rates in 2015, with options to renew. We continue to include the towers in Property, plant and equipment, net in our condensed consolidated balance sheets and depreciate them accordingly. In addition to the rights to lease and operate the towers, American Tower assumed the interest in the underlying ground leases related to these towers. While American Tower can renegotiate the terms of and is responsible for paying the ground leases, we are still the primary obligor for these leases and accordingly, the present value of these ground leases are included in our operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities. We do not expect to be required to make ground lease payments unless American Tower defaults, which we determined to be remote. The components of net lease cost were as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) Classification 2019 Operating lease cost (1) Cost of services Selling, general and administrative expense $ 1,170 Finance lease cost: Amortization of right-of-use assets Depreciation and amortization expense 86 Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 9 Short-term lease cost (1) Cost of services Selling, general and administrative expense 16 Variable lease cost (1) Cost of services 57 Sublease income Service revenues and other (67 ) Total net lease cost $ 1,271 (1) All operating lease costs, including short-term and variable lease costs, are split between Cost of services and Selling, general and administrative expense in the condensed consolidated statements of income based on the use of the facility that the rent is being paid on. See Note 1 for additional information. Variable lease costs represent payments that are dependent on a rate or index, or on usage of the asset. Supplemental disclosure for the statement of cash flows related to operating and finance leases were as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 Cash Flows from Operating Activities Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating cash flows for operating leases $ (1,058 ) Operating cash flows for finance leases (9 ) Cash Flows from Financing Activities Financing cash flows for finance leases (86 ) Supplemental lease cash flow disclosures Operating lease right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities 668 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities 115 Supplemental disclosure for the balance sheet related to finance leases were as follows: At March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 Assets Property, plant and equipment, net $ 742 Liabilities Debt maturing within one year $ 323 Long-term debt 611 Total Finance lease liabilities $ 934 The weighted-average remaining lease term and the weighted-average discount rate of our leases were as follows: At March 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) Operating Leases 9 Finance Leases 4 Weighted-average discount rate Operating Leases 4.2 % Finance Leases 3.6 % The Company's maturity analysis of operating and finance lease liabilities as of March 31, 2019 were as follows: (dollars in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Remainder of 2019 $ 3,051 $ 279 2020 3,805 270 2021 3,462 173 2022 3,045 122 2023 2,689 75 Thereafter 10,792 105 Total lease payments 26,844 1,024 Less interest (4,876 ) (90 ) Present value of lease liabilities 21,968 934 Less current obligation (2,997 ) (323 ) Long-term obligation at March 31, 2019 $ 18,971 $ 611 As of March 31, 2019, we have contractually obligated lease payments amounting to $477 million
Leasing Arrangements	Note 5. Leasing Arrangements We enter into various lease arrangements for network equipment including towers, distributed antenna systems, small cells, real estate, connectivity mediums including dark fiber, equipment leases, and other various types of assets for use in our operations. Our leases have remaining lease terms ranging from 1 year to 24 years , some of which include options to extend the leases term for up to 25 years , and some of which include options to terminate the leases. For the majority of leases entered into during the current period, we have concluded it is not reasonably certain that we would exercise the options to extend the lease or terminate the lease. Therefore, as of the lease commencement date, our lease terms generally do not include these options. We include options to extend the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. During March 2015, we completed a transaction with American Tower Corporation (American Tower) pursuant to which American Tower acquired the exclusive rights to lease and operate approximately 11,300 of our wireless towers for an upfront payment of $5.0 billion . We have subleased capacity on the towers from American Tower for a minimum of 10 years at current market rates in 2015, with options to renew. We continue to include the towers in Property, plant and equipment, net in our condensed consolidated balance sheets and depreciate them accordingly. In addition to the rights to lease and operate the towers, American Tower assumed the interest in the underlying ground leases related to these towers. While American Tower can renegotiate the terms of and is responsible for paying the ground leases, we are still the primary obligor for these leases and accordingly, the present value of these ground leases are included in our operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities. We do not expect to be required to make ground lease payments unless American Tower defaults, which we determined to be remote. The components of net lease cost were as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) Classification 2019 Operating lease cost (1) Cost of services Selling, general and administrative expense $ 1,170 Finance lease cost: Amortization of right-of-use assets Depreciation and amortization expense 86 Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 9 Short-term lease cost (1) Cost of services Selling, general and administrative expense 16 Variable lease cost (1) Cost of services 57 Sublease income Service revenues and other (67 ) Total net lease cost $ 1,271 (1) All operating lease costs, including short-term and variable lease costs, are split between Cost of services and Selling, general and administrative expense in the condensed consolidated statements of income based on the use of the facility that the rent is being paid on. See Note 1 for additional information. Variable lease costs represent payments that are dependent on a rate or index, or on usage of the asset. Supplemental disclosure for the statement of cash flows related to operating and finance leases were as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 Cash Flows from Operating Activities Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating cash flows for operating leases $ (1,058 ) Operating cash flows for finance leases (9 ) Cash Flows from Financing Activities Financing cash flows for finance leases (86 ) Supplemental lease cash flow disclosures Operating lease right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities 668 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities 115 Supplemental disclosure for the balance sheet related to finance leases were as follows: At March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 Assets Property, plant and equipment, net $ 742 Liabilities Debt maturing within one year $ 323 Long-term debt 611 Total Finance lease liabilities $ 934 The weighted-average remaining lease term and the weighted-average discount rate of our leases were as follows: At March 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) Operating Leases 9 Finance Leases 4 Weighted-average discount rate Operating Leases 4.2 % Finance Leases 3.6 % The Company's maturity analysis of operating and finance lease liabilities as of March 31, 2019 were as follows: (dollars in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Remainder of 2019 $ 3,051 $ 279 2020 3,805 270 2021 3,462 173 2022 3,045 122 2023 2,689 75 Thereafter 10,792 105 Total lease payments 26,844 1,024 Less interest (4,876 ) (90 ) Present value of lease liabilities 21,968 934 Less current obligation (2,997 ) (323 ) Long-term obligation at March 31, 2019 $ 18,971 $ 611 As of March 31, 2019, we have contractually obligated lease payments amounting to $477 million

Debt

Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	Note 6. Debt Significant Debt Transactions Exchange Offers The following table shows the transactions that occurred in the first quarter of 2019. (dollars in millions) Principal Amount Exchanged Principal Amount Issued Verizon 1.750% - 5.150% notes and floating rate notes, due 2021 - 2025 $ 3,892 $ — GTE LLC 8.750% debentures, due 2021 21 — Verizon 4.016% notes due 2029 (1) — 4,000 Total $ 3,913 $ 4,000 (1) Total exchange amount issued in consideration does not include an insignificant amount of cash used to settle. Debt Redemptions, Repurchases and Repayments The following table shows the transactions that occurred in the first quarter of 2019. (dollars in millions) Principal Redeemed / Repaid Amount Paid as % of Principal (1) Verizon 5.900% notes due 2054 $ 500 100.000 % Verizon 1.375% notes due 2019 206 100.000 % Verizon 1.750% notes due 2021 621 100.000 % Verizon 3.000% notes due 2021 930 101.061 % Verizon 3.500% notes due 2021 315 102.180 % Open market repurchases of various Verizon notes 163 Various Total $ 2,735 (1) Percentages represent price paid to redeem, repurchase and repay. In April 2019, we notified investors of our intention to redeem in May 2019 in whole $831 million aggregate principal amount of 2.625% Notes due 2020 and $736 million aggregate principal amount of 3.500% Notes due 2021. Debt Issuances The following table shows the transactions that occurred in the first quarter of 2019. (dollars in millions) Principal Amount Issued Net Proceeds (1) Verizon 3.875% notes due 2029 (2) $ 1,000 $ 994 Verizon 5.000% notes due 2051 510 506 Total $ 1,510 $ 1,500 (1) Net proceeds were net of discount and issuance costs. (2) An amount equal to the net proceeds from this green bond will be used to fund, in whole or in part, "Eligible Green Investments." "Eligible Green Investments" include new and existing investments made by us during the period from two years prior to the issuance of the green bond through the maturity date of the green bond, in the following categories: (1) renewable energy; (2) energy efficiency; (3) green buildings; (4) sustainable water management; and (5) biodiversity and conservation. "Eligible Green Investments" include operating expenditures as well as capital investments. In April 2019, we issued €2.5 billion of notes with interest rates of 0.875% and 1.250% per year due on 2027 and 2030 respectively, and £500 million of notes with an interest rate of 2.500% per year due on 2031. Short Term Borrowing and Commercial Paper Program In July 2018, we entered into a short term uncommitted credit facility with the ability to borrow up to $700 million . During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we drew $600 million from the facility. As of March 31, 2019 , we had no commercial paper outstanding. Asset-Backed Debt As of March 31, 2019 , the carrying value of our asset-backed debt was $10.4 billion . Our asset-backed debt includes Asset-Backed Notes (ABS Notes) issued to third-party investors (Investors) and loans (ABS Financing Facilities) received from banks and their conduit facilities (collectively, the Banks). Our consolidated asset-backed debt bankruptcy remote legal entities (each, an ABS Entity or collectively, the ABS Entities) issue the debt or are otherwise party to the transaction documentation in connection with our asset-backed debt transactions. Under the terms of our asset-backed debt, Cellco Partnership (Cellco) and certain other affiliates of Verizon (collectively, the Originators) transfer device payment plan agreement receivables to one of the ABS Entities, which in turn transfers such receivables to another ABS Entity that issues the debt. Verizon entities retain the equity interests in the ABS Entities, which represent the rights to all funds not needed to make required payments on the asset-backed debt and other related payments and expenses. Our asset-backed debt is secured by the transferred device payment plan agreement receivables and future collections on such receivables. The device payment plan agreement receivables transferred to the ABS Entities and related assets, consisting primarily of restricted cash, will only be available for payment of asset-backed debt and expenses related thereto, payments to the Originators in respect of additional transfers of device payment plan agreement receivables, and other obligations arising from our asset-backed debt transactions, and will not be available to pay other obligations or claims of Verizon’s creditors until the associated asset-backed debt and other obligations are satisfied. The Investors or Banks, as applicable, which hold our asset-backed debt have legal recourse to the assets securing the debt, but do not have any recourse to Verizon with respect to the payment of principal and interest on the debt. Under a parent support agreement, Verizon has agreed to guarantee certain of the payment obligations of Cellco and the Originators to the ABS Entities. Cash collections on the device payment plan agreement receivables collateralizing our asset-backed debt are required at certain specified times to be placed into segregated accounts. Deposits to the segregated accounts are considered restricted cash and are included in Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. Proceeds from our asset-backed debt transactions are reflected in Cash flows from financing activities in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The asset-backed debt issued and the assets securing this debt are included in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. ABS Notes During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we completed the following ABS Notes transactions: (dollars in millions) Interest Rates % Expected Weighted-average Life to Maturity Principal Amount Issued A-1a Senior class notes 2.930 2.50 $ 900 A-1b Senior floating rate class notes LIBOR + 0.330 (1) 2.50 100 B Junior class notes 3.020 3.22 69 C Junior class notes 3.220 3.40 53 Total ABS notes $ 1,122 (1) The one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rate at March 31, 2019 was 2.495% . Under the terms of each series of ABS Notes, there is a two year revolving period during which we may transfer additional receivables to the ABS Entity. The two year revolving period of the ABS Notes we issued in July 2016 and November 2016 ended in July 2018 and November 2018 respectively, and we began to repay principal on the 2016-1 Class A senior ABS Notes and the 2016-2 Class A senior ABS Notes in August 2018 and December 2018, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we made aggregate repayments of $559 million . ABS Financing Facilities In May 2018, we entered into a device payment plan agreement financing facility with a number of financial institutions (2018 ABS Financing Facility). Under the terms of the 2018 ABS Financing Facility, the financial institutions made advances under asset-backed loans backed by device payment plan agreement receivables of business customers for proceeds of $540 million . The loan agreement entered into in connection with the 2018 ABS Financing Facility has a final maturity date in December 2021 and bears interest at a floating rate. There is a one year revolving period beginning from May 2018 during which we may transfer additional receivables to the ABS Entity. Subject to certain conditions, we may also remove receivables from the ABS Entity. Under the loan agreement, we have the right to prepay all or a portion of the advances at any time without penalty, but in certain cases, with breakage costs. If we choose to prepay, the amount prepaid shall be available for further drawdowns until May 2019, except in certain circumstances. As of March 31, 2019 , the 2018 ABS Financing Facility is fully drawn and the outstanding borrowing under the 2018 ABS Financing Facility was $540 million . We entered into an ABS Financing Facility in September 2016 with a number of financing institutions (2016 ABS Financing Facility). Under the terms of the 2016 ABS Financing Facility, the financial institutions made advances under asset-backed loans backed by device payment plan agreement receivables of consumer customers. Two loan agreements were entered into in connection with the 2016 ABS Financing Facility in September 2016 and May 2017. The loan agreements have a final maturity date in March 2021 and bear interest at floating rates. The two year revolving period of the two loan agreements ended in September 2018. Under the loan agreements, we have the right to prepay all or a portion of the advances at any time without penalty, but in certain cases, with breakage costs. Subject to certain conditions, we may also remove receivables from the ABS Entity. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we made an aggregate of $253 million in repayments. The aggregate outstanding borrowings under the two loans were $671 million as of March 31, 2019 . Variable Interest Entities (VIEs) The ABS Entities meet the definition of a VIE for which we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary as we have both the power to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact the entity’s performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the entity. Therefore, the assets, liabilities and activities of the ABS Entities are consolidated in our financial results and are included in amounts presented on the face of our condensed consolidated balance sheets. The assets and liabilities related to our asset-backed debt arrangements included in our condensed consolidated balance sheets were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Assets Account receivable, net $ 9,535 $ 8,861 Prepaid expenses and other 1,045 989 Other assets 3,263 2,725 Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 10 7 Short-term portion of long-term debt 5,494 5,352 Long-term debt 4,892 4,724 See Note 7 for additional information on device payment plan agreement receivables used to secure asset-backed debt. Credit Facilities As of March 31, 2019 , the unused borrowing capacity under our $9.5 billion credit facility was approximately $9.4 billion . The credit facility does not require us to comply with financial covenants or maintain specified credit ratings, and it permits us to borrow even if our business has incurred a material adverse change. We use the credit facility for the issuance of letters of credit and for general corporate purposes. In March 2016, we entered into a $1.0 billion credit facility insured by Eksportkreditnamnden Stockholm, Sweden, the Swedish export credit agency. As of March 31, 2019 , the outstanding balance was $706 million . We used this credit facility to finance network equipment-related purchases. In July 2017 , we entered into credit facilities insured by various export credit agencies providing us with the ability to borrow up to $4.0 billion to finance equipment-related purchases. The facilities have borrowings available, portions of which extend through October 2019 , contingent upon the amount of eligible equipment-related purchases that we make. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we drew $424 million from these facilities. As of March 31, 2019 , we had an outstanding balance of $3.1 billion . Non-Cash Transaction During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , we financed, primarily through vendor financing arrangements, the purchase of approximately $115 million and $345 million respectively, of long-lived assets consisting primarily of network equipment. At both March 31, 2019 and 2018, $1.0 billion and $1.3 billion , respectively, relating to these financing arrangements, including those entered into in prior years and liabilities assumed through acquisitions, remained outstanding. These purchases are non-cash financing activities and therefore are not reflected within Capital expenditures in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. Early Debt Redemptions During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , we recorded losses on early debt redemptions of an insignificant amount and $249 million , respectively, which were recorded in Other income (expense), net in our condensed consolidated statements of income. Guarantees We guarantee the debentures of our operating telephone company subsidiaries. As of March 31, 2019 , $796 million aggregate principal amount of these obligations remained outstanding. Each guarantee will remain in place for the life of the obligation unless terminated pursuant to its terms, including the operating telephone company no longer being a wholly-owned subsidiary of Verizon. We also guarantee the debt obligations of GTE LLC as successor in interest to GTE Corporation that were issued and outstanding prior to July 1, 2003. As of March 31, 2019 , $423 million

