e10vq
UNITED
STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.
20549
Form 10-Q
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(Mark One)
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þ
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QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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For the quarterly period ended
March 31, 2007
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or
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o
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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For the transition period
from to
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Commission file number 1-04721
SPRINT NEXTEL
CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as
specified in its charter)
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Kansas
(State or other
jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
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48-0457967
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
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2001 Edmund Halley Drive,
Reston, Virginia
(Address of principal
executive offices)
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20191
(Zip
Code)
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Registrants telephone number, including area code:
(703)
433-4000
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed
all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding
12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to file such reports), and (2) has been
subject to such filing requirements for the past
90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large
accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated
filer. See definition of accelerated filer and large accelerated
filer in
Rule 12b-2
of the Exchange Act. (check one):
Large accelerated
filer þ Accelerated
filer o Non-accelerated
filer o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company
(as defined in
Rule 12b-2
of the Exchange
Act.) Yes o No þ
COMMON
SHARES OUTSTANDING AT APRIL 30, 2007:
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VOTING COMMON STOCK
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Series 1
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2,813,799,177
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Series 2
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79,831,333
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SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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Page
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Reference
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PART I
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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Item 1.
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Financial Statements
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Consolidated Balance Sheets
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1
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Consolidated Statements of
Operations
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2
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Consolidated Statements of Cash
Flows
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3
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Consolidated Statement of
Shareholders Equity
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4
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Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements
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5
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Report of Independent Registered
Public Accounting Firm
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25
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Item 2.
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Managements Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
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26
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Item 3.
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Quantitative and Qualitative
Disclosures About Market Risk
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51
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Item 4.
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Controls and Procedures
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51
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PART II OTHER
INFORMATION
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Item 1.
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Legal Proceedings
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52
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Item 1A
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Risk Factors
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52
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Item 2.
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Unregistered Sales of Equity
Securities and Use of Proceeds
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52
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Item 3.
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Defaults Upon Senior Securities
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53
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Item 4.
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Submission of Matters to a Vote of
Security Holders
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53
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Item 5.
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Other Information
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53
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Item 6.
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Exhibits
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53
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Signature
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56
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PART I
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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Item 1.
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Financial
Statements
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SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
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March 31,
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December 31,
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2007
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2006
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(unaudited)
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(in millions, except share data)
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ASSETS
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Current assets
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Cash and cash equivalents
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$
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2,346
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$
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2,046
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Marketable securities
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8
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|
15
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Accounts receivable, net of
allowance for doubtful accounts of $421 and $421
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4,258
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4,595
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Inventories
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884
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1,176
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Deferred tax assets
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602
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923
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Prepaid expenses and other current
assets
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849
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1,549
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Total current assets
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8,947
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10,304
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Investments
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261
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253
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Property, plant and
equipment, net of
accumulated depreciation of $17,835 and $16,569
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26,071
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25,868
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Intangible assets
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Goodwill
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30,556
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30,904
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FCC licenses and other
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20,384
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19,935
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Customer relationships, net
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6,348
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7,256
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Other definite lived intangible
assets, net
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1,916
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1,962
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Other assets
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606
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679
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$
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95,089
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$
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97,161
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LIABILITIES AND
SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
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Current liabilities
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Accounts payable
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$
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3,307
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$
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3,394
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Accrued expenses and other
liabilities
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4,606
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5,261
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Current portion of long-term debt
and capital lease obligations
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419
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1,143
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Total current liabilities
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8,332
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9,798
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Long-term debt and capital lease
obligations
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21,752
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21,011
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Deferred tax
liabilities
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9,160
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10,095
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Pension and other postretirement
benefit obligations
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244
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244
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Other liabilities
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3,129
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2,882
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Total liabilities
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42,617
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44,030
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Commitments and
contingencies
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Shareholders
equity
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Common shares
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Voting, par value $2.00 per
share, 6.500 billion shares authorized, 2.951 billion
shares issued and 2.891 billion shares outstanding and
2.951 billion shares issued and 2.897 billion shares
outstanding
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5,902
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5,902
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Paid-in capital
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46,501
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46,664
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Retained earnings
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1,288
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1,638
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Treasury shares, at cost
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(1,073
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)
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(925
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)
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Accumulated other comprehensive loss
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(146
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)
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(148
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)
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Total shareholders equity
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52,472
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53,131
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$
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95,089
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$
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97,161
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See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
1
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
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Quarter Ended March 31,
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2007
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2006
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(unaudited)
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(in millions,
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except per share amounts)
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Net operating
revenues
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$
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10,096
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$
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10,074
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Operating expenses
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|
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Costs of services and products
(exclusive of depreciation included below)
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4,350
|
|
|
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4,074
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Selling, general and administrative
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3,303
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|
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3,132
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Severance, lease exit costs and
asset impairments
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|
174
|
|
|
|
38
|
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Depreciation
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|
1,355
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|
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|
1,408
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Amortization
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|
913
|
|
|
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938
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,095
|
|
|
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9,590
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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Operating income
|
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|
1
|
|
|
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484
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|
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Other income (expense)
|
|
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Interest expense
|
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(367
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)
|
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(394
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)
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Interest income
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|
31
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|
|
|
84
|
|
Equity in (losses) earnings of
unconsolidated investees, net
|
|
|
(2
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)
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|
20
|
|
Other, net
|
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|
(2
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)
|
|
|
56
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) income from continuing
operations before income taxes
|
|
|
(339
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)
|
|
|
250
|
|
Income tax benefit
(expense)
|
|
|
128
|
|
|
|
(86
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)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) income from continuing
operations
|
|
|
(211
|
)
|
|
|
164
|
|
Discontinued operations, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
255
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net (loss) income
|
|
|
(211
|
)
|
|
|
419
|
|
Preferred shares dividends
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
(Loss) income available to
common shareholders
|
|
$
|
(211
|
)
|
|
$
|
417
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic and diluted (loss)
earnings per common share
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Continuing operations
|
|
$
|
(0.07
|
)
|
|
$
|
0.05
|
|
Discontinued operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.09
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Total
|
|
$
|
(0.07
|
)
|
|
$
|
0.14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic weighted average common
shares outstanding
|
|
|
2,899
|
|
|
|
2,966
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted weighted average common
shares outstanding
|
|
|
2,899
|
|
|
|
2,994
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
2
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
(unaudited)
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Cash flows from operating
activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net (loss) income
|
|
$
|
(211
|
)
|
|
$
|
419
|
|
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss)
income to net cash provided by operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income from discontinued operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(255
|
)
|
Provision for losses on accounts
receivable
|
|
|
197
|
|
|
|
110
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
2,268
|
|
|
|
2,346
|
|
Deferred income taxes
|
|
|
(185
|
)
|
|
|
129
|
|
Share-based compensation expense
|
|
|
73
|
|
|
|
105
|
|
Other, net
|
|
|
(36
|
)
|
|
|
(91
|
)
|
Changes in assets and liabilities,
net of effects of acquisitions:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Accounts receivable
|
|
|
119
|
|
|
|
273
|
|
Inventories and other current assets
|
|
|
114
|
|
|
|
(69
|
)
|
Accounts payable and other current
liabilities
|
|
|
242
|
|
|
|
(688
|
)
|
Non-current assets and liabilities,
net
|
|
|
(117
|
)
|
|
|
(12
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by continuing
operations
|
|
|
2,464
|
|
|
|
2,267
|
|
Net cash provided by discontinued
operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
698
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating
activities
|
|
|
2,464
|
|
|
|
2,965
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from investing
activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital expenditures
|
|
|
(1,813
|
)
|
|
|
(1,728
|
)
|
Expenditures relating to FCC
licenses and other intangible assets
|
|
|
(109
|
)
|
|
|
(136
|
)
|
Cash collateral for securities loan
agreements
|
|
|
866
|
|
|
|
|
|
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(3,399
|
)
|
Proceeds from sales of assets and
investments
|
|
|
27
|
|
|
|
123
|
|
Purchases of marketable securities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(464
|
)
|
Proceeds from maturities and sales
of marketable securities
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
|
1,294
|
|
Other, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
51
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in investing
activities
|
|
|
(1,022
|
)
|
|
|
(4,259
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from financing
activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Borrowings under credit facility
|
|
|
750
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase and retirements of debt
|
|
|
(608
|
)
|
|
|
(868
|
)
|
Proceeds from issuance of
commercial paper
|
|
|
2,591
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maturities of commercial paper
|
|
|
(2,706
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Payments of securities loan
agreements
|
|
|
(866
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase of common shares
|
|
|
(300
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Retirement of redeemable preferred
shares
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(247
|
)
|
Proceeds from issuance of common
shares
|
|
|
69
|
|
|
|
185
|
|
Dividends paid
|
|
|
(72
|
)
|
|
|
(76
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in financing
activities
|
|
|
(1,142
|
)
|
|
|
(1,006
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net increase (decrease) in cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
|
300
|
|
|
|
(2,300
|
)
|
Cash and cash equivalents,
beginning of period
|
|
|
2,046
|
|
|
|
8,903
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents, end
of period
|
|
$
|
2,346
|
|
|
$
|
6,603
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common Shares
|
|
|
Paid-in
|
|
|
Retained
|
|
|
Treasury Shares
|
|
|
Comprehensive
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Capital
|
|
|
Earnings
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Loss
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
Balance, December 31,
2006
|
|
|
2,951
|
|
|
$
|
5,902
|
|
|
$
|
46,664
|
|
|
$
|
1,638
|
|
|
|
54
|
|
|
$
|
(925
|
)
|
|
$
|
(148
|
)
|
|
$
|
53,131
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(211
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(211
|
)
|
Other comprehensive income, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total comprehensive loss
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(209
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adoption of
FIN 48(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
Issuance of common shares, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(20
|
)
|
|
|
(71
|
)
|
|
|
(9
|
)
|
|
|
152
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
61
|
|
Purchase of treasury shares
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15
|
|
|
|
(300
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(300
|
)
|
Common shares dividends
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(72
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(72
|
)
|
Share-based compensation expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
70
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
70
|
|
Investment dilution due to
affiliate equity issuances,
net(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(213
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(213
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, March 31,
2007
|
|
|
2,951
|
|
|
$
|
5,902
|
|
|
$
|
46,501
|
|
|
$
|
1,288
|
|
|
|
60
|
|
|
$
|
(1,073
|
)
|
|
$
|
(146
|
)
|
|
$
|
52,472
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
See note 9 for details regarding the adoption of
FIN 48. |
|
(2) |
|
See note 3 for additional details. |
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited).
