QWEST CORP Segments Disclosure
• | IP and Data Services, which include primarily VPN data networks, Ethernet, IP and other ancillary services; |
• | Transport and Infrastructure, which include broadband, private line (including business data services) and other ancillary services; |
• | Voice and Collaboration, which includes primarily local voice, including wholesale voice, and other ancillary services; |
• | IT and Managed Services, which include information technology services and managed services, which may be purchased in conjunction with our other network services; |
• | Regulatory Revenue, which consist of Universal Service Fund ("USF") and Connect America Fund ("CAF") support payments and other operating revenue. We receive federal support payments from both federal and state USF programs and from the federal CAF program. These support payments are government subsidies designed to reimburse us for various costs related to certain telecommunications services including the costs of deploying, maintaining and operating voice and broadband infrastructure in high-cost rural areas where we are not able to fully recover our costs from our customers; and |
• | Affiliate services, which are telecommunication services that we also provide to our external customers. In addition, we provide to our affiliates computer system development and support services, network support and technical services. |
Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |||||||
(Dollars in millions) | |||||||||
IP and Data Services | $ | 624 | 615 | 634 | |||||
Transport and Infrastructure | 2,829 | 2,925 | 3,006 | ||||||
Voice and Collaboration | 1,639 | 1,798 | 1,980 | ||||||
IT and Managed Services | 3 | 6 | — | ||||||
Regulatory Services | 189 | 214 | 211 | ||||||
Affiliate Services | 2,873 | 2,935 | 2,719 | ||||||
Total operating revenue | $ | 8,157 | 8,493 | 8,550 | |||||
Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |||||||
(Dollars in millions) | |||||||||
USF surcharges and transaction taxes | $ | 125 | 124 | 134 | |||||
About Segments Disclosures
Segment disclosures break a company into its reportable operating units, revealing revenue, profit, and asset allocation that consolidated financial statements obscure. Under ASC 280, segments must match how the chief operating decision maker views the business, providing a window into internal management structure and resource allocation priorities.
Key signals: compare segment margins to identify which units drive profitability and which destroy value. Watch for changes in the number of reportable segments — segment aggregation or disaggregation often coincides with strategic shifts or attempts to obscure declining performance. Intersegment elimination patterns reveal internal pricing practices. The reconciliation between segment totals and consolidated figures exposes corporate overhead allocation and unallocated items. Geographic revenue concentration highlights regulatory and currency exposure. Compare segment-level capital expenditure against segment revenue to assess where management is investing for future growth versus harvesting existing assets.