Wireless Device Payment Plans

Wireless Device Payment Plans	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Receivables [Abstract]
Wireless Device Payment Plans	Note 7. Wireless Device Payment Plans Under the Verizon device payment program, our eligible wireless customers purchase wireless devices under a device payment plan agreement. Customers that activate service on devices purchased under the device payment program pay lower service fees as compared to those under our fixed-term service plans, and their device payment plan charge is included on their wireless monthly bill. As of January 2017, we no longer offer consumers new fixed-term subsidized service plans for phones; however, we continue to offer subsidized plans to our business customers, and we also continue to service existing fixed-term subsidized plans for consumers who have not yet purchased and activated devices under the Verizon device payment program. Wireless Device Payment Plan Agreement Receivables The following table displays device payment plan agreement receivables, net, recognized in our condensed consolidated balance sheets: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Device payment plan agreement receivables, gross $ 18,865 $ 19,313 Unamortized imputed interest (493 ) (546 ) Device payment plan agreement receivables, net of unamortized imputed interest 18,372 18,767 Allowance for credit losses (526 ) (597 ) Device payment plan agreement receivables, net $ 17,846 $ 18,170 Classified in our condensed consolidated balance sheets: Accounts receivable, net $ 12,607 $ 12,624 Other assets 5,239 5,546 Device payment plan agreement receivables, net $ 17,846 $ 18,170 Included in our device payment plan agreement receivables, net at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , are net device payment plan agreement receivables of $12.7 billion and $11.5 billion , respectively, that have been transferred to ABS Entities and continue to be reported in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. See Note 6 for additional information. We believe the carrying value of our installment loans receivables approximate their fair value using a Level 3 expected cash flow model. We may offer certain promotions that allow a customer to trade in their owned device in connection with the purchase of a new device. Under these types of promotions, the customer receives a credit for the value of the trade-in device. In addition, we may provide the customer with additional future credits that will be applied against the customer’s monthly bill as long as service is maintained. We recognize a liability for the trade-in device measured at fair value, which is determined by considering several factors, including the weighted-average selling prices obtained in recent resales of similar devices eligible for trade-in. Future credits are recognized when earned by the customer. Device payment plan agreement receivables, net does not reflect the trade-in device liability. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 the amount of trade-in liability was insignificant and $64 million , respectively. From time to time, we offer certain marketing promotions that allow our customers to upgrade to a new device after paying down a certain specified portion of the required device payment plan agreement amount as well as trading in their device in good working order. When a customer enters into a device payment plan agreement with the right to upgrade to a new device, we account for this trade-in right as a guarantee obligation. For Wireless indirect channel contracts with customers, we impute risk adjusted interest on the device payment plan agreement receivables. We record the imputed interest as a reduction to the related accounts receivable. Interest income, which is included within Service revenues and other in our condensed consolidated statements of income, is recognized over the financed device payment term. See Note 2 for additional information on financing considerations with respect to Wireless direct channel contracts with customers. When originating device payment plan agreements, we use internal and external data sources to create a credit risk score to measure the credit quality of a customer and to determine eligibility for the device payment program. If a customer is either new to Verizon Wireless or has less than 210 days of customer tenure with Verizon Wireless (a new customer), the credit decision process relies more heavily on external data sources. If the customer has 210 days or more of customer tenure with Verizon Wireless (an existing customer), the credit decision process relies on internal data sources. Verizon Wireless’ experience has been that the payment attributes of longer tenured customers are highly predictive for estimating their reliability to make future payments. External data sources include obtaining a credit report from a national consumer credit reporting agency, if available. Verizon Wireless uses its internal data and/or credit data obtained from the credit reporting agencies to create a custom credit risk score. The custom credit risk score is generated automatically (except with respect to a small number of applications where the information needs manual intervention) from the applicant’s credit data using Verizon Wireless’ proprietary custom credit models, which are empirically derived, demonstrably and statistically sound. The credit risk score measures the likelihood that the potential customer will become severely delinquent and be disconnected for non-payment. For a small portion of new customer applications, a traditional credit report is not available from one of the national credit reporting agencies because the potential customer does not have sufficient credit history. In those instances, alternate credit data is used for the risk assessment. Based on the custom credit risk score, we assign each customer to a credit class, each of which has specified offers of credit including an account level spending limit and either a maximum amount of credit allowed per device or a required down payment percentage. During the fourth quarter of 2018 Verizon Wireless moved all customers, new and existing, from a required down payment percentage, between zero and 100% , to a maximum amount of credit per device. Subsequent to origination, Verizon Wireless monitors delinquency and write-off experience as key credit quality indicators for its portfolio of device payment plan agreements and fixed-term service plans. The extent of our collection efforts with respect to a particular customer are based on the results of proprietary custom empirically derived internal behavioral scoring models that analyze the customer’s past performance to predict the likelihood of the customer falling further delinquent. These customer scoring models assess a number of variables, including origination characteristics, customer account history and payment patterns. Based on the score derived from these models, accounts are grouped by risk category to determine the collection strategy to be applied to such accounts. We continuously monitor collection performance results and the credit quality of our device payment plan agreement receivables based on a variety of metrics, including aging. Verizon Wireless considers an account to be delinquent and in default status if there are unpaid charges remaining on the account on the day after the bill’s due date. The balance and aging of the device payment plan agreement receivables on a gross basis were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Unbilled $ 17,586 $ 18,043 Billed: Current 990 986 Past due 289 284 Device payment plan agreement receivables, gross $ 18,865 $ 19,313 Activity in the allowance for credit losses for the device payment plan agreement receivables was as follows: (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Balance at January 1, $ 597 $ 848 Bad debt expense 155 104 Write-offs (226 ) (149 ) Balance at March 31, $ 526 $ 803