4
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
(Unaudited)
|
|
Note 1.
|
Basis of
Presentation
|
Our unaudited consolidated financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and reflect all
adjustments that are necessary for a fair presentation of the
results for interim periods. All adjustments made were of a
normal recurring nature, except as described in the notes below.
Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included
in annual consolidated financial statements prepared according
to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
have been omitted. As a result, you should read these
consolidated financial statements along with the consolidated
financial statements and notes contained in our annual report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006. Operating results for
the interim period should not be viewed as representative of
results that may be expected for the year ending
December 31, 2007.
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United
States, which require management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities
at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the
reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting
period. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making those
estimates, actual results could differ from those estimates.
Areas in which significant estimates have been made include, but
are not limited to, the allowance for doubtful accounts
receivable, inventory obsolescence, tax valuation allowances,
useful lives for property, plant and equipment and definite
lived intangible assets, intangible asset impairment analyses
and the evaluation of uncertain tax positions.
Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform
to the current period presentation.
Supplemental
Cash Flow Information from Continuing Operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Interest paid, net of capitalized
interest
|
|
$
|
413
|
|
|
$
|
429
|
|
Interest received
|
|
|
31
|
|
|
|
79
|
|
Income taxes paid
|
|
|
10
|
|
|
|
74
|
|
Earnings
(Loss) per Common Share
Basic earnings (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing
income (loss) available to common shareholders by the weighted
average number of common shares outstanding during the period.
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share adjusts basic earnings
(loss) per common share for the effects of potentially dilutive
common shares. Potentially dilutive common shares include the
dilutive effects of shares issuable under our equity plans
computed using the treasury stock method, and the dilutive
effects of shares issuable upon the conversion of our
convertible senior notes computed using the if-converted method.
Shares issuable under our equity plans were antidilutive in the
first quarter 2007 because we incurred a net loss from
continuing operations. Dilutive shares issuable under our equity
plans, used in calculating earnings per common share, were
28 million shares for the first quarter 2006. All
11 million shares issuable upon the assumed conversion of
our convertible senior notes could potentially dilute earnings
per share in the future; however, they were excluded from the
calculation of diluted earnings per common share for the first
quarter 2006 due to their antidilutive effects. Additionally,
about 64 million average shares issuable under the equity
plans that could also potentially dilute earnings per share in
the future were excluded from the calculation of diluted
earnings per common share for the first quarter 2006 as the
exercise prices exceeded the average market price during this
period.
5
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Dividends
On February 27, 2007, our board of directors declared a
dividend of $0.025 per share on our common shares, payable
to shareholders of record at the close of business on
March 9, 2007. The dividend was paid on March 30, 2007.
Share
Repurchase Program
On July 25, 2006, our board of directors authorized the
purchase of up to $6.0 billion of our Series 1 common
stock through open market purchases. This authorization will
expire upon the earlier of the full repurchase of the authorized
shares or during the first quarter 2008. The number of shares
purchased and the timing of any purchases will vary throughout
the purchase period. In the first quarter 2007, we repurchased
about 15 million shares of our Series 1 common stock
for $300 million at an average price of $19.61. As of
March 31, 2007, we had repurchased a total of
113 million shares of our Series 1 common stock for
$1.9 billion at an average price of $17.14 per share.
Significant
New Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2006, the Emerging Issues Task Force, or EITF, reached a
consensus on Issue
No. 06-3,
How Taxes Collected from Customers and Remitted to
Governmental Authorities Should Be Presented in the Income
Statement (That Is, Gross versus Net Presentation). EITF
Issue
No. 06-3
requires that companies disclose their accounting policy
regarding the gross or net presentation of certain taxes. Taxes
within the scope of EITF Issue
No. 06-3
are any taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are
directly imposed on a revenue-producing transaction between a
seller and a customer and may include, but are not limited to,
sales, use, value added and some excise taxes. We adopted EITF
Issue
No. 06-3
on January 1, 2007. The adoption did not impact our
consolidated financial statements. We account for transaction
taxes such as sales, excise and usage taxes on a net basis.
Universal service fee revenues are recorded gross and represent
about 2% of net operating revenues for the periods presented.
In September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or
FASB, issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards, or
SFAS, No. 157, Fair Value Measurements. This
statement defines fair value and establishes a framework for
measuring fair value. Additionally, this statement expands
disclosure requirements for fair value with a particular focus
on measurement inputs. SFAS No. 157 is effective for
our quarterly reporting period ending March 31, 2008. We
are in the process of evaluating the impact of this statement on
our consolidated financial statements.
In September 2006, the EITF reached a consensus on Issue
No. 06-1,
Accounting for Consideration Given by a Service Provider to
Manufacturers or Resellers of Equipment Necessary for an
End-Customer to Receive Service from the Service Provider.
EITF Issue
No. 06-1
provides guidance regarding whether the consideration given by a
service provider to a manufacturer or reseller of specialized
equipment should be characterized as a reduction of revenue or
an expense. This issue is effective for our quarterly reporting
period ending March 31, 2008. Entities are required to
recognize the effects of applying this issue as a change in
accounting principle through retrospective application to all
prior periods unless it is impracticable to do so. We are in the
process of evaluating the impact of this issue on our
consolidated financial statements.
In February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, The
Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial
Liabilities Including an Amendment of FASB Statement
No. 115. This statement allows entities to measure
assets and liabilities at fair value and report any unrecognized
gains or losses in earnings subsequent to adoption. The
statement serves to minimize the fluctuations in earnings that
occur when assets and liabilities are measured differently
without imposing hedge accounting requirements. This statement
is effective for our quarterly reporting period ending
March 31, 2008 and must be applied in conjunction with
SFAS No. 157. We are in the process of evaluating the
impact of this statement on our consolidated financial
statements.
6
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
Note 2.
|
Discontinued
Operations
|
On May 17, 2006, we completed the spin-off of our local
communications business, which is now known as Embarq
Corporation. Embarq offers regulated local communications
services as an incumbent local exchange carrier. Embarq provides
a suite of communications services, consisting of local and long
distance voice and data services, including high-speed Internet
access. As required by SFAS No. 144, Accounting for
the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, and as
permitted by SFAS No. 95, Statement of Cash
Flows, the results of operations and cash flows from
operating activities of this business for 2006 are presented as
discontinued operations.
In the spin-off, we distributed pro rata to our shareholders one
share of Embarq common stock for every 20 shares held of
our voting and non-voting common stock, or about
149 million shares of Embarq common stock. Cash was paid
for fractional shares. The distribution of Embarq common stock
is considered a tax free transaction for us and for our
shareholders, except cash payments made in lieu of fractional
shares, which are generally taxable.
In connection with the spin-off, Embarq transferred to our
parent company $2.1 billion in cash and about
$4.5 billion of Embarq senior notes in partial
consideration for, and as a condition to, our transfer to Embarq
of the local communications business. Embarq also retained about
$665 million in debt obligations of its subsidiaries. Our
parent company transferred the cash and senior notes to our
finance subsidiary, Sprint Capital Corporation, in satisfaction
of indebtedness owed by our parent company to Sprint Capital. On
May 19, 2006, Sprint Capital sold the Embarq senior notes
to the public, and received about $4.4 billion in net
proceeds.
Also, in connection with the spin-off, we entered into a
separation and distribution agreement and related agreements
with Embarq, which provide that generally each party will be
responsible for its respective assets, liabilities and
businesses following the spin-off and that we and Embarq will
provide each other with certain transition services relating to
our respective businesses for specified periods at cost-based
prices. The transition services primarily include billing, field
support, information technology and real estate services. We
also entered into agreements pursuant to which we and Embarq
will provide each other with specified services at commercial
rates. Further, the agreements provide for a settlement process
surrounding the transfer of certain assets and liabilities. It
is possible that adjustments will occur in future periods as
these matters are settled.
At the time of the spin-off, all outstanding options to purchase
our common stock held by employees of Embarq were cancelled and
replaced with options to purchase Embarq common stock.
Outstanding options to purchase our common stock held by our
directors and employees who remained with us were adjusted by
multiplying the number of shares subject to the options by
1.0955 and dividing the exercise price by the same number in
order to account for the impact of the spin-off on the value of
our shares at the time the spin-off was completed.
Generally, restricted stock units awarded pursuant to our equity
incentive plans and held by our employees at the time of the
spin-off (including those held by those of our employees who
became employees of Embarq) were treated in a manner similar to
the treatment of outstanding shares of our common stock in the
spin-off. Holders of these restricted stock units received one
Embarq restricted stock unit for every 20 restricted stock units
held. Outstanding deferred shares granted under the Nextel
Incentive Equity Plan, which represent the right to receive
shares of our common stock, were adjusted by multiplying the
number of deferred shares by 1.0955. Cash was paid to the
holders of deferred shares in lieu of fractional shares.
7
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
The results of operations of the local communications business
were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended
|
|
|
|
March 31, 2006
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Net operating revenue
|
|
$
|
1,561
|
|
Income before income taxes
|
|
|
417
|
|
Income tax expense
|
|
|
162
|
|
Income from discontinued operations
|
|
|
255
|
|
|
|
Note 3.
|
Business
Combinations
|
We have accounted for our acquisitions in the Wireless segment
under the purchase method as required by SFAS No. 141,
Business Combinations. SFAS No. 141 requires
that the total purchase price of each of the acquired entities
be allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed
based on their fair values at the respective acquisition dates.
The allocation process requires an analysis of intangible
assets, such as Federal Communications Commission, or FCC,
licenses, customer relationships, trade names, rights under
affiliation agreements, acquired contractual rights and assumed
contractual commitments and legal contingencies to identify and
record all assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their fair
value. In valuing acquired assets and assumed liabilities, fair
values are based on, but are not limited to: quoted market
prices, where available; our intent with respect to whether the
assets purchased are to be held, sold or abandoned; expected
future cash flows; current replacement cost for similar capacity
for certain property, plant and equipment; market rate
assumptions for contractual obligations; and appropriate
discount rates and growth rates. The results of operations for
all acquired companies are included in our consolidated
financial statements either from the date of acquisition or from
the start of the month closest to the acquisition date.
