​ ​ ​

December 31, 

 

2025

2024

 

amounts in millions

 

Land

$

12

 

13

Buildings (25 years)

118

114

Telephony transmission equipment and distribution facilities (5-20 years)

 

1,023

 

899

Cable transmission equipment and distribution facilities (5-30 years)

 

195

 

156

Support equipment and systems (3-20 years)

 

145

 

128

Fiber optic cable systems (15-25 years)

 

173

 

130

Other (2-20 years)

 

111

 

87

Construction in progress

 

306

 

302

 

2,083

 

1,829

Accumulated depreciation

 

(826)

 

(679)

Property and equipment, net

$

1,257

 

1,150

About PP&E Disclosures

The PP&E disclosure details a company's physical asset base — land, buildings, machinery, and equipment — along with the depreciation methods and useful life assumptions that determine how these costs flow through the income statement. Capitalization policy thresholds reveal management's judgment on the boundary between expense and asset, directly affecting both reported earnings and asset values.

Key signals: changes in estimated useful lives or depreciation methods can materially shift reported earnings without any operational change. Compare capital expenditures against depreciation expense — when capex consistently trails depreciation, the asset base may be aging and underinvested. Watch for large asset impairments or write-downs that signal overvalued carrying amounts. Asset retirement obligations reveal future environmental or decommissioning costs that are often underappreciated. Compare PP&E intensity (PP&E-to-revenue) against industry peers to assess capital efficiency and competitive positioning.