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	Note 8. Fair Value Measurements Recurring Fair Value Measurements The following table presents the balances of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2019 : (dollars in millions) Level 1 (1) Level 2 (2) Level 3 (3) Total Assets: Other assets: Fixed income securities $ — $ 430 $ — $ 430 Interest rate swaps — 100 — 100 Cross currency swaps — 215 — 215 Interest rate caps — 6 — 6 Total $ — $ 751 $ — $ 751 Liabilities: Other liabilities: Interest rate swaps $ — $ 361 $ — $ 361 Cross currency swaps — 519 — 519 Forward starting interest rate swaps — 242 — 242 Interest rate caps — 2 — 2 Foreign exchange forwards — 10 — 10 Total $ — $ 1,134 $ — $ 1,134 The following table presents the balances of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2018 : (dollars in millions) Level 1 (1) Level 2 (2) Level 3 (3) Total Assets: Other assets: Fixed income securities $ — $ 405 $ — $ 405 Interest rate swaps — 3 — 3 Cross currency swaps — 220 — 220 Interest rate caps — 14 — 14 Total $ — $ 642 $ — $ 642 Liabilities: Other liabilities: Interest rate swaps $ — $ 813 $ — $ 813 Cross currency swaps — 536 — 536 Forward starting interest rate swaps — 60 — 60 Interest rate caps — 4 — 4 Total $ — $ 1,413 $ — $ 1,413 (1) Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (2) Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities (3) Unobservable pricing inputs in the market Equity securities measured at fair value on a recurring basis consist of investments in common stock of domestic and international corporations measured using quoted prices in active markets. Certain of our equity investments do not have readily determinable fair values and are excluded from the tables above. Such investments are measured at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for an identical or similar investment of the same issuer and are included in Investments in unconsolidated businesses in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the carrying amount of our investments without readily determinable fair values were $278 million and $248 million , respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , there was an insignificant adjustment due to observable price changes and we did not recognize an impairment charge. Cumulative adjustments due to observable price changes and impairment charges were $57 million and insignificant, respectively. Fixed income securities consist primarily of investments in municipal bonds. For fixed income securities that do not have quoted prices in active markets, we use alternative matrix pricing resulting in these debt securities being classified as Level 2. Derivative contracts are valued using models based on readily observable market parameters for all substantial terms of our derivative contracts and thus are classified within Level 2. We use mid-market pricing for fair value measurements of our derivative instruments. Our derivative instruments are recorded on a gross basis. We recognize transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy as of the end of the reporting period. There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 . Fair Value of Short-term and Long-term Debt The fair value of our debt is determined using various methods, including quoted prices for identical terms and maturities, which is a Level 1 measurement, as well as quoted prices for similar terms and maturities in inactive markets and future cash flows discounted at current rates, which are Level 2 measurements. The fair value of our short-term and long-term debt, excluding finance leases, was as follows: At March 31, At December 31, 2019 2018 (dollars in millions) Carrying Amount Fair Value Carrying Amount Fair Value Short- and long-term debt, excluding finance leases $ 112,725 $ 125,307 $ 112,159 $ 118,535 Derivative Instruments The following table sets forth the notional amounts of our outstanding derivative instruments: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Interest rate swaps $ 19,076 $ 19,813 Cross currency swaps 16,638 16,638 Forward starting interest rate swaps 3,000 4,000 Interest rate caps 1,624 2,218 Foreign exchange forwards 1,000 600 Interest Rate Swaps We enter into interest rate swaps to achieve a targeted mix of fixed and variable rate debt. We principally receive fixed rates and pay variable rates based on LIBOR, resulting in a net increase or decrease to Interest expense. These swaps are designated as fair value hedges and hedge against interest rate risk exposure of designated debt issuances. We record the interest rate swaps at fair value in our condensed consolidated balance sheets as assets and liabilities. Changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps are recorded to Interest expense, which are offset by changes in the fair value of the hedged debt due to changes in interest rates. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we entered into interest rate swaps with a total notional value of $510 million and settled interest rate swaps with a total notional value of $1.2 billion . The ineffective portions of these interest rate swaps were insignificant for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 . The following amounts were recorded in Long-term debt in our condensed consolidated balance sheets related to cumulative basis adjustments for fair value hedges: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Carrying amount of hedged liabilities $ 18,752 $ 18,903 Cumulative amount of fair value hedging adjustment included in the carrying amount of the hedged liabilities (205 ) (785 ) Cross Currency Swaps We have entered into cross currency swaps designated as cash flow hedges to exchange our British Pound Sterling, Euro, Swiss Franc and Australian Dollar-denominated cash flows into U.S. dollars and to fix our cash payments in U.S. dollars, as well as to mitigate the impact of foreign currency transaction gains or losses. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , an insignificant pre-tax gain was recognized in Other comprehensive income (loss) . During the three months ended March 31, 2018 , a pre-tax gain of $1.1 billion was recognized in Other comprehensive income (loss) . A portion of the gains recognized in Other comprehensive income (loss) was reclassified to Other income (expense), net to offset the related pre-tax foreign currency transaction gain or loss on the underlying hedged item. Forward Starting Interest Rate Swaps We have entered into forward starting interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges in order to manage our exposure to interest rate changes on future forecasted transactions. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we did no t enter into any new forward starting interest rate swaps and settled forward starting interest rate swaps with a total notional value of $1.0 billion . During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , a pre-tax loss of $203 million was recognized in Other comprehensive income (loss) . We hedge our exposure to the variability in future cash flows based on the expected maturities of the related forecasted debt issuance. Net Investment Hedges We have designated certain foreign currency instruments as net investment hedges to mitigate foreign exchange exposure related to non-U.S. dollar net investments in certain foreign subsidiaries against changes in foreign exchange rates. The notional amount of the Euro-denominated debt as a net investment hedge was $761 million and $806 million at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. Undesignated Derivatives We also have the following derivative contracts which we use as economic hedges but for which we have elected not to apply hedge accounting. Interest Rate Caps We enter into interest rate caps to mitigate our interest exposure to interest rate increases on our ABS Financing Facilities and ABS Notes. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , we recognized an insignificant amount in Interest expense. Foreign Exchange Forwards We enter into British Pound Sterling and Euro foreign exchange forwards to mitigate our foreign exchange rate risk related to non-functional currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities of international subsidiaries. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we entered into foreign exchange forwards with a total notional value of $3.0 billion and settled foreign exchange forwards with a total notional value of $2.6 billion . During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we recognized an insignificant amount in Other income (expense), net . Concentrations of Credit Risk Financial instruments that subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of temporary cash investments, short-term and long-term investments, trade receivables, including device payment plan agreement receivables, certain notes receivable, including lease receivables, and derivative contracts. Counterparties to our derivative contracts are major financial institutions with whom we have negotiated derivatives agreements (ISDA master agreements) and credit support annex (CSA) agreements which provide rules for collateral exchange. Negotiations and executions of new ISDA master agreements and CSA agreements with our counterparties continued throughout 2018 and 2019. The newly executed CSA agreements contain rating based thresholds such that we or our counterparties may be required to hold or post collateral based upon changes in outstanding positions as compared to established thresholds and changes in credit ratings. At March 31, 2019 we posted an insignificant amount of collateral and approximately $83 million of collateral at December 31, 2018 related to derivative contracts under collateral exchange arrangements, which were recorded as Prepaid expenses and other in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. While we may be exposed to credit losses due to the nonperformance of our counterparties, we consider the risk remote and do not expect that any such nonperformance would result in a significant effect on our results of operations or financial condition due to our diversified pool of counterparties.

Employee Benefits

Employee Benefits	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Employee Benefits	Note 9. Employee Benefits We maintain non-contributory defined benefit pension plans for certain employees. In addition, we maintain postretirement health care and life insurance plans for certain retirees and their dependents, which are both contributory and non-contributory, and include a limit on our share of the cost for certain current and future retirees. In accordance with our accounting policy for pension and other postretirement benefits, operating expenses include service costs associated with pension and other postretirement benefits while other credits and/or charges based on actuarial assumptions, including projected discount rates, an estimated return on plan assets, and impact from health care trend rates are reported in Other income (expense), net. These estimates are updated in the fourth quarter to reflect actual return on plan assets and updated actuarial assumptions or upon a remeasurement event. The adjustment is recognized in the income statement during the fourth quarter or upon a remeasurement event pursuant to our accounting policy for the recognition of actuarial gains and losses. Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Income) The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost (income) related to our pension and postretirement health care and life insurance plans: (dollars in millions) Pension Health Care and Life Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Service cost - Cost of services $ 50 $ 58 $ 20 $ 26 Service cost - Selling, general and administrative expense 11 14 4 6 Service cost $ 61 $ 72 $ 24 $ 32 Amortization of prior service cost (credit) $ 15 $ 10 $ (243 ) $ (244 ) Expected return on plan assets (282 ) (329 ) (9 ) (11 ) Interest cost 178 166 157 153 Remeasurement gain, net (96 ) — — — Other components $ (185 ) $ (153 ) $ (95 ) $ (102 ) Total $ (124 ) $ (81 ) $ (71 ) $ (70 ) The service cost component of net periodic benefit cost (income) is recorded in Cost of services and Selling, general and administrative expense in the condensed consolidated statements of income while the other components, including mark-to-market adjustments, if any, are recorded in Other income (expense), net . 2018 Voluntary Separation Program In September 2018, we announced a Voluntary Separation Program for select U.S.-based management employees. Approximately 10,400 eligible employees have separated or will separate from the Company under this program by the end of June 2019. The severance benefits payments to these employees are expected to be significantly completed by the end of September 2019. Severance Payments During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we paid severance benefits of $807 million . At March 31, 2019 , we had a remaining severance liability of $1.3 billion , a portion of which includes future contractual payments to employees separated as a result of the Voluntary Separation Program. Employer Contributions During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we made a discretionary contribution of $300 million to our qualified pension plans. As a result of the $300 million and $1.0 billion discretionary pension contributions during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively, we do not expect mandatory pension funding through December 31, 2019. There was no contribution made to our nonqualified pension plans during the three months ended March 31, 2019 . There have been no significant changes with respect to the nonqualified pension and other postretirement benefit plans contributions in 2019 . Remeasurement gain, net During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we recorded a net pre-tax remeasurement gain of $96 million in our pension plans triggered by the Voluntary Separation Program for select U.S.-based management employees and other headcount reduction initiatives, primarily driven by a $150 million credit due to the difference between our estimated return on assets and our actual return on assets, offset by a $54 million charge due to a change in our discount rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our pension plans.

Equity and Accumulated Other Co

Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Note 10. Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Equity Changes in the components of Total equity were as follows: (dollars in millions, except per share amounts, and shares in thousands) Three months ended March 31, 2019 2018 Shares Amount Shares Amount Common Stock Balance at beginning of period 4,291,434 $ 429 4,242,374 $ 424 Common shares issued — — 49,048 5 Balance at end of period 4,291,434 429 4,291,422 429 Additional Paid In Capital Balance at beginning of period 13,437 11,101 Other (19 ) 2,336 Balance at end of period 13,418 13,437 Retained Earnings Balance at beginning of period 43,542 35,635 Opening balance sheet adjustment 410 (1) 2,232 (2) Adjusted opening balance 43,952 37,867 Net income attributable to Verizon 5,032 4,545 Dividends declared ($0.6025, $0.5900 per share) (2,491 ) (2,438 ) Balance at end of period 46,493 39,974 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Balance at beginning of period attributable to Verizon 2,370 2,659 Opening balance sheet adjustment — 630 (2) Adjusted opening balance 2,370 3,289 Foreign currency translation adjustments 24 93 Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges (13 ) 501 Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities 4 (5 ) Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans (169 ) (173 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) (154 ) 416 Balance at end of period attributable to Verizon 2,216 3,705 Treasury Stock Balance at beginning of period (159,400 ) (6,986 ) (162,898 ) (7,139 ) Employee plans 3,668 161 3,368 147 Shareholder plans 5 — 4 — Balance at end of period (155,727 ) (6,825 ) (159,526 ) (6,992 ) Deferred Compensation-ESOPs and Other Balance at beginning of period 353 416 Restricted stock equity grant 35 33 Amortization (263 ) (221 ) Balance at end of period 125 228 Noncontrolling Interests Balance at beginning of period 1,565 1,591 Opening balance sheet adjustment 1 (1) 44 (2) Adjusted opening balance 1,566 1,635 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 128 121 Total comprehensive income 128 121 Distributions and other (90 ) (192 ) Balance at end of period 1,604 1,564 Total Equity $ 57,460 $ 52,345 (1) The opening balance sheet adjustment for the three months ended March 31, 2019 is due to the adoption of Topic 842 on January 1, 2019. See Note 1 for additional information. (2) Opening balance sheet adjustments for the three months ended March 31, 2018 are due to the adoption of multiple ASUs on January 1, 2018. Refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 for additional information. Common Stock Verizon did not repurchase any shares of Verizon common stock through its previously authorized share buyback program during the three months ended March 31, 2019 . At March 31, 2019 , the maximum number of shares that could be purchased by or on behalf of Verizon under our share buyback program was 100 million . Common stock has been used from time to time to satisfy some of the funding requirements of employee and shareowner plans, including 3.7 million common shares issued from Treasury stock during the three months ended March 31, 2019 . In connection with our acquisition of Straight Path Communications, Inc. in February 2018, we issued approximately 49 million shares of Verizon common stock, valued at approximately $2.4 billion . Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income The changes in the balances of Accumulated other comprehensive income by component are as follows: (dollars in millions) Foreign currency translation adjustments Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans Total Balance at January 1, 2019 $ (600 ) $ (80 ) $ 20 $ 3,030 $ 2,370 Other comprehensive income (loss) 24 (141 ) 4 — (113 ) Amounts reclassified to net income — 128 — (169 ) (41 ) Net other comprehensive income (loss) 24 (13 ) 4 (169 ) (154 ) Balance at March 31, 2019 $ (576 ) $ (93 ) $ 24 $ 2,861 $ 2,216 The amounts presented above in net other comprehensive income (loss) are net of taxes. The amounts reclassified to net income related to unrealized gain on cash flow hedges in the table above are included in Other income (expense), net and Interest expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income. See Note 8 for additional information. The amounts reclassified to net income related to defined benefit pension and postretirement plans in the table above are included in Cost of services and Selling, general and administrative expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income. See Note 9