We have relied in part on commercial affiliation arrangements
between us and third party affiliates, each referred to as a PCS
Affiliate, to offer Sprint-branded digital wireless service in
and around certain smaller U.S. metropolitan areas. Until
our acquisition of Nextel Partners, Inc., we relied on
commercial arrangements between us and Nextel Partners to offer
Nextel branded digital wireless service in and around certain
smaller U.S. metropolitan areas. During 2006, we acquired
several PCS Affiliates, including Enterprise Communications
Partnership, Alamosa Holdings, Inc. and UbiquiTel Inc., as well
as Velocita Wireless Holdings Corporation and the remaining 72%
of Nextel Partners that we did not previously own for
$10.5 billion in cash in the aggregate. We paid a premium
(i.e., goodwill) over the fair value of the net tangible and
identified intangible assets of these entities because we
believed the acquisition of the PCS Affiliates and Nextel
Partners would give us more control of the distribution of
services under the
Sprint®
and
Nextel®
brands, and would provide us with strategic and financial
benefits associated with a larger customer base and expanded
network coverage. We acquired Velocita Wireless, primarily to
increase our licenses to use spectrum in the 900 megahertz, or
MHz, spectrum band.
8
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Changes to the initial purchase price allocations for these
acquisitions have occurred based on further analysis and
valuations of certain assets and liabilities, and are summarized
in the table below along with the respective total fair value
amounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation
|
|
|
|
As of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
Adjustments
|
|
|
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Goodwill
|
|
$
|
9,788
|
|
|
$
|
(372
|
)
|
|
$
|
9,416
|
|
FCC licenses
|
|
|
1,031
|
|
|
|
281
|
|
|
|
1,312
|
|
Reacquired rights
|
|
|
849
|
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
|
858
|
|
Customer relationships
|
|
|
2,349
|
|
|
|
(51
|
)
|
|
|
2,298
|
|
Property, plant and equipment
|
|
|
1,564
|
|
|
|
(55
|
)
|
|
|
1,509
|
|
Other assets
|
|
|
1,683
|
|
|
|
(25
|
)
|
|
|
1,658
|
|
Long-term debt
|
|
|
(2,818
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,818
|
)
|
Other liabilities
|
|
|
(1,002
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,002
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net assets acquired
|
|
$
|
13,444
|
|
|
$
|
(213
|
)
|
|
$
|
13,231
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
During the quarter ended March 31, 2007, a net decrease was
made to goodwill in the amount of $372 million, primarily
due to adjustments to the fair value of assets and liabilities,
including FCC licenses, reacquired rights, customer
relationships and property, plant and equipment, as well as an
adjustment to the net assets of Nextel Partners relating to the
dilution of our ownership interest in Nextel Partners prior to
our acquisition. We are in the process of completing our
valuation of certain of the assets and liabilities, as well as
internal studies of certain assets, property, plant and
equipment, intangible assets, certain liabilities and commercial
contracts, which, when finalized, may result in additional
adjustments to the purchase price allocation for the acquired
assets and assumed liabilities of UbiquiTel and Nextel Partners.
There will be no further purchase accounting adjustments related
to the Enterprise Communications, Alamosa Holdings and Velocita
Wireless acquisitions, except when required by certain
accounting rules. See note 5 for information regarding the
useful lives of acquired definite lived intangible assets as
well as other information regarding intangible assets.
|
|
Note 4.
|
Share-Based
Compensation
|
Share-Based
Payment Plans
As of March 31, 2007, we sponsored three equity incentive
plans, as well as our Employees Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP.
Under the 1997 Long-Term Stock Incentive Program, or the 1997
Program, until April 15, 2007, the date that the 1997
Program expired, we had the authority to grant equity-based
awards for up to about 219 million common shares, of which
about 123 million common shares were available as of
March 31, 2007. On January 1, 2007, the number of
shares available under the 1997 Program increased by about
43 million shares. As of March 31, 2007, under the
Nextel Incentive Equity Plan, we had the authority to grant
equity-based awards for about 109 million common shares, of
which about 52 million common shares were available. As of
March 31, 2007, options to buy about 32 million common
shares were outstanding under the Management Incentive Stock
Option Plan, or MISOP, and the ESPP authorized about
22 million shares for future purchases. Currently, we use
treasury shares to satisfy share-based awards or new shares if
no treasury shares are available.
Refer to note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements in our annual report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006 for additional
information regarding these plans.
9
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
On May 8, 2007, our shareholders approved the 2007 Omnibus
Incentive Plan, or the 2007 Plan. Under the 2007 Plan, we may
grant stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted
stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance
units and other equity-based and cash awards to our employees,
outside directors and certain other service providers for up to
about 200 million shares. The Human Capital and
Compensation Committee, or HC & CC, of our board of
directors or one or more executive officers should the
HC & CC so authorize, as provided in the 2007 Plan,
will determine the terms of each equity-based award. No new
grants could be made under the 1997 Program after April 15,
2007 and no additional grants will be made under the Nextel
Incentive Equity Plan.
Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123R
Effective January 1, 2006, we adopted
SFAS No. 123R, Share-Based Payment, which
supersedes SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation. The adoption of SFAS No. 123R did
not have a material effect on our consolidated financial
statements as we adopted SFAS No. 123 in 2003.
Share-based compensation cost charged against net income (loss)
for our share-based award plans was $73 million for the
first quarter 2007 and $121 million for the first quarter
2006. Share-based compensation cost charged against income
(loss) from continuing operations for our share-based award
plans was $73 million for the first quarter 2007 and
$105 million for the first quarter 2006.
The total income tax benefit recognized in the consolidated
financial statements for share-based award compensation was
$28 million for the first quarter 2007 and $45 million
for the first quarter 2006. The income tax benefit recognized in
the consolidated financial statements related to continuing
operations was $28 million for the first quarter 2007 and
$38 million for the first quarter 2006.
As of March 31, 2007, there was $431 million of total
unrecognized compensation cost related to our share-based award
plans that is expected to be recognized over a weighted average
period of 2.14 years. Cash received from exercise under all
share-based payment arrangements was $69 million for the
first quarter 2007 and $185 million for the first quarter
2006. The actual tax benefit realized for the tax deductions
from exercise of the share-based payment arrangements totaled
$2 million for the first quarter 2007 and $4 million
for the first quarter 2006.
Under our share-based payment plans, we had options, restricted
stock units and nonvested shares outstanding as of
March 31, 2007. Awards with graded vesting are recognized
using the straight-line method. Forfeitures were estimated for
share-based awards using a 4% weighted average annual rate.
10
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Options
The fair value of each option award is estimated on the grant
date using the Black-Scholes option valuation model and the
assumptions noted in the following table. The risk-free rate
used in 2006 and 2007 is based on the zero-coupon
U.S. Treasury bond, with a term equal to the expected term
of the options. The expected volatility used in 2006 and 2007 is
the implied volatility from traded options on our common shares
over a period that approximates the expected term of the
options. The expected dividend yield used in 2006 and 2007 is
estimated based on our historical dividend yields and other
factors. The expected term of options granted in 2006 and 2007
is estimated using the average of the vesting date and the
contractual term. Options outstanding as of March 31, 2007
include options granted under the 1997 Program, the MISOP and
the Nextel Incentive Equity Plan, as discussed above.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006(1)
|
|
|
Weighted average grant date fair
value
|
|
$
|
6.28
|
|
|
$
|
6.97
|
|
Risk free interest rate
|
|
|
4.46
|
%
|
|
|
4.53
|
%-4.79%
|
Expected
volatility(2)
|
|
|
26.6
|
%
|
|
|
22.5
|
%-25.9%
|
Weighted average expected
volatility(2)
|
|
|
26.6
|
%
|
|
|
25.9
|
%
|
Expected dividend yield
|
|
|
0.53
|
%
|
|
|
0.47
|
%-0.49%
|
Weighted average expected dividend
yield
|
|
|
0.53
|
%
|
|
|
0.48
|
%
|
Expected term (years)
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
Options granted (millions)
|
|
|
13.3
|
|
|
|
14.3
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Values, other than the risk free interest rate and the
expected term, have been adjusted for the spin-off of Embarq
based on the 1.0955 conversion rate. |
|
(2) |
|
Based on the implied volatility of exchange traded options,
consistent with the guidance in SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin,
or SAB, No. 107, Share-Based Payment. |
A summary of the status of the options under our option plans as
of March 31, 2007, and changes during the quarter then
ended, is presented below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average per
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Share
|
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
Aggregate
|
|
|
|
Under
|
|
|
Exercise
|
|
|
Average Remaining
|
|
|
Intrinsic
|
|
|
|
Option
|
|
|
Price
|
|
|
Contractual Term
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(in years)
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Outstanding January 1, 2007
|
|
|
171
|
|
|
$
|
23.33
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Granted(1)
|
|
|
13
|
|
|
|
18.78
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercised(2)
|
|
|
(6
|
)
|
|
|
10.84
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forfeited/expired
|
|
|
(5
|
)
|
|
|
29.64
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding March 31, 2007
|
|
|
173
|
|
|
$
|
23.27
|
|
|
|
5.27
|
|
|
$
|
321
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vested or expected to vest at
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
171
|
|
|
$
|
23.31
|
|
|
|
5.22
|
|
|
$
|
321
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercisable at March 31, 2007
|
|
|
137
|
|
|
$
|
24.33
|
|
|
|
4.39
|
|
|
$
|
298
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Options vest ratably over three years. |
|
(2) |
|
The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the
first quarter 2007 was $50 million and during the first
quarter 2006 was $138 million. |
11
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Restricted
Stock Units
The fair value of each restricted stock unit award is calculated
using the share price at the date of grant. A summary of the
status of the restricted stock units as of March 31, 2007
and changes during the quarter then ended is presented below.
Restricted stock units consist of those units granted under the
1997 Program, as discussed above.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted Average Grant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date Fair Value of
|
|
|
|
Restricted Stock Units
|
|
|
Restricted Stock Units
|
|
|
|
Future
|
|
|
|
|
|
Future
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Performance
|
|
|
Future
|
|
|
Performance
|
|
|
Future
|
|
|
|
and Service
|
|
|
Service
|
|
|
and Service
|
|
|
Service
|
|
|
|
Required(1)
|
|
|
Required
|
|
|
Required(1)
|
|
|
Required
|
|
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding January 1, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,761
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
19.14
|
|
Granted
|
|
|
6,115
|
|
|
|
403
|
|
|
|
18.78
|
|
|
|
17.80
|
|
Vested
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(3,268
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18.22
|
|
Forfeited
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(190
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
24.15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding March 31, 2007
|
|
|
6,115
|
|
|
|
5,706
|
|
|
$
|
18.78
|
|
|
$
|
20.95
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
We evaluate performance conditions for certain restricted
stock units at the end of the performance period. The 2007
awards are performance-based and will be adjusted at the end of
the three year performance and vesting periods, based on our
achievement of defined financial and operating objectives. |
The total fair value of restricted stock units vested was
$59 million during the first quarter 2007 and
$36 million during the first quarter 2006. The
weighted-average grant date fair value of restricted stock units
granted during the first quarter 2007 was $18.72 per unit,
compared with $23.14 per unit for the same prior year
period.
