TELEPHONE & DATA SYSTEMS INC /DE/TDS
TELEPHONE & DATA SYSTEMS INC /DE/ Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosure
Note 8 Intangible Assets
Licenses
Prior to 2009, TDS accounted for Array’s share repurchases as step acquisitions, allocating a portion of the share repurchase value to TDS’ Licenses. Consequently, Array's Licenses on a stand-alone basis do not equal the TDS consolidated Licenses related to Array. Activity related to TDS' Licenses is presented below.
| Array | TDS Telecom | Total | |||||||||||||||
| (Dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | 3,285,648 | 4,000 | 3,289,648 | ||||||||||||||
| Impairment | (47,679) | (900) | (48,579) | ||||||||||||||
Transferred to Assets held for sale1 | (1,595,731) | (2,400) | (1,598,131) | ||||||||||||||
| Divestitures | (4,062) | — | (4,062) | ||||||||||||||
| Capitalized interest | 4,096 | — | 4,096 | ||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2025 | $ | 1,642,272 | $ | 700 | $ | 1,642,972 | |||||||||||
1See Note 7 — Acquisitions and Divestitures for additional information.
Wireless Spectrum License Impairment – Array
Wireless spectrum licenses are considered to be indefinite-lived assets, and therefore are not amortized but are tested for impairment annually or more frequently if there are events or circumstances that cause Array to believe that their carrying values exceed their fair values. Wireless spectrum licenses are tested for impairment at the level of reporting referred to as a unit of accounting.
During the third quarter of 2025, Array continued its efforts to monetize its spectrum assets not subject to pending sale agreements. Based on information obtained through that process, specifically suppressed pricing and decrease in demand for high-band spectrum, Array concluded that there were events and circumstances in the third quarter of 2025 that caused Array to believe the carrying value of one of the units of accounting for remaining spectrum not subject to a pending sale agreement may exceed its respective fair value (i.e., triggering event), and accordingly a quantitative impairment assessment was performed for that unit.
A market approach was used for purposes of the quantitative impairment assessment to value the wireless spectrum licenses for the high-band unit of accounting tested, selecting a point within a range of values established largely through industry benchmarks, FCC auction data, and precedent transactions. The fair value of the wireless spectrum licenses was less than the respective carrying value, and a $47.7 million impairment was recorded to Loss on impairment of licenses for continuing operations in the Consolidated Statement of Operations during the third quarter of 2025. The impairment loss was related to the retained high-band spectrum unit of accounting which includes the 28 GHz, 37 GHz and 39 GHz frequency bands, the carrying value of which was $113.4 million after the impairment loss. The impairment loss is driven by lower fair value attributed to high-band spectrum as a result of industry-wide challenges encountered related to the operationalization of this spectrum.
For purposes of its annual impairment test as of November 1, 2025, Array performed a qualitative test for all seven of its units of accounting. The test considered several factors, including the results of the quantitative impairment assessment performed in the third quarter of 2025 as well as purchase prices of executed agreements to sell certain wireless spectrum licenses and other market factors. Based on these assessments, Array concluded that it was more likely than not that the fair value of each unit of accounting exceeded its respective carrying value. Therefore, no quantitative impairment evaluation was completed.
During the third quarter of 2024, Array concluded that there were events and circumstances that caused Array to believe the carrying values of five units of accounting may exceed their respective fair values (i.e., triggering event), and accordingly a quantitative impairment assessment was performed for those units. There was no triggering event for the other units of accounting.
Based on a market approach valuation, the fair value of the wireless spectrum licenses exceeded their respective carrying values by amounts ranging from 9% to 80% for three of the units of accounting. For two of the units of accounting, the fair value of the wireless spectrum licenses was less than the respective carrying value, and a $136.2 million impairment was recorded to Loss on impairment of licenses for continuing operations in the Consolidated Statement of Operations during the third quarter of 2024. The impairment loss was substantially all related to the retained high-band spectrum unit of accounting which includes the 28 GHz, 37 GHz and 39 GHz frequency bands, the carrying value of which was $161.1 million after the impairment loss. The impairment loss was driven by a change in the units of accounting described above combined with lower fair value primarily attributed to high-band spectrum as a result of industry-wide challenges encountered related to the operationalization of this spectrum.
For purposes of its annual impairment test as of November 1, 2024, Array performed a qualitative test for all twelve of its units of accounting. The test considered several factors, including the results of the quantitative impairment assessment performed in the third quarter of 2024 as well as purchase prices of executed agreements to sell certain wireless spectrum licenses and other market factors. Based on these assessments, Array concluded that it was more likely than not that the fair value of each unit of accounting exceeded its respective carrying value. Therefore, no quantitative impairment evaluation was completed.
TDS Telecom Goodwill Impairment Assessment
TDS Telecom had recorded Goodwill as a result of past business acquisitions. For purposes of the 2023 Goodwill impairment test, TDS Telecom had one reporting unit.
2023 Impairment Test
Rising interest rates and liquidity constraints caused TDS Telecom to slow the pace of its fiber deployment and reduce or defer planned capital expenditures in future years, which also defers the related revenue generation from these projects. In addition, TDS Telecom was facing increasing competitive pressures in its Incumbent Wireline markets. Consequently, TDS Telecom reset its long-range forecast in the fourth quarter of 2023, and performed a quantitative impairment assessment as of November 1, 2023.
The discounted cash flow and guideline public company approaches were used to value the reporting unit, weighted at 75% and 25%, respectively. The discounted cash flow approach develops an indication of fair value using various inputs and considers current economic factors as well as risks specific to the industry and the reporting unit. The guideline public company method developed an estimate of fair value by calculating market pricing multiples for selected publicly traded companies that are comparable to the reporting unit. The multiples were applied to the appropriate financial measure of the reporting unit to estimate the reporting unit's fair value.
The results of the goodwill impairment test indicated that the carrying value of the TDS Telecom reporting unit exceeded its fair value. Therefore, TDS recognized a loss on impairment of goodwill of $547.0 million to reduce the carrying value of Goodwill for the reporting unit to zero in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Other intangible assets
Activity related to TDS' Other intangible assets is presented below.
| December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross Amount | Accumulated Amortization | Net Amount | Gross Amount | Accumulated Amortization | Net Amount | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franchise rights | $ | 254,832 | $ | (148,046) | $ | 106,786 | $ | 254,832 | $ | (121,349) | $ | 133,483 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Internet protocol addresses | 33,502 | (9,162) | 24,340 | 33,502 | (6,728) | 26,774 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 547 | — | 547 | 547 | — | 547 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 288,881 | $ | (157,208) | $ | 131,673 | $ | 288,881 | $ | (128,077) | $ | 160,804 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Amortization expense for intangible assets was $29.1 million, $21.8 million and $21.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Based on the current balance of finite-lived intangible assets, the estimated amortization expense is $29.1 million for each of the years 2026 through 2029 and $2.4 million for 2030.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 24, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2015 | Feb 24, 2016 | |
About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures
Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.
Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.