Segment Information

Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Information	Note 11. Segment Information Reportable Segments We have two reportable segments, Wireless and Wireline, which we operate and manage as strategic business units and organize by products and services, and customer groups, respectively. We measure and evaluate our reportable segments based on segment operating income, consistent with the chief operating decision maker’s assessment of segment performance. Our segments and their principal activities consist of the following: Segment Description Wireless Wireless’ communications products and services include wireless voice and data services and equipment sales, which are provided to consumer, business and government customers across the U.S. Wireline Wireline’s communications products and enhanced services include video and data services, corporate networking solutions, security and managed network services and local and long distance voice services. We provide these products and services to consumers in the U.S., as well as to carriers, businesses and government customers both in the U.S. and around the world. The Wireline segment is organized in four customer groups: Consumer Markets, which includes consumer retail customers; Enterprise Solutions, which includes large business customers, including multinational corporations, and federal government customers; Partner Solutions, which includes other carriers that use our facilities to provide services to their customers; and Business Markets, which includes U.S.-based small and medium business customers, state and local governments, and educational institutions. Corporate and other includes the results of our Media business, Verizon Media, which operated in 2018 under the "Oath" brand, our telematics business, branded Verizon Connect, and other businesses, investments in unconsolidated businesses, unallocated corporate expenses, certain pension and other employee benefit related costs and interest and financing expenses. Corporate and other also includes other adjustments and gains and losses that are not allocated in assessing segment performance due to their nature. Although such transactions are excluded from the business segment results, they are included in reported consolidated earnings. Gains and losses from these transactions that are not individually significant are included in segment results as these items are included in the chief operating decision maker’s assessment of segment performance. In November 2018, we announced a strategic reorganization of our business. We modified our internal and external reporting processes, systems and internal controls to accommodate the new structure and transitioned to the new segment reporting structure as of April 1, 2019. The chief operating decision maker received information and assessed performance during the three months ended March 31, 2019 based on our historic operating segments. The reconciliation of segment operating revenues and expenses to consolidated operating revenues and expenses below includes the effects of special items that management does not consider in assessing segment performance, primarily because of their nature. The following table provides operating financial information for our two reportable segments: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 External Operating Revenues Wireless Service $ 16,057 $ 15,371 Equipment 4,931 5,040 Other 1,633 1,396 Total Wireless 22,621 21,807 Wireline Consumer Markets 3,103 3,149 Enterprise Solutions 2,140 2,240 Partner Solutions 833 979 Business Markets 828 871 Other 66 67 Total Wireline 6,970 7,306 Total reportable segments $ 29,591 $ 29,113 Intersegment Revenues Wireless $ 79 $ 93 Wireline 294 251 Total reportable segments $ 373 $ 344 Total Operating Revenues Wireless $ 22,700 $ 21,900 Wireline 7,264 7,557 Total reportable segments $ 29,964 $ 29,457 Operating Income (Loss) Wireless $ 8,466 $ 8,049 Wireline (88 ) 69 Total reportable segments $ 8,378 $ 8,118 The following table provides asset information for our reportable segments: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Assets Wireless $ 237,889 $ 213,290 Wireline 98,057 94,799 Total reportable segments 335,946 308,089 Corporate and other 246,512 244,695 Eliminations (298,511 ) (287,955 ) Total consolidated - reported $ 283,947 $ 264,829 A reconciliation of the reportable segment operating revenues to consolidated operating revenues is as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Total reportable segment operating revenues $ 29,964 $ 29,457 Corporate and other 2,591 2,711 Eliminations (427 ) (396 ) Total consolidated operating revenues $ 32,128 $ 31,772 Fios revenues are included within our Wireline segment and amounted to approximately $3.1 billion and $3.0 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. A reconciliation of the total of the reportable segments’ operating income to consolidated income before provision for income taxes is as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Total reportable segment operating income $ 8,378 $ 8,118 Corporate and other (466 ) (454 ) Other components of net periodic benefit charges (Note 9) (203 ) (208 ) Acquisition and integration related charges — (107 ) Total consolidated operating income 7,709 7,349 Equity in losses of unconsolidated businesses (6 ) (19 ) Other income (expense), net 295 (75 ) Interest expense (1,210 ) (1,201 ) Income Before Provision For Income Taxes $ 6,788 $ 6,054 No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our total operating revenues during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Note 12. Commitments and Contingencies In the ordinary course of business, Verizon is involved in various commercial litigation and regulatory proceedings at the state and federal level. Where it is determined, in consultation with counsel based on litigation and settlement risks, that a loss is probable and estimable in a given matter, the Company establishes an accrual. In none of the currently pending matters is the amount of accrual material. An estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of loss in excess of the amounts already accrued cannot be made at this time due to various factors typical in contested proceedings, including: (1) uncertain damage theories and demands; (2) a less than complete factual record; (3) uncertainty concerning legal theories and their resolution by courts or regulators; and (4) the unpredictable nature of the opposing party and its demands. We continuously monitor these proceedings as they develop and adjust any accrual or disclosure as needed. We do not expect that the ultimate resolution of any pending regulatory or legal matter in future periods, including the Hicksville matter described below, will have a material effect on our financial condition, but it could have a material effect on our results of operations for a given reporting period. Reserves have been established to cover environmental matters relating to discontinued businesses and past telecommunications activities. These reserves include funds to address contamination at the site of a former Sylvania facility in Hicksville, NY, which had processed nuclear fuel rods in the 1950s and 1960s. In September 2005, the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) accepted the site into its Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. As a result, the ACE has taken primary responsibility for addressing the contamination at the site. An adjustment to the reserves may be made after a cost allocation is conducted with respect to the past and future expenses of all of the parties. Adjustments to the environmental reserve may also be made based upon the actual conditions found at other sites requiring remediation. Verizon is currently involved in approximately 30 federal district court actions alleging that Verizon is infringing various patents. Most of these cases are brought by non-practicing entities and effectively seek only monetary damages; a small number are brought by companies that have sold products and could seek injunctive relief as well. These cases have progressed to various stages and a small number may go to trial in the coming 12 months if they are not otherwise resolved. In connection with the execution of agreements for the sales of businesses and investments, Verizon ordinarily provides representations and warranties to the purchasers pertaining to a variety of nonfinancial matters, such as ownership of the securities being sold, as well as indemnity from certain financial losses. From time to time, counterparties may make claims under these provisions, and Verizon will seek to defend against those claims and resolve them in the ordinary course of business. Subsequent to the sale of Verizon Information Services Canada in 2004, we continue to provide a guarantee to publish directories, which was issued when the directory business was purchased in 2001 and had a 30 -year term (before extensions). The preexisting guarantee continues,

Basis of Presentation (Policies

Basis of Presentation (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash	Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash Cash collections on the device payment plan agreement receivables collateralizing our asset-backed debt are required at certain specified times to be placed into segregated accounts. Deposits to the segregated accounts are considered restricted cash and are included in Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets in our condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Goodwill	Goodwill Goodwill is the excess of the acquisition cost of businesses over the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. Impairment testing for goodwill is performed annually in the fourth quarter or more frequently if impairment indicators are present. In November 2018, we announced a strategic reorganization of our business which resulted in certain changes to our operating segments and reporting units. We transitioned to the new segment reporting structure effective April 1, 2019 , in connection with which we are reassigning goodwill to each of our new reporting units. We performed an impairment assessment of the impacted reporting units, specifically our Wireless, Wireline and Connect reporting units at March 31, 2019 , immediately before our strategic reorganization became effective. Our impairment assessments indicated that the fair value for each of our Wireless, Wireline and Connect reporting units exceeded their respective carrying value and therefore, did not result in a goodwill impairment. Our Media reporting unit was not impacted by the strategic reorganization and there were no indicators of impairment during the quarter ended March 31, 2019 .
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards and Recently Issued Accounting Standards	Recently Adopted Accounting Standard The following Accounting Standard Updates (ASUs) were issued by Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and have been recently adopted by Verizon. Description Date of Adoption Effect on Financial Statements ASU 2016-02, ASU 2018-01, ASU 2018-10, ASU 2018-11, ASU 2018-20 and ASU 2019-01, Leases (Topic 842) The FASB issued Topic 842 requiring entities to recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for all leases, with certain exceptions. In addition, Topic 842 will enable users of financial statements to further understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. Topic 842 allows for a modified retrospective application and is effective as of the first quarter of 2019. Entities are allowed to apply the modified retrospective approach: (1) retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented in the financial statements with the cumulative-effect adjustment recognized at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented; or (2) retrospectively at the beginning of the period of adoption (January 1, 2019) through a cumulative-effect adjustment. The modified retrospective approach includes a number of optional practical expedients that entities may elect to apply. 1/1/2019 We adopted Topic 842 beginning on January 1, 2019, using the modified retrospective approach with a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening retained earnings recorded at the beginning of the period of adoption. Therefore, upon adoption, we have recognized and measured leases without revising comparative period information or disclosure. We recorded an increase of $410 million (net of tax) to retained earnings on January 1, 2019 which related to deferred sale leaseback gains recognized from prior transactions. Additionally, the adoption of the standard had a significant impact in our condensed consolidated balance sheet due to the recognition of $22.1 billion of operating lease liabilities, along with $23.2 billion of operating lease right-of-use-assets. The cumulative after-tax effect of the changes made to our condensed consolidated balance sheet for the adoption of Topic 842 were as follows: (dollars in millions) At December 31, 2018 Adjustments due to Topic 842 At January 1, 2019 Prepaid expenses and other $ 5,453 $ (329 ) $ 5,124 Operating lease right-of-use assets — 23,241 23,241 Other assets 11,717 (2,048 ) 9,669 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 22,501 (3 ) 22,498 Other current liabilities 8,239 (2 ) 8,237 Current operating lease liabilities — 2,931 2,931 Deferred income taxes 33,795 139 33,934 Non-current operating lease liabilities — 19,203 19,203 Other liabilities 13,922 (1,815 ) 12,107 Retained earnings 43,542 410 43,952 Noncontrolling interests 1,565 1 1,566 In addition to the increase to the operating lease liabilities and right-of-use assets and the derecognition of deferred sale leaseback gains through opening retained earnings, Topic 842 also resulted in reclassifying the presentation of prepaid and deferred rent to operating lease right-of-use assets. The operating lease right-of-use assets amount also includes the balance of any prepaid lease payments, unamortized initial direct costs, and lease incentives. We elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard. Accordingly, we have adopted these practical expedients and did not reassess: (1) whether an expired or existing contract is a lease or contains an embedded lease; (2) lease classification of an expired or existing lease; (3) capitalization of initial direct costs for an expired or existing lease. In addition, we have elected the land easement transition practical expedient, and did not reassess whether an existing or expired land easement is a lease or contains a lease if it has not historically been accounted for as a lease. We lease network equipment including towers, distributed antenna systems, small cells, real estate, connectivity mediums which include dark fiber, equipment leases, and other various types of assets for use in our operations under both operating and finance leases. We assess whether an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at inception. For arrangements considered leases or that contain a lease that is accounted for separately, we determine the classification and initial measurement of the right-of-use asset and lease liability at the lease commencement date, which is the date that the underlying asset becomes available for use. For both operating and finance leases, we recognize a right-of-use asset, which represents our right to use the underlying asset for the lease term, and a lease liability, which represents the present value of our obligation to make payments arising over the lease term. The present value of the lease payments is calculated using the incremental borrowing rate for operating and finance leases. The incremental borrowing rate is determined using a portfolio approach based on the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over a similar term. Management uses the unsecured borrowing rate and risk-adjusts that rate to approximate a collateralized rate, which will be updated on a quarterly basis for measurement of new lease liabilities. In those circumstances where the Company is the lessee, we have elected to account for non-lease components associated with our leases (e.g., common area maintenance costs) and lease components as a single lease component for substantially all of our asset classes. Additionally, in arrangements where we are the lessor, we have customer premise equipment for which we apply the lease and non-lease component practical expedient and account for non-lease components (e.g., service revenue) and lease components as combined components under the revenue recognition guidance in ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" (Topic 606) as the service revenues are the predominant components in the arrangements. Rent expense for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease and is included in either Cost of services or Selling, general and administrative expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income, based on the use of the facility on which rent is being paid. Variable rent payments related to both operating and finance leases are expensed in the period incurred. Our variable lease payments consist of payments dependent on various external indicators, including real estate taxes, common area maintenance charges and utility usage. Operating leases with a term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet; we recognize a rent expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We recognize the amortization of the right-of-use asset for our finance leases on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the term of the lease or the useful life of the right-of-use asset in Depreciation and amortization expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income. The interest expense related to finance leases is recognized using the effective interest method based on the discount rate determined at lease commencement and is included within Interest expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income. See Note 5 for additional information related to leases, including disclosure required under Topic 842. Recently Issued Accounting Standards The following ASUs have been recently issued by the FASB. Description Date of Adoption Effect on Financial Statements ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326) In June 2016, the FASB issued this standard update which requires certain financial assets be measured at amortized cost net of an allowance for estimated credit losses such that the net receivable represents the present value of expected cash collection. In addition, this standard update requires that certain financial assets be measured at amortized cost reflecting an allowance for estimated credit losses expected to occur over the life of the assets. The estimate of credit losses must be based on all relevant information including historical information, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the amounts. An entity will apply the update through a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective (January 1, 2020). A prospective transition approach is required for debt securities for which an other-than-temporary impairment has been recognized before the effective date. Early adoption of this standard is permitted. 1/1/2020 We are currently evaluating the impacts that this standard update will have on our various financial assets, which we expect to include, but is not limited to, our device payment plan agreement receivables, service receivables and contract assets. We have established a cross-functional coordinated team to address the potential impacts to our systems, processes and internal controls in order to meet the standard update's accounting and reporting requirements.