Most restricted stock units outstanding as of March 31,
2007 are entitled to dividend equivalents paid in cash, but
performance-based restricted stock units are not entitled to
dividend equivalent payments until the applicable performance
period has been completed. Dividend equivalents paid on
restricted stock units are charged to retained earnings when
paid.
Nonvested
Shares
Nonvested shares outstanding as of March 31, 2007 consist
of restricted shares granted under the 1997 Program and deferred
shares granted under the Nextel Incentive Equity Plan, as
discussed above. The fair value of each nonvested share award is
calculated using the share price at the date of grant. All
nonvested shares outstanding as of March 31, 2007 will be
vested in full by the end of 2008. The total fair value of
shares vested was about $738,000 during the first quarter 2007
and $16 million during the first quarter 2006.
12
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
Note 5.
|
Intangible
Assets
|
Indefinite
Lived Intangibles
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effect from
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adoption of
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
Adjustments(1)
|
|
|
FIN 48(2)
|
|
|
Additions
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Goodwill
|
|
$
|
30,904
|
|
|
$
|
(372
|
)
|
|
$
|
24
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
30,556
|
|
FCC licenses
|
|
|
19,519
|
|
|
|
281
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
168
|
|
|
|
19,968
|
|
Trademarks
|
|
|
416
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
416
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
50,839
|
|
|
$
|
(91
|
)
|
|
$
|
24
|
|
|
$
|
168
|
|
|
$
|
50,940
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
See note 3 for additional information. |
|
(2) |
|
See note 9 for details of the adoption of
FIN 48. |
We have identified FCC licenses and our Sprint and Boost Mobile
trademarks as indefinite lived intangible assets, in addition to
our goodwill, after considering the expected use of the assets,
the regulatory and economic environment within which they are
being used, and the effects of obsolescence on their use. The
Sprint and Boost Mobile trademarks are highly respected brands
with positive connotations. We have no legal, regulatory or
contractual limitations associated with our trademarks. We
cultivate and protect the use of our brands.
We hold several kinds of FCC licenses to deploy our wireless
services: 1.9 gigahertz, or GHz, personal communications
services, or PCS, licenses utilized in our code division
multiple access, or CDMA, network, 800 MHz and 900 MHz
licenses utilized in our integrated Digital Enhanced Network, or
iDEN, and 2.5 GHz licenses that we use for first generation
wireless Internet access services, as well as backhaul for the
CDMA network. We also hold 2.5 GHz, 1.9 GHz and other
FCC licenses that we currently do not utilize in our networks or
operations. As long as we act within the requirements and
constraints of the regulatory authorities, the renewal and
extension of our licenses is reasonably certain at minimal cost.
FCC licenses authorize wireless carriers to use radio frequency
spectrum. That spectrum is a renewable, reusable resource that
does not deplete or exhaust over time. We are not aware of any
technology being developed that would render spectrum obsolete.
Currently, there are no changes in the competitive or
legislative environments that would put in question the future
need for spectrum licenses.
During the fourth quarter 2006, we performed our annual goodwill
and other indefinite lived intangible asset impairment analyses.
The result of these analyses was that our indefinite lived
intangible assets were not impaired. As permitted by FASB
guidance, our goodwill analysis included an estimate of a
control premium with respect to the minority interest traded
value of our common shares and an estimate of the value of our
wireline business, as well as other assumptions. As of
March 31, 2007, we have not identified any indicators of
impairment with respect to our goodwill or other indefinite
lived intangible assets. However, if our share price were to
experience a sustained, significant decline as compared to the
share price as of March 31, 2007, or if any other indicator
of impairment exists, such as a significant decline in expected
cash flows, we may be required to perform the second step of the
goodwill impairment test, which could cause us to recognize a
non-cash impairment charge that could be material to our
consolidated financial statements.
13
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Definite
Lived Intangibles
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
December 31, 2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
|
|
|
Gross
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carrying
|
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
Carrying
|
|
|
Carrying
|
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
Carrying
|
|
|
|
Useful Lives
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Amortization
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
Amortization
|
|
|
Value
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Customer relationships
|
|
|
3 to 5 years
|
|
|
$
|
12,173
|
|
|
$
|
(5,825
|
)
|
|
$
|
6,348
|
|
|
$
|
12,224
|
|
|
$
|
(4,968
|
)
|
|
$
|
7,256
|
|
Trademarks
|
|
|
10 years
|
|
|
|
900
|
|
|
|
(147
|
)
|
|
|
753
|
|
|
|
900
|
|
|
|
(125
|
)
|
|
|
775
|
|
Reacquired rights
|
|
|
9 to 14 years
|
|
|
|
1,212
|
|
|
|
(112
|
)
|
|
|
1,100
|
|
|
|
1,203
|
|
|
|
(82
|
)
|
|
|
1,121
|
|
Other
|
|
|
1 to 14 years
|
|
|
|
80
|
|
|
|
(17
|
)
|
|
|
63
|
|
|
|
79
|
|
|
|
(13
|
)
|
|
|
66
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
14,365
|
|
|
$
|
(6,101
|
)
|
|
$
|
8,264
|
|
|
$
|
14,406
|
|
|
$
|
(5,188
|
)
|
|
$
|
9,218
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Remaining
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Estimated amortization expense
|
|
$
|
2,382
|
|
|
$
|
2,404
|
|
|
$
|
1,528
|
|
|
$
|
712
|
|
|
$
|
232
|
|
Definite lived intangible assets consist primarily of customer
relationships that are amortized over three to five years using
the sum of the years digits method, which we believe best
reflects the estimated pattern in which the economic benefits
will be consumed. Other definite lived intangible assets
primarily include certain rights under affiliation agreements
that we reacquired in connection with the acquisitions of the
PCS Affiliates and Nextel Partners, which are being amortized
over the remaining terms of those affiliation agreements on a
straight-line basis, and the Nextel and Direct Connect trade
names, which are being amortized over ten years from the date of
the Sprint-Nextel merger on a straight-line basis. We recorded
aggregate amortization expense of $913 million for the
first quarter 2007 and $938 million for the first quarter
2006.
We continually assess whether any indicators of impairment exist
that would trigger a test of any of these definite life
intangible assets, including, but not limited to, a significant
decrease in the market price of or the cash flows expected to be
derived from the asset, or a significant change in the extent or
manner in which the asset is used. In addition, if we ever were
required to determine the implied fair value of our goodwill as
part of a second step goodwill impairment test, it would result
in our evaluating the recorded value of our definite lived
intangible assets for impairment. We also evaluate the remaining
useful lives of our definite lived intangible assets each
reporting period to determine whether events and circumstances
warrant a revision to the remaining periods of amortization,
which would be addressed prospectively.
Spectrum
Reconfiguration Obligations
On February 7, 2005, Nextel accepted the terms and
conditions of the Report and Order of the FCC, which implemented
a spectrum reconfiguration plan designed to eliminate
interference with public safety operators in the 800 MHz
band. Under the terms of the Report and Order, Nextel
surrendered certain spectrum rights and received certain other
spectrum rights, and undertook to pay the costs incurred by
Nextel and third parties in connection with the reconfiguration
plan, which is required to be completed within a
36-month
period, subject to certain exceptions particularly with respect
to markets that border Mexico and Canada. We assumed these
obligations when we merged with Nextel in August 2005. If, as a
result of events within our control, we fail to complete the
reconfiguration plan within the
36-month
period, the FCC could take actions against us to enforce the
Report and Order. These actions could have adverse operating or
financial impacts on us, some of which could be material. We
believe that, based on our experiences to date, we will not
complete this reconfiguration process within the applicable FCC
designated time period due primarily to circumstances largely
outside of our control. We do not believe at this time that the
impact from this delay will be material to our results of
operations or financial condition, although there can be no
assurances. Recognizing the current limitations in the
reconfiguration process, we and the public safety community
jointly filed a letter
14
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
with the FCC on February 15, 2007, requesting that the FCC
direct the independent Transition Administrator, or TA, through
working closely with the affected parties, to develop a schedule
and benchmarks for completing the second phase of the
800 MHz reconfiguration. The FCC has not yet taken action
with regard to this request.
Based on the FCCs determination of the values of the
spectrum rights received and surrendered by Nextel, the minimum
obligation to be incurred under the Report and Order is
$2.8 billion. The Report and Order provides that qualifying
costs we incur as part of the reconfiguration plan, including
costs to reconfigure our own infrastructure and spectrum
positions, can be used to offset the minimum obligation of
$2.8 billion; however, we are obligated to pay the full
amount of the costs relating to the reconfiguration plan, even
if those costs exceed that amount. In addition, a financial
reconciliation is required to be completed at the end of the
reconfiguration implementation, at which time we will be
required to make a payment to the U.S. Treasury to the
extent that the value of the spectrum rights received exceeds
the total of (i) the value of the spectrum rights that are
surrendered and (ii) the qualifying costs referred to
above. As a result of the uncertainty with regard to the
calculation of the credit for our internal network costs, as
well as the significant number of variables outside of our
control, particularly with regard to the 800 MHz
reconfiguration licensee costs, we do not believe that we can
reasonably estimate what amount, if any, will be paid to the
U.S. Treasury. From the inception of the program through
March 31, 2007, we estimate that we have incurred
$790 million of costs directly attributable to the
reconfiguration program. This amount does not include any
indirect network costs that we have preliminarily allocated to
the reconfiguration program.
