Note 12 – Segment Reporting

We manage our business activities on a consolidated basis and operate as a single operating segment: Wireless. We primarily derive our revenue in the United States by providing wireless communications and broadband services to customers using our wireless networks and selling devices that provide customers access to our wireless networks. The accounting policies of the Wireless segment are the same as those described in Note 1 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

Our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) is our President and Chief Executive Officer. The CODM uses Net income, as reported on our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, in evaluating performance of the Wireless segment and determining how to allocate resources of the Company as a whole, including investing in our networks and customers, stockholder return programs and acquisition strategy. The CODM does not review assets in evaluating the results of the Wireless segment, and therefore, such information is not presented.

The following table provides the operating financial results of our Wireless segment:
Year Ended December 31,
(in millions)202520242023
Total revenues$88,309 $81,400 $78,558 
Less: Significant and other segment expenses
Cost of equipment sales21,277 18,882 18,533 
Employee expenses 8,553 7,041 7,629 
Lease expense5,197 5,066 5,398 
Advertising expense3,668 3,067 2,515 
Bad debt expense1,370 1,192 898 
Other segment items (1)
16,179 15,223 16,526 
Impairment expense278 — — 
Gain on disposal group held for sale— — (25)
Depreciation and amortization13,508 12,919 12,818 
Interest expense, net3,774 3,411 3,335 
Other expense (income), net224 (113)(68)
Income tax expense3,289 3,373 2,682 
Segment net income$10,992 $11,339 $8,317 
(1)Other segment items included in Segment net income primarily includes certain third-party commissions, external labor and services and backhaul expenses.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 11, 2026Showing above
2024Jan 31, 2025

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.