Basis of Presentation (Tables)

Basis of Presentation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Schedule of Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash are included in the following line items on the condensed consolidated balance sheets: At March 31, At December 31, Increase / (Decrease) (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,322 $ 2,745 $ (423 ) Restricted cash: Prepaid expenses and other 1,091 1,047 44 Other assets 124 124 — Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 3,537 $ 3,916 $ (379 )
Schedule of Restricted Cash	Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash are included in the following line items on the condensed consolidated balance sheets: At March 31, At December 31, Increase / (Decrease) (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,322 $ 2,745 $ (423 ) Restricted cash: Prepaid expenses and other 1,091 1,047 44 Other assets 124 124 — Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 3,537 $ 3,916 $ (379 )
Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements	The cumulative after-tax effect of the changes made to our condensed consolidated balance sheet for the adoption of Topic 842 were as follows: (dollars in millions) At December 31, 2018 Adjustments due to Topic 842 At January 1, 2019 Prepaid expenses and other $ 5,453 $ (329 ) $ 5,124 Operating lease right-of-use assets — 23,241 23,241 Other assets 11,717 (2,048 ) 9,669 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 22,501 (3 ) 22,498 Other current liabilities 8,239 (2 ) 8,237 Current operating lease liabilities — 2,931 2,931 Deferred income taxes 33,795 139 33,934 Non-current operating lease liabilities — 19,203 19,203 Other liabilities 13,922 (1,815 ) 12,107 Retained earnings 43,542 410 43,952 Noncontrolling interests 1,565 1 1,566

Revenues and Contract Costs (Ta

Revenues and Contract Costs (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Schedule of Receivables from Contracts with Customers	The following table presents information about receivables from contracts with customers: At January 1, At March 31, At January 1, At March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2019 2018 2018 Receivables (1) $ 12,104 $ 11,601 $ 12,073 $ 11,028 Device payment plan agreement receivables (2) 8,940 9,687 1,461 3,630 (1) Balances do not include receivables related to the following contracts: leasing arrangements (such as towers), captive reinsurance arrangements primarily related to wireless device insurance and the interest on equipment financed on a device payment plan agreement when sold to the customer by an authorized agent. (2) Included in device payment plan agreement receivables presented in Note 7
Contract with Customer, Asset and Liability	The following table presents information about contract balances: At January 1, At March 31, At January 1, At March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2019 2018 2018 Contract asset $ 1,003 $ 1,021 $ 1,170 $ 1,106 Contract liability (1) 4,943 4,973 4,452 4,571 (1) Revenue recognized related to contract liabilities existing at January 1, 2019 and January 1, 2018 were $3.7 billion and $3.5 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2018 , respectively. The balance of contract assets and contract liabilities recorded in our condensed consolidated balance sheet were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Assets Prepaid expenses and other $ 770 $ 757 Other assets 251 246 Total $ 1,021 $ 1,003 Liabilities Other current liabilities $ 4,255 $ 4,207 Other liabilities 718 736 Total $ 4,973 $ 4,943
Capitalized Contract Cost	Collectively, costs to obtain a contract and costs to fulfill a contract are referred to as Deferred contract costs, which were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) Amortization Period 2019 2018 Wireless 2 to 3 years $ 3,084 $ 2,989 Wireline 2 to 5 years 868 850 Corporate 2 to 3 years 69 56 Total $ 4,021 $ 3,895 Deferred contract costs are classified as current or non-current within Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets, respectively. The balances of Deferred contract costs included in our condensed consolidated balance sheet were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Assets Prepaid expenses and other $ 2,230 $ 2,083 Other assets 1,791 1,812 Total $ 4,021 $ 3,895

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill a_2

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Carrying Amount of Wireless Licenses	The carrying amount of Wireless licenses are as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Wireless licenses $ 94,237 $ 94,130
Changes in Carrying Amount of Goodwill	Changes in the carrying amount of Goodwill are as follows: (dollars in millions) Wireless Wireline Other Total Balance at January 1, 2019 (1) $ 18,397 $ 3,871 $ 2,346 $ 24,614 Acquisitions (Note 3) — 20 — 20 Reclassifications, adjustments and other — 1 — 1 Balance at March 31, 2019 (1) $ 18,397 $ 3,892 $ 2,346 $ 24,635 (1) Goodwill is net of accumulated impairment charge of $4.6 billion
Composition of Other Intangible Assets, Net	The following table displays the composition of Other intangible assets, net: At March 31, 2019 At December 31, 2018 (dollars in millions) Gross Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount Gross Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount Customer lists (8 to 13 years) $ 3,953 $ (1,213 ) $ 2,740 $ 3,951 $ (1,121 ) $ 2,830 Non-network internal-use software (3 to 7 years) 18,958 (13,192 ) 5,766 18,603 (12,785 ) 5,818 Other (2 to 25 years) 1,999 (897 ) 1,102 1,988 (861 ) 1,127 Total $ 24,910 $ (15,302 ) $ 9,608 $ 24,542 $ (14,767 ) $ 9,775
Amortization Expense for Other Intangible Assets	The amortization expense for Other intangible assets was as follows: Three Months Ended (dollars in millions) March 31, 2019 $ 555 2018 534
Estimated Future Amortization Expense for Other Intangible Assets	The estimated future amortization expense for Other intangible assets for the remainder of the current year and next 5 years is as follows: Years (dollars in millions) Remainder of 2019 $ 1,603 2020 1,837 2021 1,544 2022 1,276 2023 1,004 2024 749

Leasing Arrangements (Tables)

Leasing Arrangements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Components of Net Lease Cost, and Supplemental Disclosure for Statement of Cash Flows related to Operating and Finance Leases	The components of net lease cost were as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) Classification 2019 Operating lease cost (1) Cost of services Selling, general and administrative expense $ 1,170 Finance lease cost: Amortization of right-of-use assets Depreciation and amortization expense 86 Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 9 Short-term lease cost (1) Cost of services Selling, general and administrative expense 16 Variable lease cost (1) Cost of services 57 Sublease income Service revenues and other (67 ) Total net lease cost $ 1,271 (1) All operating lease costs, including short-term and variable lease costs, are split between Cost of services and Selling, general and administrative expense in the condensed consolidated statements of income based on the use of the facility that the rent is being paid on. See Note 1 for additional information. Variable lease costs represent payments that are dependent on a rate or index, or on usage of the asset. Supplemental disclosure for the statement of cash flows related to operating and finance leases were as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 Cash Flows from Operating Activities Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities Operating cash flows for operating leases $ (1,058 ) Operating cash flows for finance leases (9 ) Cash Flows from Financing Activities Financing cash flows for finance leases (86 ) Supplemental lease cash flow disclosures Operating lease right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities 668 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities 115
Supplemental Disclosure for Balance Sheet related to Finance Leases	upplemental disclosure for the balance sheet related to finance leases were as follows: At March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 Assets Property, plant and equipment, net $ 742 Liabilities Debt maturing within one year $ 323 Long-term debt 611 Total Finance lease liabilities $ 934
Schedule of Weighted-Average Remaining Lease Term and Weighted-Average Discount Rate related to Leases	The weighted-average remaining lease term and the weighted-average discount rate of our leases were as follows: At March 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term (years) Operating Leases 9 Finance Leases 4 Weighted-average discount rate Operating Leases 4.2 % Finance Leases 3.6 %
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Maturity	The Company's maturity analysis of operating and finance lease liabilities as of March 31, 2019 were as follows: (dollars in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Remainder of 2019 $ 3,051 $ 279 2020 3,805 270 2021 3,462 173 2022 3,045 122 2023 2,689 75 Thereafter 10,792 105 Total lease payments 26,844 1,024 Less interest (4,876 ) (90 ) Present value of lease liabilities 21,968 934 Less current obligation (2,997 ) (323 ) Long-term obligation at March 31, 2019 $ 18,971 $ 611
Finance Lease, Liability, Maturity	The Company's maturity analysis of operating and finance lease liabilities as of March 31, 2019 were as follows: (dollars in millions) Operating Leases Finance Leases Remainder of 2019 $ 3,051 $ 279 2020 3,805 270 2021 3,462 173 2022 3,045 122 2023 2,689 75 Thereafter 10,792 105 Total lease payments 26,844 1,024 Less interest (4,876 ) (90 ) Present value of lease liabilities 21,968 934 Less current obligation (2,997 ) (323 ) Long-term obligation at March 31, 2019 $ 18,971 $ 611

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Debt Transactions	During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we completed the following ABS Notes transactions: (dollars in millions) Interest Rates % Expected Weighted-average Life to Maturity Principal Amount Issued A-1a Senior class notes 2.930 2.50 $ 900 A-1b Senior floating rate class notes LIBOR + 0.330 (1) 2.50 100 B Junior class notes 3.020 3.22 69 C Junior class notes 3.220 3.40 53 Total ABS notes $ 1,122 (1) The one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rate at March 31, 2019 was 2.495% The following table shows the transactions that occurred in the first quarter of 2019. (dollars in millions) Principal Amount Exchanged Principal Amount Issued Verizon 1.750% - 5.150% notes and floating rate notes, due 2021 - 2025 $ 3,892 $ — GTE LLC 8.750% debentures, due 2021 21 — Verizon 4.016% notes due 2029 (1) — 4,000 Total $ 3,913 $ 4,000 (1) Total exchange amount issued in consideration does not include an insignificant amount of cash used to settle. Debt Redemptions, Repurchases and Repayments The following table shows the transactions that occurred in the first quarter of 2019. (dollars in millions) Principal Redeemed / Repaid Amount Paid as % of Principal (1) Verizon 5.900% notes due 2054 $ 500 100.000 % Verizon 1.375% notes due 2019 206 100.000 % Verizon 1.750% notes due 2021 621 100.000 % Verizon 3.000% notes due 2021 930 101.061 % Verizon 3.500% notes due 2021 315 102.180 % Open market repurchases of various Verizon notes 163 Various Total $ 2,735 (1) Percentages represent price paid to redeem, repurchase and repay. In April 2019, we notified investors of our intention to redeem in May 2019 in whole $831 million aggregate principal amount of 2.625% Notes due 2020 and $736 million aggregate principal amount of 3.500% Notes due 2021. Debt Issuances The following table shows the transactions that occurred in the first quarter of 2019. (dollars in millions) Principal Amount Issued Net Proceeds (1) Verizon 3.875% notes due 2029 (2) $ 1,000 $ 994 Verizon 5.000% notes due 2051 510 506 Total $ 1,510 $ 1,500 (1) Net proceeds were net of discount and issuance costs. (2)
Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Related to Asset-backed Debt Arrangements	The assets and liabilities related to our asset-backed debt arrangements included in our condensed consolidated balance sheets were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Assets Account receivable, net $ 9,535 $ 8,861 Prepaid expenses and other 1,045 989 Other assets 3,263 2,725 Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 10 7 Short-term portion of long-term debt 5,494 5,352 Long-term debt 4,892 4,724

Wireless Device Payment Plans (

Wireless Device Payment Plans (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Receivables [Abstract]
Device Payment Plan Receivables, Net	The following table displays device payment plan agreement receivables, net, recognized in our condensed consolidated balance sheets: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Device payment plan agreement receivables, gross $ 18,865 $ 19,313 Unamortized imputed interest (493 ) (546 ) Device payment plan agreement receivables, net of unamortized imputed interest 18,372 18,767 Allowance for credit losses (526 ) (597 ) Device payment plan agreement receivables, net $ 17,846 $ 18,170 Classified in our condensed consolidated balance sheets: Accounts receivable, net $ 12,607 $ 12,624 Other assets 5,239 5,546 Device payment plan agreement receivables, net $ 17,846 $ 18,170
Balance and Aging of Device Payment Plan Agreement Receivables on Gross Basis	The balance and aging of the device payment plan agreement receivables on a gross basis were as follows: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Unbilled $ 17,586 $ 18,043 Billed: Current 990 986 Past due 289 284 Device payment plan agreement receivables, gross $ 18,865 $ 19,313
Activity in Allowance for Credit Losses for Device Payment Plan Agreement Receivables	Activity in the allowance for credit losses for the device payment plan agreement receivables was as follows: (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Balance at January 1, $ 597 $ 848 Bad debt expense 155 104 Write-offs (226 ) (149 ) Balance at March 31, $ 526 $ 803

Fair Value Measurements (Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis	The following table presents the balances of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2019 : (dollars in millions) Level 1 (1) Level 2 (2) Level 3 (3) Total Assets: Other assets: Fixed income securities $ — $ 430 $ — $ 430 Interest rate swaps — 100 — 100 Cross currency swaps — 215 — 215 Interest rate caps — 6 — 6 Total $ — $ 751 $ — $ 751 Liabilities: Other liabilities: Interest rate swaps $ — $ 361 $ — $ 361 Cross currency swaps — 519 — 519 Forward starting interest rate swaps — 242 — 242 Interest rate caps — 2 — 2 Foreign exchange forwards — 10 — 10 Total $ — $ 1,134 $ — $ 1,134 The following table presents the balances of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2018 : (dollars in millions) Level 1 (1) Level 2 (2) Level 3 (3) Total Assets: Other assets: Fixed income securities $ — $ 405 $ — $ 405 Interest rate swaps — 3 — 3 Cross currency swaps — 220 — 220 Interest rate caps — 14 — 14 Total $ — $ 642 $ — $ 642 Liabilities: Other liabilities: Interest rate swaps $ — $ 813 $ — $ 813 Cross currency swaps — 536 — 536 Forward starting interest rate swaps — 60 — 60 Interest rate caps — 4 — 4 Total $ — $ 1,413 $ — $ 1,413 (1) Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (2) Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities (3)
Schedule of Fair Value of Short-Term and Long-Term Debt, Excluding Capital Leases	The fair value of our short-term and long-term debt, excluding finance leases, was as follows: At March 31, At December 31, 2019 2018 (dollars in millions) Carrying Amount Fair Value Carrying Amount Fair Value Short- and long-term debt, excluding finance leases $ 112,725 $ 125,307 $ 112,159 $ 118,535
Notional Amounts of Outstanding Derivative Instruments	The following table sets forth the notional amounts of our outstanding derivative instruments: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Interest rate swaps $ 19,076 $ 19,813 Cross currency swaps 16,638 16,638 Forward starting interest rate swaps 3,000 4,000 Interest rate caps 1,624 2,218 Foreign exchange forwards 1,000 600
Schedule of Cumulative Basis Adjustments for Fair Value hedges	The following amounts were recorded in Long-term debt in our condensed consolidated balance sheets related to cumulative basis adjustments for fair value hedges: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Carrying amount of hedged liabilities $ 18,752 $ 18,903 Cumulative amount of fair value hedging adjustment included in the carrying amount of the hedged liabilities (205 ) (785 )