As of March 31, 2007, we had a remaining liability of
$122 million associated with the estimated portion of the
reconfiguration costs that represents our best estimate of
amounts to be paid under the Report and Order that would not
benefit our infrastructure or spectrum positions. All other
costs incurred pursuant to the Report and Order that relate to
the spectrum and infrastructure, when expended, are accounted
for either as property, plant and equipment or as additions to
the FCC licenses intangible asset, consistent with our
accounting policies. The following table represents expenditures
incurred directly attributable to our performance under the
Report and Order from the inception of the program:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Through
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
Through
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2006
|
|
|
Expenditures
|
|
|
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
FCC licenses
|
|
$
|
428
|
|
|
$
|
44
|
|
|
$
|
472
|
|
Property, plant and equipment
|
|
|
138
|
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
|
147
|
|
Costs not benefiting our
infrastructure or spectrum positions
|
|
|
155
|
|
|
|
16
|
|
|
|
171
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
721
|
|
|
$
|
69
|
|
|
$
|
790
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In addition, not included in the table above are estimated
reconfiguration costs incurred to date that are included in
property, plant and equipment on our consolidated balance sheet,
which are based on allocations between reconfiguration
activities and our normal network growth. These estimated
allocations may vary depending on key assumptions, including
subscribers, call volumes and other factors over the life of the
reconfiguration program. As a result, the amount allocated to
reconfiguration activity is subject to change based on
additional assessments made over the course of the
reconfiguration program. Since we, the TA and the FCC have not
yet reached an agreement on our methodology for calculating the
amount to be submitted for credit, we cannot provide assurance
that we will be granted full credit for certain of these
allocated network costs.
15
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
Note 6.
|
Severance,
Lease Exit Costs and Asset Impairments
|
In the first quarter 2007, total severance, lease exit costs and
asset impairment costs, which have been expensed in the
consolidated statement of operations, aggregated
$174 million compared to $38 million for the first
quarter 2006. We wrote off $8 million of assets primarily
related to the closing of retail stores due to integration
activities in the first quarter 2007 and $18 million of
assets primarily related to software asset impairments and
abandonment in our Wireless segment in the first quarter 2006.
In 2007, we continue to transition to unified customer care,
financial systems, device activation, billing and service and
technology platforms as a further step to completing our
integration initiatives associated with the Sprint-Nextel merger
and the PCS Affiliate and Nextel Partners acquisitions. The
resulting efficiencies, along with other business
simplification, process improvement initiatives and workforce
reductions, are expected to enable us to reduce our cost
structure. In the first quarter 2007, we reduced our full-time
headcount by using a combination of involuntary and voluntary
separation plans and, in connection with this reduction, and
expected future reductions, we recorded $145 million
related to severance liability with a corresponding charge to
severance expense. As of March 31, 2007, we have completed
the majority of our planned headcount reductions, the remainder
of which are expected to occur by year-end.
The following table provides an analysis of our severance and
lease exit costs liability, exclusive of exit costs associated
with business combinations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007 Activity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
|
|
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
|
Liability Balance
|
|
|
Expense
|
|
|
Payments
|
|
|
Liability Balance
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Lease terminations
|
|
$
|
80
|
|
|
$
|
21
|
|
|
$
|
(8
|
)
|
|
$
|
93
|
|
Severance
|
|
|
34
|
|
|
|
145
|
|
|
|
(25
|
)
|
|
|
154
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total costs
|
|
$
|
114
|
|
|
$
|
166
|
|
|
$
|
(33
|
)
|
|
$
|
247
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exit
Costs Associated with Business Combinations
We continue to finalize our plans for rationalizing certain
redundant assets and activities, such as facilities, software
and infrastructure assets related to certain 2006 business
combinations, and to integrate the combined companies. We expect
to execute these plans over the next several quarters. These
plans affect many areas of our company, including sales and
marketing, network, information technology, customer care and
general and administrative functions. In addition, we expect
that the finalization of our integration plans may result in the
need to adjust the useful lives of certain definite lived
intangibles, network assets
and/or other
property, plant and equipment. See note 3 for more
information regarding business combinations.
16
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
In connection with activities related to business combinations,
we recorded certain costs associated with dispositions and
integration activities in accordance with the requirements of
EITF Issue
No. 95-3,
Recognition of Liabilities in Connection with a Purchase
Business Combination. The exit costs are primarily related
to termination fees associated with leases and contractual
arrangements, as well as severance and related costs associated
with work force reductions. For the first quarter 2007, we
recorded a reduction of $14 million to these exit costs.
These reductions have resulted in adjustments to accrued
liabilities, which consequently have resulted in an adjustment
to goodwill related to the 2006 acquisitions. The activity is
presented in the table below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007 Activity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2006
|
|
|
Price
|
|
|
Cash
|
|
|
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
|
Liability Balance
|
|
|
Adjustments
|
|
|
Payments
|
|
|
Liability Balance
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Lease terminations
|
|
$
|
77
|
|
|
$
|
(15
|
)
|
|
$
|
(9
|
)
|
|
$
|
53
|
|
Severance
|
|
|
28
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
(16
|
)
|
|
|
13
|
|
Other
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total costs
|
|
$
|
108
|
|
|
$
|
(14
|
)
|
|
$
|
(25
|
)
|
|
$
|
69
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note 7.
|
Long-Term
Debt and Capital Lease Obligations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Retirements and
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Repayments of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Principal
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2006
|
|
|
Borrowings
|
|
|
and Other
|
|
|
March 31, 2007
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Senior notes due 2007 to
2032
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.50% to 11.00%, including fair
value hedge adjustments of $(25) and $(20), deferred premiums of
$390 and $339 and unamortized discounts of $35 and $34
|
|
$
|
21,534
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
(615
|
)
|
|
$
|
20,919
|
|
Credit facilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Export Development Canada, 5.68%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
750
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
750
|
|
Commercial paper 5.31% to 5.62%
|
|
|
514
|
|
|
|
2,591
|
|
|
|
(2,706
|
)
|
|
|
399
|
|
Capital lease obligations and
other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.11% to 11.174%
|
|
|
106
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(3
|
)
|
|
|
103
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,154
|
|
|
$
|
3,341
|
|
|
$
|
(3,324
|
)
|
|
|
22,171
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less current portion
|
|
|
(1,143
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(419
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term debt and capital
lease obligations
|
|
$
|
21,011
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
21,752
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of March 31, 2007, Sprint Nextel Corporation, our parent
corporation, had about $3.3 billion of debt outstanding,
including commercial paper. In addition, as of March 31,
2007, about $18.6 billion of our
long-term
debt had been issued by wholly-owned subsidiaries and is fully
and unconditionally guaranteed by Sprint Nextel. The indentures
and financing arrangements of certain of our subsidiaries
contain provisions that limit cash dividend payments on
subsidiary common stock held by our parent corporation. The
transfer of cash in the form of advances from the subsidiaries
to our parent corporation is generally not restricted.
17
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
We are currently in compliance with all restrictive and
financial covenants associated with the borrowings discussed
above. There is no provision under any of our indebtedness that
requires repayment in the event of a downgrade by any rating
agency.
Our interest rate swap activity generated a net liability of
$20 million as of March 31, 2007 compared to a net
liability of $25 million as of December 31, 2006,
resulting from changes in the fair value of the interest rate
swaps with an offset recorded to the underlying long-term debt.
Senior
Notes
We paid a total of $604 million in cash for early
redemptions of senior notes in the first quarter 2007, as we
redeemed in their entirety $150 million of IWO Holdings,
Inc.s Senior Secured Floating Rate Notes due 2012 in
January 2007 for $153 million in cash and $420 million
of UbiquiTel Operating Companys 9.875% Senior Notes
due 2011 in March 2007 for $451 million in cash.
Credit
Facilities
Our revolving bank credit facility provides for total unsecured
financing capacity of $6.0 billion. As of March 31,
2007 we had $2.6 billion of outstanding letters of credit,
including a $2.5 billion letter of credit that is required
by the FCCs Report and Order, and $399 million in
commercial paper, net of discounts, backed by this facility,
resulting in $3.0 billion of available revolving credit. We
also had an additional $12 million of outstanding letters
of credit as of March 31, 2007 used for various financial
obligations that are not backed by our bank credit facility.
In March 2007, we entered into a $750 million unsecured
loan agreement with Export Development Canada. As of
March 31, 2007, we had borrowed all $750 million
available under this agreement and this loan will mature in
March 2012. The terms of this loan provide for an interest
rate equal to the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, plus
a spread that varies depending on our credit ratings. We may
choose to prepay this loan, in whole or in part, at any time.
Commercial
Paper
In April 2006, we commenced a commercial paper program, which
has reduced our borrowing costs by allowing us to issue
short-term debt at lower rates than those available under our
$6.0 billion revolving credit facility. The
$2.0 billion program is backed by our revolving credit
facility and reduces the amount we can borrow under the facility
to the extent of the commercial paper outstanding. As of
March 31, 2007, we had $399 million of commercial
paper outstanding net of discounts, included in the current
maturities of long-term debt with a weighted average interest
rate of 5.6% and a weighted average maturity of 72 days.
|
|
Note 8.
|
Employee
Benefit Information
|
We have a non-contributory defined benefit pension plan and a
postretirement benefit plan which provide benefits to certain
employees. We also provide postretirement life insurance to
employees who retired before certain dates. Most of our
employees who were employed by us prior to the Sprint-Nextel
merger are participants in the pension plan. At the time of the
Sprint-Nextel merger, we did not extend plan participation to
Nextel employees for either the pension plan or retiree medical
plan.
The pension and postretirement benefit plan activity for the
quarter ended March 31, 2007 did not have a significant
impact on our results of operations. As of December 31,
2005, the pension plan was amended to freeze benefit accruals
for pension plan participants not designated to work for Embarq
following the spin-off. The postretirement benefit plan was
amended to include only employees designated to work for Embarq
following the spin-off and pre-merger Sprint employees born
prior to 1956.
18
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
As of May 17, 2006, in connection with the spin-off of
Embarq, accrued pension benefit obligations for participants
designated to work for Embarq and related plan assets were
transferred to Embarq. Additionally, the accrued postretirement
benefit obligation for participants designated to work for
Embarq was transferred to Embarq. This event required a
remeasurement of benefit obligations associated with both the
pension and postretirement benefit plans for the remaining
Sprint Nextel employees.
FASB
Interpretation No. 48
We adopted the provisions of FASB Interpretation No. 48,
Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, or
FIN 48, on January 1, 2007. FIN 48 clarifies the
accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an
enterprises financial statements in accordance with
SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes, and
prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for
the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax
position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The
cumulative effect of adopting FIN 48 generally is recorded
directly to retained earnings. However, to the extent the
adoption of FIN 48 resulted in a revaluation of uncertain
tax positions acquired in purchase business combinations, the
cumulative effect is recorded as an adjustment to the goodwill
remaining from the corresponding purchase business combination.