Employee Benefits (Tables)

Employee Benefits (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Benefit or (Income) Cost Related to Pension and Postretirement Health Care and Life Insurance	The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost (income) related to our pension and postretirement health care and life insurance plans: (dollars in millions) Pension Health Care and Life Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Service cost - Cost of services $ 50 $ 58 $ 20 $ 26 Service cost - Selling, general and administrative expense 11 14 4 6 Service cost $ 61 $ 72 $ 24 $ 32 Amortization of prior service cost (credit) $ 15 $ 10 $ (243 ) $ (244 ) Expected return on plan assets (282 ) (329 ) (9 ) (11 ) Interest cost 178 166 157 153 Remeasurement gain, net (96 ) — — — Other components $ (185 ) $ (153 ) $ (95 ) $ (102 ) Total $ (124 ) $ (81 ) $ (71 ) $ (70 )

Equity and Accumulated Other _2

Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Schedule of Changes in Components of Total Equity	Changes in the components of Total equity were as follows: (dollars in millions, except per share amounts, and shares in thousands) Three months ended March 31, 2019 2018 Shares Amount Shares Amount Common Stock Balance at beginning of period 4,291,434 $ 429 4,242,374 $ 424 Common shares issued — — 49,048 5 Balance at end of period 4,291,434 429 4,291,422 429 Additional Paid In Capital Balance at beginning of period 13,437 11,101 Other (19 ) 2,336 Balance at end of period 13,418 13,437 Retained Earnings Balance at beginning of period 43,542 35,635 Opening balance sheet adjustment 410 (1) 2,232 (2) Adjusted opening balance 43,952 37,867 Net income attributable to Verizon 5,032 4,545 Dividends declared ($0.6025, $0.5900 per share) (2,491 ) (2,438 ) Balance at end of period 46,493 39,974 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Balance at beginning of period attributable to Verizon 2,370 2,659 Opening balance sheet adjustment — 630 (2) Adjusted opening balance 2,370 3,289 Foreign currency translation adjustments 24 93 Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges (13 ) 501 Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities 4 (5 ) Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans (169 ) (173 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) (154 ) 416 Balance at end of period attributable to Verizon 2,216 3,705 Treasury Stock Balance at beginning of period (159,400 ) (6,986 ) (162,898 ) (7,139 ) Employee plans 3,668 161 3,368 147 Shareholder plans 5 — 4 — Balance at end of period (155,727 ) (6,825 ) (159,526 ) (6,992 ) Deferred Compensation-ESOPs and Other Balance at beginning of period 353 416 Restricted stock equity grant 35 33 Amortization (263 ) (221 ) Balance at end of period 125 228 Noncontrolling Interests Balance at beginning of period 1,565 1,591 Opening balance sheet adjustment 1 (1) 44 (2) Adjusted opening balance 1,566 1,635 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 128 121 Total comprehensive income 128 121 Distributions and other (90 ) (192 ) Balance at end of period 1,604 1,564 Total Equity $ 57,460 $ 52,345 (1) The opening balance sheet adjustment for the three months ended March 31, 2019 is due to the adoption of Topic 842 on January 1, 2019. See Note 1 for additional information. (2)
Schedule of Components in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	The changes in the balances of Accumulated other comprehensive income by component are as follows: (dollars in millions) Foreign currency translation adjustments Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans Total Balance at January 1, 2019 $ (600 ) $ (80 ) $ 20 $ 3,030 $ 2,370 Other comprehensive income (loss) 24 (141 ) 4 — (113 ) Amounts reclassified to net income — 128 — (169 ) (41 ) Net other comprehensive income (loss) 24 (13 ) 4 (169 ) (154 ) Balance at March 31, 2019 $ (576 ) $ (93 ) $ 24 $ 2,861 $ 2,216

Segment Information (Tables)

Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Operating Information	Our segments and their principal activities consist of the following: Segment Description Wireless Wireless’ communications products and services include wireless voice and data services and equipment sales, which are provided to consumer, business and government customers across the U.S. Wireline Wireline’s communications products and enhanced services include video and data services, corporate networking solutions, security and managed network services and local and long distance voice services. We provide these products and services to consumers in the U.S., as well as to carriers, businesses and government customers both in the U.S. and around the world. two reportable segments: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 External Operating Revenues Wireless Service $ 16,057 $ 15,371 Equipment 4,931 5,040 Other 1,633 1,396 Total Wireless 22,621 21,807 Wireline Consumer Markets 3,103 3,149 Enterprise Solutions 2,140 2,240 Partner Solutions 833 979 Business Markets 828 871 Other 66 67 Total Wireline 6,970 7,306 Total reportable segments $ 29,591 $ 29,113 Intersegment Revenues Wireless $ 79 $ 93 Wireline 294 251 Total reportable segments $ 373 $ 344 Total Operating Revenues Wireless $ 22,700 $ 21,900 Wireline 7,264 7,557 Total reportable segments $ 29,964 $ 29,457 Operating Income (Loss) Wireless $ 8,466 $ 8,049 Wireline (88 ) 69 Total reportable segments $ 8,378 $ 8,118
Summary of Reconciliation of Segment Assets	The following table provides asset information for our reportable segments: At March 31, At December 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Assets Wireless $ 237,889 $ 213,290 Wireline 98,057 94,799 Total reportable segments 335,946 308,089 Corporate and other 246,512 244,695 Eliminations (298,511 ) (287,955 ) Total consolidated - reported $ 283,947 $ 264,829
Summary of Reconciliation of Segment Operating Revenues	A reconciliation of the reportable segment operating revenues to consolidated operating revenues is as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Total reportable segment operating revenues $ 29,964 $ 29,457 Corporate and other 2,591 2,711 Eliminations (427 ) (396 ) Total consolidated operating revenues $ 32,128 $ 31,772
Summary of Reconciliation of Segment Operating Income	A reconciliation of the total of the reportable segments’ operating income to consolidated income before provision for income taxes is as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, (dollars in millions) 2019 2018 Total reportable segment operating income $ 8,378 $ 8,118 Corporate and other (466 ) (454 ) Other components of net periodic benefit charges (Note 9) (203 ) (208 ) Acquisition and integration related charges — (107 ) Total consolidated operating income 7,709 7,349 Equity in losses of unconsolidated businesses (6 ) (19 ) Other income (expense), net 295 (75 ) Interest expense (1,210 ) (1,201 ) Income Before Provision For Income Taxes $ 6,788 $ 6,054

Basis of Presentation - Additio

Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Restricted stock units outstanding to purchase shares included in diluted earnings per common share (in shares)	2	3
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Operating lease, liability	$ 21,968
Operating lease right-of-use assets	$ 23,105		$ 23,241
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Operating lease, liability			22,100
Operating lease right-of-use assets			23,241
Retained Earnings
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of applying new accounting standards, pre-tax				$ 410	$ 2,232
Retained Earnings | Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of applying new accounting standards, pre-tax			$ 410

Basis of Presentation - Schedul

Basis of Presentation - Schedule of Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 2,322		$ 2,745
Increase (decrease) of cash and cash equivalents	(423)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	3,537	$ 2,935	3,916	$ 2,888
Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(379)	$ 47
Prepaid expenses and other
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Line Items]
Restricted cash	1,091		1,047
Increase (decrease) in restricted cash	44
Other assets
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Line Items]
Restricted cash	124		$ 124
Increase (decrease) in restricted cash	$ 0

Basis of Presentation - Sched_2

Basis of Presentation - Schedule of Cumulative Effect for Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncement (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Prepaid expenses and other	$ 5,189	$ 5,124	$ 5,453
Operating lease right-of-use assets	23,105	23,241
Other assets	10,442	9,669	11,717
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	18,664	22,498	22,501
Other current liabilities	8,332	8,237	8,239
Current operating lease liabilities	2,997	2,931
Deferred income taxes	34,344	33,934	33,795
Non-current operating lease liabilities	18,971	19,203
Other liabilities	11,632	12,107	13,922
Retained earnings	46,493	43,952	43,542
Noncontrolling interests	$ 1,604	1,566	$ 1,565
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Prepaid expenses and other		(329)
Operating lease right-of-use assets		23,241
Other assets		(2,048)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(3)
Other current liabilities		(2)
Current operating lease liabilities		2,931
Deferred income taxes		139
Non-current operating lease liabilities		19,203
Other liabilities		(1,815)
Retained earnings		410
Noncontrolling interests		$ 1

Revenues and Contract Costs - A

Revenues and Contract Costs - Additional Information (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)segment	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | segment	2
Revenues from leasing arrangements, captive reinsurance arrangements and interest on equipment financed	$ 787,000,000	$ 1,200,000,000
Amortization of deferred contract costs	615,000,000	405,000,000
Contract assets impairment charge	0	0
Media Business
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contract with customer	1,800,000,000	1,900,000,000
Telematics Business Branded Verizon Connect
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from contract with customer	$ 242,000,000	$ 234,000,000
Wireless
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Percentage of month-to-month contracts of total service contracts	86.00%	82.00%
Wireline
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Percentage of month-to-month contracts of total service contracts	55.00%	57.00%

Revenues and Contract Costs - R

Revenues and Contract Costs - Revenue Performance Obligations (Details) $ in Billions	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)
Wireless | Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2019-04-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation	$ 8.3
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	9 months
Wireless | Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2020-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation	$ 6.7
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	1 year
Wireless | Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2021-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation	$ 2.3
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period
Wireline | Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2019-04-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation	$ 5.9
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	9 months
Wireline | Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2020-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation	$ 4
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	1 year
Wireline | Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2021-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation	$ 1.1
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period
Customer Contracts that Have Contract Minimum over Total Contract Term | Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2019-04-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation	$ 3.8
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	5 years

Revenues and Contract Costs - S

Revenues and Contract Costs - Schedule of Receivables from Contracts with Customers (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Receivables	$ 11,601	$ 12,104	$ 11,028	$ 12,073
Device payment plan agreement receivables	$ 9,687	$ 8,940	$ 3,630	$ 1,461

Revenues and Contract Costs - C

Revenues and Contract Costs - Contract with Customer, Asset and Liability (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract asset	$ 1,021	$ 1,106	$ 1,003	$ 1,003	$ 1,170
Contract liability	4,973	4,571	$ 4,943	4,943	$ 4,452
Revenue recognized related to contract liabilities existing	3,700	$ 3,500
Prepaid expenses and other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract asset	770			757
Other assets
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract asset	251			246
Other current liabilities
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract liability	4,255			4,207
Other liabilities
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract liability	$ 718			$ 736

Revenues and Contract Costs -_2

Revenues and Contract Costs - Schedule of Cost Incurred to Obtain or Fulfill Contracts with Customers (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contracts with customers	$ 4,021	$ 3,895
Corporate
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contracts with customers	69	56
Wireless | Operating Segments
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contracts with customers	3,084	2,989
Wireline | Operating Segments
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contracts with customers	$ 868	850
Minimum | Corporate
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Amortization Period	2 years
Minimum | Wireless | Operating Segments
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Amortization Period	2 years
Minimum | Wireline | Operating Segments
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Amortization Period	2 years
Maximum | Corporate
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Amortization Period	3 years
Maximum | Wireless | Operating Segments
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Amortization Period	3 years
Maximum | Wireline | Operating Segments
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Amortization Period	5 years
Prepaid expenses and other
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contracts with customers	$ 2,230	2,083
Other assets
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contracts with customers	$ 1,791	$ 1,812

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill a_3

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Carrying Amount of Wireless Licenses (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Wireless licenses	$ 94,237	$ 94,130