As a result of the adoption of FIN 48, we recognized a
$20 million increase in the liability for unrecognized tax
benefits, which was accounted for as a $24 million increase
to goodwill and a $4 million increase to retained earnings
as of January 1, 2007. The total unrecognized tax benefits
as of January 1, 2007 were $669 million, which
includes a $606 million liability for uncertain tax
positions and $63 million of unrecognized tax benefits
related to the tax deductions resulting from stock option
exercises. In accordance with SFAS 123R, these option related
tax benefits are not recorded until the cash tax benefits are
realized. Upon adoption of FIN 48, we reclassified the
majority of our liability for unrecognized tax benefits from
deferred tax liabilities to other liabilities with the remainder
being netted against our deferred tax assets. The total
unrecognized tax benefits include items that would favorably
affect the income tax provision by $89 million, if
recognized. The total unrecognized tax benefits did not
materially change during the first quarter 2007. We recognize
interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest
expense or interest income. We recognize penalties as additional
income tax expense. As of January 1, 2007, the accrued
expense for income tax related interest and penalties was not
material.
We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction
and each state jurisdiction which imposes an income tax. We also
file income tax returns in a number of foreign jurisdictions.
However, our foreign income tax activity has been immaterial.
The Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, is currently examining our
2005 consolidated federal income tax return and other 2005
returns of certain of our subsidiaries. They have effectively
completed the examination of our consolidated returns related to
years prior to 2005. We have reached oral settlement agreements
with the Appeals division of the IRS for our examination issues
in dispute following the IRS exam for the years
1995-2002.
The unresolved disputed issues from the
2003-2004
IRS examination are awaiting consideration by IRS Appeals;
however, they are immaterial to our consolidated financial
statements. The IRS is also beginning an examination of the 2001
through pre-merger 2005 consolidated income tax returns of our
subsidiary, Nextel Communications, Inc. We are also involved in
multiple state income tax examinations related to various years
beginning with 1988, which are in various stages of the
examination, administrative review or appellate process.
Based on our current knowledge of the proposed adjustments from
the aforementioned examinations, we do not anticipate the
adjustments would result in a material change to our financial
position. We also do not believe it is reasonably possible that
we will have any significant increases or decreases to the
liability for unrecognized tax benefits for the remainder of
2007 on our current uncertain tax positions. We do, however,
expect to recognize about $30 million of tax benefits
associated with previous stock option exercises during 2007. The
resulting
19
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
reduction in income taxes payable will be allocated between a
decrease to goodwill and an increase to paid in capital.
Effective
Income Tax Rate
The differences that caused our effective income tax rates to
vary from the 35% federal statutory rate for income taxes
related to continuing operations were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Income tax (benefit) expense at
the federal statutory rate
|
|
$
|
(119
|
)
|
|
$
|
88
|
|
Effect of:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
State income taxes, net of federal
income tax effect
|
|
|
(11
|
)
|
|
|
(6
|
)
|
Other, net
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income tax (benefit) expense
|
|
$
|
(128
|
)
|
|
$
|
86
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effective income tax rate
|
|
|
37.8
|
%
|
|
|
34.4
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We maintain a valuation allowance against certain of our
deferred tax assets in instances where we determine that it is
more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized. As
of March 31, 2007, we maintained a total valuation
allowance of about $816 million related to our deferred tax
assets. This amount includes a valuation allowance of
$604 million for the total tax benefits related to net
operating loss carryforwards subject to utilization
restrictions, acquired in connection with certain acquisitions.
The remainder of the valuation allowance relates to capital
loss, state net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards.
Within our total valuation allowance, we had $54 million
related to separate company state net operating losses incurred
by the PCS entities after we acquired them.
|
|
Note 10.
|
Commitments
and Contingencies
|
Litigation,
Claims and Assessments
In March 2004, eight purported class action lawsuits relating to
the recombination of our tracking stocks were filed against us
and our directors by holders of PCS common stock. Seven of the
lawsuits were consolidated in the District Court of Johnson
County, Kansas. The eighth, pending in New York, has been
voluntarily stayed. The consolidated lawsuit alleges breach of
fiduciary duty in connection with allocations between the
wireline operations and the wireless operations before the
recombination of the tracking stocks and breach of fiduciary
duty in the recombination. The lawsuit seeks to rescind the
recombination and monetary damages. In December 2006, the court
denied defendants motion to dismiss the complaint and for
summary judgment, and granted a motion to certify the class. In
February 2007, the court, upon reconsideration, dismissed a
count of the complaint related to intracompany allocations,
which requires dismissal of the complaint against three of our
former directors and reconsideration of the class definition.
The court asked the parties for further briefing on the class
certification issue and the plaintiffs request for a jury
trial. In April 2007, the Kansas Court of Appeals accepted
interlocutory appeal of the District Courts class
certification and stayed proceedings in the trial court pending
the decision on appeal. All defendants have denied
plaintiffs allegations and intend to defend this matter
vigorously.
In September 2004, the U.S. District Court for the District
of Kansas denied a motion to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit
alleging that our 2001 and 2002 proxy statements were false and
misleading in violation of federal securities laws to the extent
they described new employment agreements with certain senior
executives without disclosing that, according to the
allegations, replacement of those executives was inevitable.
These allegations,
20
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
made in an amended complaint in a lawsuit originally filed in
2003, are asserted against us and certain current and former
officers and directors, and seek to recover any decline in the
value of our tracking stocks during the class period. The
parties have stipulated that the case can proceed as a class
action. All defendants have denied plaintiffs allegations
and intend to defend this matter vigorously. Allegations in the
original complaint, which asserted claims against the same
defendants and our former independent auditor, were dismissed by
the court in April 2004.
A number of putative class action cases that allege Sprint
Communications Company LP failed to obtain easements from
property owners during the installation of its fiber optic
network in the 1980s have been filed in various courts.
Several of these cases sought certification of nationwide
classes, and in one case, a nationwide class has been certified.
In 2002, a nationwide settlement of these claims was approved by
the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Illinois, but objectors appealed the preliminary approval order
to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which overturned the
settlement and remanded the case to the trial court for further
proceedings. The parties now are proceeding with litigation
and/or
settlement negotiations on a state by state basis. In 2001, we
accrued an expense reflecting the estimated settlement costs of
these suits.
Various other suits, proceedings and claims, including purported
class actions, typical for a large business enterprise, are
pending against us or our subsidiaries. While it is not possible
to determine the ultimate disposition of each of these
proceedings and whether they will be resolved consistent with
our beliefs, we expect that the outcome of such proceedings,
individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material
adverse effect on our financial condition or results of
operations.
We operate, and are managed, as two strategic segments: Wireless
and Wireline. These segments are organized by products and
services.
Our executives use segment earnings as the primary measure to
evaluate segment performance and make resource allocation
decisions. Segment earnings is defined as wireless or wireline
operating income before depreciation, amortization, severance,
lease exit costs, asset impairments and other expenses. These
expenses, along with all items below operating income (loss) on
our consolidated statements of operations, including interest
expense and income tax (expense) benefit, are managed on a total
company basis and are reflected only in our consolidated results.
Our Wireless segment includes revenue from a wide array of
wireless mobile telephone and wireless data transmission
services and the sale of wireless equipment. Through our
Wireless segment, we, together with the remaining third party
PCS Affiliates, offer digital wireless service in all
50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Our Wireline segment includes revenue from domestic and
international wireline voice and data communication services and
services to the cable multiple systems operators that resell our
long distance service
and/or use
our back office systems and network assets in support of their
telephone services provided over cable facilities.
21
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
We generally account for transactions between segments based on
fully distributed costs, which we believe approximate fair
value. In certain transactions, pricing is set using market
rates. Segment financial information is as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other and
|
|
|
|
|
Statement of Operations Information
|
|
Wireless
|
|
|
Wireline
|
|
|
Eliminations(1)
|
|
|
Consolidated
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Quarter Ended March 31,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net operating revenues
|
|
$
|
8,723
|
|
|
$
|
1,373
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
10,096
|
|
Inter-segment revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
225
|
|
|
|
(225
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Total segment operating expenses
|
|
|
(6,328
|
)
|
|
|
(1,393
|
)
|
|
|
208
|
|
|
|
(7,513
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Segment earnings
|
|
$
|
2,395
|
|
|
$
|
205
|
|
|
$
|
(17
|
)
|
|
$
|
2,583
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,355
|
)
|
Amortization
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(913
|
)
|
Severance, lease exit costs and
asset
impairments(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(174
|
)
|
Merger and integration costs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(99
|
)
|
Other
expense(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(41
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(367
|
)
|
Interest income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31
|
|
Equity in losses of unconsolidated
investees, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2
|
)
|
Other, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss from continuing operations
before income taxes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(339
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended March 31,
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net operating revenues
|
|
$
|
8,517
|
|
|
$
|
1,499
|
|
|
$
|
58
|
(4)
|
|
$
|
10,074
|
|
Inter-segment revenues
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
167
|
|
|
|
(168
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Total segment operating expenses
|
|
|
(5,834
|
)
|
|
|
(1,427
|
)
|
|
|
131
|
(4)
|
|
|
(7,130
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Segment earnings
|
|
$
|
2,684
|
|
|
$
|
239
|
|
|
$
|
21
|
|
|
|
2,944
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,408
|
)
|
Amortization
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(938
|
)
|
Severance, lease exit costs and
asset
impairments(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(38
|
)
|
Merger and integration costs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(76
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
484
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(394
|
)
|
Interest income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
84
|
|
Equity in earnings of
unconsolidated investees, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20
|
|
Other, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
56
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income from continuing operations
before income taxes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
250
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other and
|
|
|
|
|
Statement of Operations Information
|
|
Wireless
|
|
|
Wireline
|
|
|
Eliminations(1)
|
|
|
Consolidated
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Other Information
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital expenditures for the
quarter ended March 31, 2007
|
|
$
|
1,582
|
|
|
$
|
153
|
|
|
$
|
78
|
|
|
$
|
1,813
|
|
Total assets as of March 31,
2007
|
|
|
63,242
|
|
|
|
3,576
|
|
|
|
28,271
|
|
|
|
95,089
|
|
Capital expenditures for the year
ended December 31, 2006
|
|
$
|
5,944
|
|
|
$
|
828
|
|
|
$
|
784
|
|
|
$
|
7,556
|
|
Total assets as of
December 31, 2006
|
|
|
65,514
|
|
|
|
3,547
|
|
|
|
28,100
|
|
|
|
97,161
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Inter-segment revenues consist primarily of long distance
services provided to the Wireless segment for resale to wireless
customers. |
|
|
|
Corporate assets are not allocated to the operating segments,
and consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, the
operational headquarters campus and other assets managed at a
corporate level. Corporate capital expenditures were incurred
mainly for various administrative assets and improvements at our
operational headquarters campus. Operating expenses related to
corporate assets are allocated to each segment. |
|
(2) |
|
See note 6 for additional information on severance,
lease exit costs and asset impairments. |
|
(3) |
|
Other expense includes a charge associated with legal
contingencies and net costs associated with a planned exit of a
non-core line of business. |
|
(4) |
|
Included in the 2006 corporate results are the historical net
revenues and related operating costs of certain consumer
wireline customers transferred to Embarq in connection with the
spin-off. These operating results were previously reported in
our Local segment and reflect activity through the date of the
spin-off. These operating results have not been reflected as
discontinued operations due to our continuing involvement with
these consumer wireline customers under a wholesale long
distance agreement with Embarq. This agreement became effective
as of the date of the spin-off. |
23
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Net operating revenues by service and products were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate and
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended March 31,
|
|
Wireless
|
|
|
Wireline
|
|
|
Eliminations(1)
|
|
|
Consolidated
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wireless services
|
|
$
|
7,815
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
7,815
|
|
Wireless equipment
|
|
|
648
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
648
|
|
Voice
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
898
|
|
|
|
(196
|
)
|
|
|
702
|
|
Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
311
|
|
|
|
(21
|
)
|
|
|
290
|
|
Internet
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
344
|
|
|
|
(8
|
)
|
|
|
336
|
|
Other
|
|
|
260
|
|
|
|
45
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
305
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net operating
revenues
|
|
$
|
8,723
|
|
|
$
|
1,598
|
|
|
$
|
(225
|
)
|
|
$
|
10,096
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wireless services
|
|
$
|
7,487
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(1
|
)
|
|
$
|
7,486
|
|
Wireless equipment
|
|
|
830
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
830
|
|
Voice
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
966
|
|
|
|
(55
|
)
|
|
|
911
|
|
Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
373
|
|
|
|
(38
|
)
|
|
|
335
|
|
Internet
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
269
|
|
|
|
(3
|
)
|
|
|
266
|
|
Other
|
|
|
201
|
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
(13
|
)
|
|
|
246
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net operating
revenues
|
|
$
|
8,518
|
|
|
$
|
1,666
|
|
|
$
|
(110
|
)
|
|
$
|
10,074
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Revenues eliminated in consolidation consist primarily of
long distance services provided to the Wireless segment for
resale to wireless customers. |
|
|
Note 12.