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill a_4

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Detail) - Wireless Licenses - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Wireless licenses under development	$ 7,200		$ 13,600
Interest costs capitalized	$ 88	$ 124
Average remaining renewal period of wireless license portfolio (in years)	4 years 4 months 24 days

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill a_5

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Changes in Carrying Value of Goodwill (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning balance	$ 24,614
Acquisitions (Note 3)	20
Reclassifications, adjustments and other	1
Ending balance	24,635
Goodwill accumulated impairment charge		$ 4,600
Operating Segments | Wireless
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning balance	18,397
Acquisitions (Note 3)	0
Reclassifications, adjustments and other	0
Ending balance	18,397
Operating Segments | Wireline
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning balance	3,871
Acquisitions (Note 3)	20
Reclassifications, adjustments and other	1
Ending balance	3,892
Other
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning balance	2,346
Acquisitions (Note 3)	0
Reclassifications, adjustments and other	0
Ending balance	$ 2,346

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill a_6

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Composition of Other Intangible Assets, Net (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Amount	$ 24,910	$ 24,542
Accumulated Amortization	(15,302)	(14,767)
Net Amount	9,608	9,775
Customer Lists
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Amount	3,953	3,951
Accumulated Amortization	(1,213)	(1,121)
Net Amount	2,740	2,830
Non-Network Internal-Use Software
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Amount	18,958	18,603
Accumulated Amortization	(13,192)	(12,785)
Net Amount	5,766	5,818
Other
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Amount	1,999	1,988
Accumulated Amortization	(897)	(861)
Net Amount	$ 1,102	$ 1,127

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill a_7

Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Estimated Future Amortization Expense (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Amortization expense for other intangible assets	$ 555	$ 534
Remainder of 2019	1,603
2020	1,837
2021	1,544
2022	1,276
2023	1,004
2024	$ 749

Leasing Arrangements - Addition

Leasing Arrangements - Additional Information (Details) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015USD ($)Lease	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Leases renewal term		25 years
Contractually obligated lease payments for operating leases not yet commenced		$ 477
Minimum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Leases remaining lease term		1 year
Maximum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Leases remaining lease term		24 years
Tower Monetization Transaction
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Number of towers subject to failed sale leaseback | Lease	11,300
Proceeds from failed sale lease back	$ 5,000
Minimum number of years to sublease capacity on towers	10 years

Leasing Arrangements - Componen

Leasing Arrangements - Components of Net Lease Cost (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Operating lease cost	$ 1,170
Finance lease cost:
Amortization of right-of-use assets	86
Interest on lease liabilities	9
Short-term lease cost	16
Variable lease cost	57
Sublease income	(67)
Total net lease cost	$ 1,271

Leasing Arrangements - Suppleme

Leasing Arrangements - Supplemental Disclosure for Statement of Cash Flows related to Operating and Finance Leases (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Operating cash flows for operating leases	$ (1,058)
Operating cash flows for finance leases	(9)
Financing cash flows for finance leases	(86)
Operating lease right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities	668
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities	$ 115

Leasing Arrangements - Supple_2

Leasing Arrangements - Supplemental Disclosure for Balance Sheet related to Finance Leases (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)
Finance Lease, Assets [Abstract]
Property, plant and equipment, net	$ 742
Finance Lease, Liabilities [Abstract]
Debt maturing within one year	323
Long-term debt	611
Total Finance lease liabilities	$ 934

Leasing Arrangements - Schedule

Leasing Arrangements - Schedule of Weighted-Average Remaining Lease Term and Weighted-Average Discount Rate related to Leases (Details)	Mar. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Operating leases, weighted average remaining lease term	9 years
Finance leases, weighted average remaining lease term	4 years
Operating leases, weighted average discount rate	4.20%
Finance leases, weighted average discount rate	3.60%

Leasing Arrangements - Schedu_2

Leasing Arrangements - Schedule of Lease Liability Maturity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019
Operating Leases
Remainder of 2019	$ 3,051
2020	3,805
2021	3,462
2022	3,045
2023	2,689
Thereafter	10,792
Total lease payments	26,844
Less interest	(4,876)
Present value of lease liabilities	21,968
Less current obligation	(2,997)	$ (2,931)
Non-current operating lease liabilities	18,971	$ 19,203
Finance Leases
Remainder of 2019	279
2020	270
2021	173
2022	122
2023	75
Thereafter	105
Total lease payments	1,024
Less interest	(90)
Total Finance lease liabilities	934
Less current obligation	(323)
Long-term debt	$ 611

Debt - Exchange Offers (Details

Debt - Exchange Offers (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Issued	$ 1,510
Verizon 1.750% - 5.150% notes and floating rate notes, due 2021 - 2025 | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	1.75%
Verizon 1.750% - 5.150% notes and floating rate notes, due 2021 - 2025 | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	5.15%
Debt Exchange Offers
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Exchanged	$ 3,913
Debt Exchange Offers | Verizon 1.750% - 5.150% notes and floating rate notes, due 2021 - 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Exchanged	$ 3,892
Debt Exchange Offers | GTE LLC 8.750% debentures, due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	8.75%
Principal Amount Exchanged	$ 21
Debt Exchange Offers | Verizon 4.016% notes due 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	4.016%
Principal Amount Issued	$ 4,000

Debt - Debt Redemptions, Repurc

Debt - Debt Redemptions, Repurchases and Repayments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 26, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Redeemed / Repaid		$ 2,735
Verizon 5.900% notes due 2054
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Redeemed / Repaid		$ 500
Amount Paid as % of Principal		100.00%
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		5.90%
Verizon 1.375% notes due 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Redeemed / Repaid		$ 206
Amount Paid as % of Principal		100.00%
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		1.375%
Verizon 1.750% notes due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Redeemed / Repaid		$ 621
Amount Paid as % of Principal		100.00%
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		1.75%
Verizon 3.000% notes due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Redeemed / Repaid		$ 930
Amount Paid as % of Principal		101.061%
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		3.00%
Verizon 3.500% notes due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Redeemed / Repaid		$ 315
Amount Paid as % of Principal		102.18%
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		3.50%
Open market repurchases of various Verizon notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Redeemed / Repaid		$ 163
2.625% notes due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		2.625%
Subsequent Event [Member] | Verizon 3.500% notes due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt aggregate principal amount to redeem	$ 736
Subsequent Event [Member] | 2.625% notes due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt aggregate principal amount to redeem	$ 831

Debt - Debt Issuances (Details)

Debt - Debt Issuances (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Apr. 26, 2019EUR (€)	Apr. 26, 2019GBP (£)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Issued	$ 1,510
Proceeds from long-term borrowings	1,500
Verizon 3.875% notes due 2029
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Issued	1,000
Proceeds from long-term borrowings	$ 994
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	3.875%
Verizon 5.000% notes due 2051
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Issued	$ 510
Proceeds from long-term borrowings	$ 506
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	5.00%
Subsequent Event [Member] | 0.875% notes due 2027 and 1.250% notes due 2030
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Issued | £			£ 2,500,000,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | 0.875% notes due 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		0.875%	0.875%
Subsequent Event [Member] | 1.250% notes due 2030
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		1.25%	1.25%
Subsequent Event [Member] | 2.500% notes due 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Issued | €		€ 500,000,000
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		2.50%	2.50%

Debt - Short Term Borrowing and

Debt - Short Term Borrowing and Commercial Paper Program (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Jul. 31, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility borrowing capacity	$ 9,500,000,000
Commercial paper
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding	0
Short term uncommitted credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility borrowing capacity		$ 700,000,000
Amount drawn from credit facilities	$ 600,000,000

Debt - Asset-Backed Debt Narrat

Debt - Asset-Backed Debt Narrative (Detail) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	May 31, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)Agreement
Asset-Backed Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Secured debt, carrying value		$ 10,400
Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt revolving period		2 years
2018 ABS Financing Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt revolving period		1 year
Amount drawn from credit facilities	$ 540
Secured debt, carrying value		$ 540
2016 ABS Financing Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt revolving period		2 years
Repayments of debt		$ 253
Secured debt, carrying value		$ 671
Number of loan agreements | Agreement		2
Senior asset-backed notes | Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of debt		$ 559

Debt - Schedule of ABS Notes Tr

Debt - Schedule of ABS Notes Transactions (Details)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Issued	$ 1,510,000,000	$ 1,510,000,000
Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount Issued	$ 1,122,000,000	$ 1,122,000,000
A-1a Senior class notes | Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	2.93%	2.93%
Expected Weighted-average Life to Maturity	2 years 6 months
Principal Amount Issued	$ 900,000,000	$ 900,000,000
A-1b Senior floating rate class notes | Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Expected Weighted-average Life to Maturity	2 years 6 months
Principal Amount Issued	$ 100,000,000	$ 100,000,000
Debt effective rate	2.495%	2.495%
B Junior class notes | Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	3.02%	3.02%
Expected Weighted-average Life to Maturity	3 years 2 months 19 days
Principal Amount Issued	$ 69,000,000	$ 69,000,000
C Junior class notes | Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	3.22%	3.22%
Expected Weighted-average Life to Maturity	3 years 4 months 24 days
Principal Amount Issued	$ 53,000,000	$ 53,000,000
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) | A-1b Senior floating rate class notes | Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate		0.33%

Debt - Assets and Liabilities R

Debt - Assets and Liabilities Related to Asset-backed Debt Arrangements (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Account receivable, net
Assets and Associated Liabilities of Transfers Accounted for as Secured Borrowings [Line Items]
Assets	$ 9,535	$ 8,861
Prepaid expenses and other
Assets and Associated Liabilities of Transfers Accounted for as Secured Borrowings [Line Items]
Assets	1,045	989
Other assets
Assets and Associated Liabilities of Transfers Accounted for as Secured Borrowings [Line Items]
Assets	3,263	2,725
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Assets and Associated Liabilities of Transfers Accounted for as Secured Borrowings [Line Items]
Liabilities	10	7
Short-term portion of long-term debt
Assets and Associated Liabilities of Transfers Accounted for as Secured Borrowings [Line Items]
Liabilities	5,494	5,352
Long-term debt
Assets and Associated Liabilities of Transfers Accounted for as Secured Borrowings [Line Items]
Liabilities	$ 4,892	$ 4,724

Debt - Credit Facilities, Non-C

Debt - Credit Facilities, Non-Cash Transaction, Early Debt Redemptions, Guarantees (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Jul. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity	$ 9,500,000,000
Amount of unused borrowing capacity under credit facility	9,400,000,000
Net pre-tax losses on early debt redemption		$ 249,000,000
Guarantee of Debentures of Operating Telephone Company Subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount outstanding in connection with the guarantee of debt obligations	796,000,000
Guarantee of Debt Obligations of GTE Corporation
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount outstanding in connection with the guarantee of debt obligations	423,000,000
Network Equipment | Vendor Financing Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Value of purchase assets financed	115,000,000	$ 345,000,000
Long-term debt maturing within one year	1,000,000,000		$ 1,300,000,000
Equipment Credit Facilities
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity				$ 4,000,000,000
Amount drawn from credit facilities	424,000,000
Debt outstanding	3,100,000,000
Equipment Credit Facilities | Network Equipment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity					$ 1,000,000,000
Line of credit outstanding balance	$ 706,000,000

Wireless Device Payment Plans -

Wireless Device Payment Plans - Schedule of Device Payment Plan Agreement Receivables (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Device payment plan agreement receivables, gross	$ 18,865	$ 19,313
Unamortized imputed interest	(493)	(546)
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net of unamortized imputed interest	18,372	18,767
Allowance for credit losses	(526)	(597)	$ (803)	$ (848)
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net	17,846	18,170
Account receivable, net
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net	12,607	12,624
Other assets
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net	$ 5,239	$ 5,546

Wireless Device Payment Plans_2

Wireless Device Payment Plans - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Receivables transferred to ABS Entities	$ 12,700		$ 11,500
Device payment plan agreement, trade-in liability	$ (4,973)	$ (4,943)	(4,943)	$ (4,571)	$ (4,452)
Number of customer tenure days	210 days
Minimum
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Required down payment percentage	0.00%
Maximum
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Required down payment percentage	100.00%
Product Trade-in
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Device payment plan agreement, trade-in liability			$ (64)

Wireless Device Payment Plans_3

Wireless Device Payment Plans - Balance and Aging of Receivables (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Device payment plan agreement receivables, gross	$ 18,865	$ 19,313
Unbilled
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Device payment plan agreement receivables, current	17,586	18,043
Billed
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Device payment plan agreement receivables, current	990	986
Device payment plan agreement receivables, past due	$ 289	$ 284

Wireless Device Payment Plans_4

Wireless Device Payment Plans - Allowance for Credit Losses (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 597	$ 848
Bad debt expense	155	104
Write-offs	(226)	(149)
Ending balance	$ 526	$ 803

Fair Value Measurements - Sched

Fair Value Measurements - Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Assets:
Total	$ 751	$ 642
Other liabilities:
Total	1,134	1,413
Fixed income securities
Assets:
Debt securities, available-for-sale	430	405
Interest rate swaps
Assets:
Derivative asset	100	3
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	361	813
Cross currency swaps
Assets:
Derivative asset	215	220
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	519	536
Forward starting interest rate swaps
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	242	60
Interest rate caps
Assets:
Derivative asset	6	14
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	2	4
Foreign exchange forwards
Other liabilities:
Total	10
Level 1
Assets:
Total	0	0
Other liabilities:
Total	0	0
Level 1 | Fixed income securities
Assets:
Debt securities, available-for-sale	0	0
Level 1 | Interest rate swaps
Assets:
Derivative asset	0	0
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 1 | Cross currency swaps
Assets:
Derivative asset	0	0
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 1 | Forward starting interest rate swaps
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 1 | Interest rate caps
Assets:
Derivative asset	0	0
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 1 | Foreign exchange forwards
Other liabilities:
Total	0
Level 2
Assets:
Total	751	642
Other liabilities:
Total	1,134	1,413
Level 2 | Fixed income securities
Assets:
Debt securities, available-for-sale	430	405
Level 2 | Interest rate swaps
Assets:
Derivative asset	100	3
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	361	813
Level 2 | Cross currency swaps
Assets:
Derivative asset	215	220
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	519	536
Level 2 | Forward starting interest rate swaps
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	242	60
Level 2 | Interest rate caps
Assets:
Derivative asset	6	14
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	2	4
Level 2 | Foreign exchange forwards
Other liabilities:
Total	10
Level 3
Assets:
Total	0	0
Other liabilities:
Total	0	0
Level 3 | Fixed income securities
Assets:
Debt securities, available-for-sale	0	0
Level 3 | Interest rate swaps
Assets:
Derivative asset	0	0
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 3 | Cross currency swaps
Assets:
Derivative asset	0	0
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 3 | Forward starting interest rate swaps
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 3 | Interest rate caps
Assets:
Derivative asset	0	0
Other liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	$ 0
Level 3 | Foreign exchange forwards
Other liabilities:
Total	$ 0

Fair Value Measurements - Addit

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Other investment not readily marketable, fair value	$ 278,000,000		$ 248,000,000
Collateral related to derivative contracts			83,000,000
Equity Securities without Readily Determinable Fair Value, Upward Price Adjustment, Cumulative Amount	57,000,000
Interest rate swaps
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	19,076,000,000		19,813,000,000
Interest rate swaps | Fair Value Hedges
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative instruments entered during period	510,000,000
Notional amount of derivative settled during period	1,200,000,000
Cross currency swaps
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	16,638,000,000		16,638,000,000
Cross currency swaps | Cash Flow Hedging
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Pre-tax gains (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income (loss)		$ 1,100,000,000
Forward starting interest rate swaps
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	3,000,000,000		4,000,000,000
Forward starting interest rate swaps | Cash Flow Hedging
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative instruments entered during period	0
Notional amount of derivative settled during period	1,000,000,000
Pre-tax gains (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income (loss)	(203,000,000)
Euro Denominated Debt | Net Investment Hedges
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	761,000,000		806,000,000
Foreign exchange forwards
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative notional amount	1,000,000,000		$ 600,000,000
Foreign exchange forwards | Fair Value Hedges
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative instruments entered during period	3,000,000,000
Notional amount of derivative settled during period	$ 2,600,000,000

Fair Value Measurements - Debt

Fair Value Measurements - Debt Excluding Capital Leases (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Carrying Amount
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Short- and long-term debt, excluding finance leases	$ 112,725	$ 112,159
Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Short- and long-term debt, excluding finance leases	$ 125,307	$ 118,535

Fair Value Measurements - Notio

Fair Value Measurements - Notional Amounts of Outstanding Derivative Instruments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Interest rate swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	$ 19,076	$ 19,813
Cross currency swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	16,638	16,638
Forward starting interest rate swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	3,000	4,000
Interest rate caps
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	1,624	2,218
Foreign exchange forwards
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	$ 1,000	$ 600

Fair Value Measurements - Sch_2

Fair Value Measurements - Schedule of Cumulative Basis Adjustments for Fair Value Hedges (Details) - Long-term debt - Fair Value Hedges - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Carrying amount of hedged liabilities	$ 18,752	$ 18,903
Cumulative amount of fair value hedging adjustment included in the carrying amount of the hedged liabilities	$ (205)	$ (785)

Employee Benefits - Costs by Pl

Employee Benefits - Costs by Plans (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Pension
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	$ 61	$ 72
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	15	10
Expected return on plan assets	(282)	(329)
Interest cost	178	166
Remeasurement gain, net	(96)	0
Other components	(185)	(153)
Total	(124)	(81)
Pension | Cost of services
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	50	58
Pension | Selling, general and administrative expense
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	11	14
Health Care and Life
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	24	32
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	(243)	(244)
Expected return on plan assets	(9)	(11)
Interest cost	157	153
Remeasurement gain, net	0	0
Other components	(95)	(102)
Total	(71)	(70)
Health Care and Life | Cost of services
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	20	26
Health Care and Life | Selling, general and administrative expense
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	$ 4	$ 6

Employee Benefits - Additional

Employee Benefits - Additional Information (Detail)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018Employee	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Amount paid in severance benefits over the period		$ 807,000,000
Post employment benefits liability		1,300,000,000
Pension
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Remeasurement gain		96,000,000	$ 0
Charge due to difference between estimated and actual return on assets		150,000,000
Credit due to change in discount rate assumption		54,000,000
Pension | Qualified Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Employer discretionary contribution amount		300,000,000	$ 1,000,000,000
Pension | Nonqualified Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined benefit plan contributions by employer		$ 0
2018 Voluntary Separation Program
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of employees have separated or will separate from the Company | Employee	10,400

Equity and Accumulated Other _3

Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Changes in Components of Total equity (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ 54,710
Net Income	5,160	$ 4,666
Other comprehensive loss	(154)
Total Comprehensive Income	5,006	5,082
Foreign currency translation adjustments	24	93
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities	4	(5)
Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans	$ (169)	(173)
Shareholder plans (in shares)	3,700
Ending Balance	$ 57,460	$ 52,345
Dividends declared per common share (USD per share)	$ 0.6025	$ 0.5900
Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ 429	$ 424
Beginning balance (in shares)	4,291,434	4,242,374
Common shares issued (in shares)	0	49,048
Common shares issued	$ 0	$ 5
Ending Balance (in shares)	4,291,434	4,291,422
Ending Balance	$ 429	$ 429
Additional Paid In Capital
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	13,437	11,101
Other	(19)	2,336
Ending Balance	13,418	13,437
Retained Earnings
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	43,542	35,635
Opening balance sheet adjustment			$ 410	$ 2,232
Adjusted Beginning Balance			43,952	37,867
Net Income	5,032	4,545
Dividends declared ($0.6025, $0.5900 per share)	(2,491)	(2,438)
Ending Balance	46,493	39,974
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	2,370	2,659
Opening balance sheet adjustment			0	630
Adjusted Beginning Balance			2,370	3,289
Other comprehensive loss	(154)	416
Foreign currency translation adjustments	24	93
Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges	(13)	501
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities	4	(5)
Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans	(169)	(173)
Ending Balance	2,216	3,705
Treasury Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ (6,986)	$ (7,139)
Beginning balance (in shares)	159,400	162,898
Employee plans (in shares)	3,668	3,368
Employee plans	$ 161	$ 147
Shareholder plans (in shares)	5	4
Shareholder plans	$ 0	$ 0
Ending Balance (in shares)	155,727	159,526
Ending Balance	$ (6,825)	$ (6,992)
Deferred Compensation-ESOPs and Other
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	353	416
Restricted stock equity grant	35	33
Amortization	(263)	(221)
Ending Balance	125	228
Noncontrolling Interests
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	1,565	1,591
Opening balance sheet adjustment			1	44
Adjusted Beginning Balance			$ 1,566	$ 1,635
Net Income	128	121
Total Comprehensive Income	128	121
Distributions and other	(90)	(192)
Ending Balance	$ 1,604	$ 1,564

Equity and Accumulated Other _4

Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Billions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2018	Mar. 31, 2019
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Stock repurchase program, number of shares authorized to be repurchased (in shares)		100,000,000
Number of common shares issued from treasury stock (in shares)		3,700,000
Straight Path Communications Inc.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Number of shares issued related to business acquisition (in shares)	49,000,000
Equity issued related to business acquisition	$ 2.4

Equity and Accumulated Other _5

Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Changes in AOCI (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]
Beginning Balance	$ 54,710
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(113)
Amounts reclassified to net income	(41)
Net other comprehensive income (loss)	(154)
Ending Balance	57,460	$ 52,345
Foreign currency translation adjustments
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]
Beginning Balance	(600)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	24
Amounts reclassified to net income	0
Net other comprehensive income (loss)	24
Ending Balance	(576)
Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]
Beginning Balance	(80)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(141)
Amounts reclassified to net income	128
Net other comprehensive income (loss)	(13)
Ending Balance	(93)
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]
Beginning Balance	20
Other comprehensive income (loss)	4
Amounts reclassified to net income	0
Net other comprehensive income (loss)	4
Ending Balance	24
Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]
Beginning Balance	3,030
Other comprehensive income (loss)	0
Amounts reclassified to net income	(169)
Net other comprehensive income (loss)	(169)
Ending Balance	2,861
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Abstract]
Beginning Balance	2,370	2,659
Net other comprehensive income (loss)	(154)	416
Ending Balance	$ 2,216	$ 3,705

Segment Information - Additiona

Segment Information - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)segment	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | segment	2
Segment reporting information, revenue	$ 32,128	$ 31,772
Fios revenues | Wireline
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Segment reporting information, revenue	$ 3,100	$ 3,000

Segment Information - Operating

Segment Information - Operating Financial Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	$ 32,128	$ 31,772
Operating Income (Loss)	7,709	7,349
Wireless equipment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	4,931	5,040
External Operating Revenues
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	29,591	29,113
External Operating Revenues | Wireless
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	22,621	21,807
External Operating Revenues | Wireless | Service
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	16,057	15,371
External Operating Revenues | Wireless | Wireless equipment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	4,931	5,040
External Operating Revenues | Wireless | Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	1,633	1,396
External Operating Revenues | Wireline
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	6,970	7,306
External Operating Revenues | Wireline | Consumer Markets
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	3,103	3,149
External Operating Revenues | Wireline | Enterprise Solutions
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	2,140	2,240
External Operating Revenues | Wireline | Partner Solutions
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	833	979
External Operating Revenues | Wireline | Business Markets
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	828	871
External Operating Revenues | Wireline | Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	66	67
Intersegment Eliminations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	373	344
Intersegment Eliminations | Wireless
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	79	93
Intersegment Eliminations | Wireline
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	294	251
Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	29,964	29,457
Operating Income (Loss)	8,378	8,118
Operating Segments | Wireless
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	22,700	21,900
Operating Income (Loss)	8,466	8,049
Operating Segments | Wireline
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	7,264	7,557
Operating Income (Loss)	$ (88)	$ 69

Segment Information - Reconcili

Segment Information - Reconciliation of Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	$ 283,947	$ 264,829
Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	335,946	308,089
Operating Segments | Wireless
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	237,889	213,290
Operating Segments | Wireline
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	98,057	94,799
Corporate and other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	246,512	244,695
Eliminations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	$ (298,511)	$ (287,955)

Segment Information - Reconci_2

Segment Information - Reconciliation of Operating Revenues (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Segment reporting information, revenue	$ 32,128	$ 31,772
Operating Segments
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Segment reporting information, revenue	29,964	29,457
Corporate and other
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Segment reporting information, revenue	2,591	2,711
Eliminations
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Segment reporting information, revenue	$ (427)	$ (396)

Segment Information - Reconci_3

Segment Information - Reconciliation of Segments Operating Income to Consolidated Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating income	$ 7,709	$ 7,349
Other components of net periodic benefit charges	(203)	(208)
Acquisition and integration related charges	0	(107)
Equity in losses of unconsolidated businesses	(6)	(19)
Other income (expense), net	295	(75)
Interest expense	(1,210)	(1,201)
Income Before Provision For Income Taxes	6,788	6,054
Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating income	8,378	8,118
Corporate and other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating income	$ (466)	$ (454)

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019legal_matter
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Approximate number of federal district court actions alleged for patent infringement	30
Guarantee obligations, term	30 years