|
Subsequent
Event
|
On May 8, 2007, our board of directors declared a dividend
of $0.025 per share on our common shares, payable on
June 29, 2007 to shareholders of record at the close of
business on June 8, 2007.
24
REPORT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Sprint Nextel Corporation:
We have reviewed the consolidated balance sheet of Sprint Nextel
Corporation and subsidiaries as of March 31, 2007, the
related consolidated statements of operations and cash flows for
the quarters ended March 31, 2007 and 2006, and the related
consolidated statement of shareholders equity for the
quarter ended March 31, 2007. These consolidated financial
statements are the responsibility of the Companys
management.
We conducted our reviews in accordance with the standards of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). A
review of interim financial information consists principally of
applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons
responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is
substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in
accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States), the objective of which is the
expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements
taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.
Based on our reviews, we are not aware of any material
modifications that should be made to the consolidated financial
statements referred to above for them to be in conformity with
U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We have previously audited, in accordance with the standards of
the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States),
the consolidated balance sheet of Sprint Nextel Corporation and
subsidiaries as of December 31, 2006, and the related
consolidated statements of operations, cash flows and
shareholders equity for the year then ended (not presented
herein); and in our report dated March 1, 2007, we
expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial
statements. In our opinion, the information set forth in the
accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31,
2006, is fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to
the consolidated balance sheet from which it has been derived.
McLean, Virginia
May 9, 2007
25
SPRINT
NEXTEL CORPORATION
|
|
Item 2.
|
Managements
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
Forward-Looking
Statements
We include certain estimates, projections and other
forward-looking statements in our annual, quarterly and current
reports, and in other publicly available material. Statements
regarding expectations, including performance assumptions and
estimates relating to capital requirements, as well as other
statements that are not historical facts, are forward-looking
statements.
These statements reflect managements judgments based on
currently available information and involve a number of risks
and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those in the
forward-looking
statements. With respect to these forward-looking statements,
management has made assumptions regarding, among other things,
customer and network usage, customer growth and retention,
pricing, operating costs, the timing of various events and the
economic environment.
Future performance cannot be assured. Actual results may differ
materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Some
factors that could cause actual results to differ include:
|
|
|
|
|
the effects of vigorous competition, including the impact of
competition on the price we are able to charge customers for
services and equipment we provide and our ability to attract new
customers and retain existing customers; the overall demand for
our service offerings, including the impact of decisions of new
subscribers between our post-paid and prepaid services offerings
and between our two network platforms; and the impact of new,
emerging and competing technologies on our business;
|
|
|
|
the impact of overall wireless market penetration on our ability
to attract and retain customers with good credit standing and
the intensified competition among wireless carriers for those
customers;
|
|
|
|
the potential impact of difficulties we may encounter in
connection with the integration of the
pre-merger
Sprint and Nextel Communications, Inc. businesses, and the
integration of the businesses and assets of Nextel Partners,
Inc. and the third party affiliates, or PCS Affiliates, that
provide wireless personal communications services, or PCS, under
the
Sprint®
brand name, that we have acquired, including the risk that these
difficulties could prevent or delay our realization of the cost
savings and other benefits we expect to achieve as a result of
these integration efforts and the risk that we will be unable to
continue to retain key employees;
|
|
|
|
the uncertainties related to the implementation of our business
strategies, investments in our networks, our systems, and other
businesses, including investments required in connection with
our planned deployment of a next generation broadband wireless
network;
|
|
|
|
the costs and business risks associated with providing new
services and entering new geographic markets, including with
respect to our development of new services expected to be
provided using the next generation broadband wireless network
that we plan to deploy;
|
|
|
|
the impact of potential adverse changes in the ratings afforded
our debt securities by ratings agencies;
|
|
|
|
the effects of mergers and consolidations and new entrants in
the communications industry and unexpected announcements or
developments from others in the communications industry;
|
|
|
|
unexpected results of litigation filed against us;
|
|
|
|
the inability of third parties to perform to our requirements
under agreements related to our business operations, including a
significant adverse change in Motorola, Inc.s ability or
willingness to provide handsets and related equipment and
software applications, or to develop new technologies or
features for our integrated Digital Enhanced Network, or
iDEN®,
network;
|
|
|
|
the impact of adverse network performance;
|
26
|
|
|
|
|
the costs
and/or
potential customer impacts of compliance with regulatory
mandates, particularly requirements related to the Federal
Communications Commission, or FCCs, Report and Order;
|
|
|
|
equipment failure, natural disasters, terrorist acts, or other
breaches of network or information technology security;
|
|
|
|
one or more of the markets in which we compete being impacted by
changes in political or other factors such as monetary policy,
legal and regulatory changes or other external factors over
which we have no control; and
|
|
|
|
other risks referenced from time to time in this report and
other filings of ours with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, or SEC, including in our annual report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006 in Part I,
Item 1A, Risk Factors.
|
The words may, could,
estimate, project, forecast,
intend, expect, believe,
target, providing guidance and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are found throughout this
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations, and elsewhere in this report. The
reader should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. We
are not obligated to publicly release any revisions to
forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of
this report, including unforeseen events.
Overview
We are a global communications company offering a comprehensive
range of wireless and wireline communications products and
services that are designed to meet the needs of individual
consumers, businesses and government customers. We have
organized our operations to meet the needs of our targeted
customer groups through focused communications solutions that
incorporate the capabilities of our wireless and wireline
services to meet their specific needs. We are one of the three
largest wireless companies in the United States based on the
number of wireless subscribers. We own extensive wireless
networks and a global long distance, Tier 1 Internet
backbone.
Business
We, together with the PCS Affiliates, offer digital wireless
services in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands under the Sprint brand name utilizing
wireless code division multiple access, or CDMA, technology. The
PCS Affiliates, through commercial arrangements with us, provide
wireless services mainly in and around smaller
U.S. metropolitan areas on wireless networks built and
operated at their expense, in most instances using spectrum
licensed to and controlled by us. We also offer digital wireless
services under our Nextel and Boost Mobile brand names using
iDEN technology. We also are one of the largest providers of
long distance services and one of the largest carriers of
Internet traffic in the nation.
On May 17, 2006, we spun-off to our shareholders our local
communications business, which is now known as Embarq
Corporation and is comprised primarily of what was our Local
segment prior to the spin-off. As a result of the spin-off, we
no longer own any shares of Embarq. The results of Embarq for
periods prior to the spin-off are presented as discontinued
operations.
We believe the communications industry has been and will
continue to be highly competitive on the basis of price, the
types of services offered and quality of service. Although we
believe that many of our targeted customers base their purchase
decisions on quality of service and the availability of
differentiated features and services, competitive pricing, both
in terms of the monthly recurring charges and the number of
minutes or other features available under a particular rate
plan, and handset offerings and pricing are often important
factors in potential customers purchase decisions.
Our industry has been and continues to be subject to
consolidation and dynamic change as well as intense competition.
In an effort to maintain our operating margins in a
price-competitive environment, we continually seek ways to
create or improve capital and operating efficiencies in our
business. Consequently, we routinely
27
reassess our business strategies and their implications on our
operations, and these assessments may continue to impact the
future valuation of our long-lived assets. As part of our
overall business strategy, we regularly evaluate opportunities
to expand and complement our business and may at any time be
discussing or negotiating a transaction that, if consummated,
could have a material effect on our business, financial
condition, liquidity or results of operations.
The FCC regulates the licensing, operation, acquisition and sale
of the licensed radio spectrum that is essential to our
business. The FCC and state Public Utilities Commissions, or
PUCs, also regulate the provision of communications services.
Future changes in regulations or legislation related to spectrum
licensing or other matters related to our business could impose
significant additional costs on us either in the form of direct
out-of-pocket
costs or additional compliance obligations.
Management
Overview
Wireless
We offer a wide array of wireless mobile telephone and wireless
data transmission services on networks that utilize CDMA and
iDEN technologies to meet the needs of individual consumers,
businesses and government customers. Through our Wireless
segment, we, together with the PCS Affiliates, offer digital
wireless service in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands, and provide wireless coverage in over
300 metropolitan markets, including 298 of the 300 largest
U.S. metropolitan areas, where more than 280 million
people live or work. We offer wireless international voice
roaming for subscribers of both CDMA and
iDEN-based
services in numerous countries. We, together with the PCS
Affiliates and resellers of our wholesale wireless services,
served about 53.6 million wireless subscribers as of
March 31, 2007.
We offer wireless mobile telephone and data transmission
services and features in a variety of pricing plans, including
prepaid service plans. We offer these services, other than those
offered under prepaid service plans, typically on a contract
basis, for one or two year periods, with services billed on a
monthly basis according to the applicable pricing plan. We
market our prepaid services under the Boost Mobile brand, as a
means to directly target the youth and prepaid wireless service
markets. We also offer wholesale wireless services to resellers,
commonly known as mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs,
such as Embarq, Virgin Mobile USA, Helio Inc., Qwest
Communications International, Inc., The Walt Disney Company and
Modiva Communications, Inc., which purchase wireless services
from us at wholesale rates and resell the services to their
customers under their own brand names. Under these MVNO
arrangements, the operators bear the costs of acquisition,
billing and customer service.
We also provide wireless services that are marketed and sold by
several cable multiple systems operators, or MSOs, in eight
markets. We also have entered into an agreement with several
cable MSOs to jointly develop converged services designed to
combine many of cables core products and interactive
features with wireless technology to deliver a broad range of
services, including video, wireless voice and data services,
high speed Internet and cable phone service, to the
participating cable MSOs customers. During 2007, we expect
to develop new products and services and introduce service in
additional markets.
Our strategy is to utilize
state-of-the-art
technology to provide differentiated wireless services and
applications in order to acquire and retain high-quality
wireless subscribers. We offer numerous sophisticated data
messaging, imaging, entertainment and location-based
applications, marketed as Power
Visionsm,
across our CDMA network that utilize high-speed evolution data
optimized, or EV-DO, technology. Currently EV-DO technology
covers about 206 million people and serves customers in
over 219 communities with populations of at least 100,000. EV-DO
data roaming is available in selected markets in Canada and
Mexico. We have incorporated EV-DO Rev. A, the next version of
EV-DO technology, into a majority of our network. EV-DO Rev. A
is designed to support a variety of Internet Protocol, or IP,
and video and high performance
walkie-talkie
applications for our CDMA network.
On our iDEN network, we continue to support features and
services that are designed to meet the needs of our customers.
Both the Nextel and Boost Mobile brands feature our
industry-leading walkie-talkie services, which give subscribers
the ability to communicate instantly across the continental
United States and to and from
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Hawaii and, through agreements with other iDEN providers, to and
from selected markets in Canada, Latin America and Mexico, as
well as a variety of digital wireless mobile telephone and
wireless data transmission services.
We also plan to utilize QUALCOMM Incorporateds
QChat®
technology, which is designed to provide high performance
walkie-talkie services on our CDMA network, and we are designing
interfaces to provide for interoperability of walkie-talkie
services on our CDMA and iDEN networks. Currently, we are
developing and testing the QChat application on our CDMA network
and plan to launch customer trials in the fourth quarter 2007
with a goal of launching the related service offerings in 2008.
We also plan to deploy a next generation broadband wireless
network that will be designed to provide significantly higher
data transport speeds using our spectrum holdings in the 2.5
gigahertz, or GHz, band and technology based on the Worldwide
Inter-Operability for Microwave Access, or WiMAX, standard. We
are designing this network to support a wide range of high-speed
IP-based
wireless services in a mobile environment. Our initial plans
contemplate deploying the new network in larger metropolitan
areas with a goal of launching the related service offerings in
some of those markets beginning in 2008.
Our Wireless segment generates revenues from the provision of
wireless services, the sale of wireless equipment and the
provision of wholesale and other services. The ability of our
Wireless segment to generate service revenues is primarily a
function of:
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the number of subscribers that we serve, which in turn is a
function of our ability to acquire new and retain existing
subscribers; and
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the revenue generated by each subscriber, which in turn is a
function of the types and amount of services utilized by each
subscriber and the rates that we charge for those services.
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We believe that wireless carriers increasingly must attract a
greater proportion of new customers from the existing customer
bases of competitors rather than from first time purchasers of
wireless services. For example, we are experiencing increased
competition in our prepaid and youth markets from new entrants
that are targeting these subscribers. Certain of our competitors
continue to increase their focus on customer retention efforts
and have reported improvements in their customer retention
rates, which may make it harder for us to acquire new customers
from these competitors. In addition, the higher market
penetration of wireless services in our markets may suggest that
customers purchasing wireless services for the first time may,
on average, have a lower credit rating than existing wireless
users, which generally results in both a higher churn rate due
to involuntary churn and in higher bad debt expense. This has
intensified the competition among wireless carriers to attract
higher quality customers with stronger credit standing,
resulting in aggressive pricing strategies for both voice
services and other features that are designed to attract those
customers.
We have experienced declines in the average voice revenue per
subscriber due to the increased penetration of the
corporate/business market and increased sales of family add-on
plans, both of which contribute to improved credit quality of
our subscriber base and reduced subscriber churn. The increased
percentage of our customers with plans that have roaming
included in their plans has also contributed to the decline in
voice revenue. We are developing and implementing service plans
that are designed to offset these declines in voice revenue by
expanding and enhancing our value-added array of imaging,
high-speed data messaging, entertainment and location-based
applications. Recently, the growth in revenue per subscriber
generated by these data services, while significant, has not
kept pace with the decline in voice revenue, resulting in a
decline in our overall monthly average revenue per subscriber.
The ability of our Wireless segment to generate equipment
revenues is primarily a function of the number of new and
existing subscribers who purchase handsets and other accessories
and the prices at which we sell such equipment, which is
partially impacted by the pricing practices of our competitors.
Handset costs in excess of the revenue generated from handset
sales (or subsidy) have increased significantly in recent
periods, as a result of aggressive customer acquisition and
retention pricing, as well as handsets with increased
functionality, which have a higher cost. The ability of our
Wireless segment to generate wholesale revenues is primarily a
function of the number and type of MVNOs that resell our
wireless service, their success at acquiring and retaining
subscribers and the rates that we charge MVNOs for utilization
of our network.
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Although many of the costs relating to the operation of our
wireless networks are fixed in the short-term, other costs, such
as interconnection fees, fluctuate based on the utilization of
the networks. Sales and marketing expenses are dependent on the
number of subscriber additions and the nature and extent of our
marketing and promotional activities. Customer care costs are
dependent on the number of subscribers that we serve and the
nature of programs designed to serve and retain subscribers.
General and administrative expenses consist of fees paid for
billing, customer care and information technology operations,
bad debt expense, customer retention and back office support
activities, including collections, legal, finance, human
resources, strategic planning and technology and product
development, along with the related payroll and facilities
costs. Although our goal is to improve operating margins through
cost savings initiatives and benefits of scale, costs that
fluctuate based on network utilization and the number of
subscribers that we serve and costs associated with enhancing
and expanding the coverage of our network generally will
increase in absolute terms over time. We also seek to realize
operating efficiencies in our business from merger-related cost
savings and other synergies.
In the second half of 2006, we began to initiate a series of
actions designed to improve the performance of our networks,
raise brand awareness, enhance customer satisfaction, stabilize
average customer revenues, reduce churn and increase sales and
distribution productivity. These initiatives include:
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adding cell sites to improve network performance and expand the
coverage and capacity of our networks;
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increasing media expenditures to improve brand awareness;
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enhancing incentives to improve third-party sales distribution
and accelerate growth, and implementing customer retention
programs that focus on our high-value customers;
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improving our handset portfolio across both our CDMA and iDEN
network platforms;
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offering a new line of combined CDMA-iDEN devices, marketed as
PowerSourcetm,
that feature voice and data applications over our CDMA network
and walkie-talkie applications over our iDEN network, in order
to help relieve capacity constraints on the iDEN network and to
offer subscribers of our iDEN services all of the benefits of
applications on our CDMA network and our walkie-talkie
applications; and
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continuing to integrate a number of other systems, including
human resources, general ledger, sales commissions and billing,
which we expect to substantially complete in 2007 and believe
will create efficiencies in the way we do business, and, in the
case of our billing system, will increase functionality for our
customer care representatives and produce more reliable
information, which should enhance the customer experience.
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In February 2005, Nextel accepted the terms and conditions of
the Report and Order, which implemented a spectrum
reconfiguration plan designed to eliminate interference with
public safety operators in the 800 megahertz, or MHz, band.
Under the terms of the Report and Order, Nextel surrendered
certain spectrum rights and received certain other spectrum
rights, and undertook to pay the costs incurred by Nextel and
third parties in connection with the reconfiguration plan, which
is required to be completed within a
36-month
period, subject to certain exceptions particularly with respect
to markets that border Mexico and Canada. We assumed these
obligations when we merged with Nextel in August 2005. If, as a
result of events within our control, we fail to complete the
reconfiguration plan within the
36-month
period, the FCC could take actions against us to enforce the
Report and Order. These actions could have adverse operating or
financial impacts on us, some of which could be material. We
believe that, based on our experiences to date, we will not
complete the reconfiguration process within the
36-month
period due to events largely outside of our control. We do not
believe at this time that the impact from this delay will be
material to our results of operation or financial condition,
although there can be no assurance. Recognizing the current
limitations in the reconfiguration process, we and the public
safety community jointly filed a letter with the FCC on
February 15, 2007 requesting that the FCC direct the
Transition Administrator, or TA, through working closely with
the affected parties, to develop a schedule and benchmarks for
completing the second phase of the 800 MHz reconfiguration.
The FCC has not yet taken action with regard to this request.
See Forward-Looking Statements.
30
As part of the reconfiguration process in most markets, we must
cease using portions of the surrendered 800 MHz spectrum
before we are able to commence use of replacement 800 MHz
spectrum, which has contributed, and may in the future
contribute, to the capacity constraints experienced on our iDEN
network, particularly in some of our more capacity constrained
markets, and has impacted performance of our iDEN network in the
affected markets.
Based on the FCCs determination of the values of the
spectrum rights received and surrendered by Nextel, the minimum
obligation to be incurred under the Report and Order is
$2.8 billion. The Report and Order also provides that
qualifying costs we incur as part of the reconfiguration plan,
including costs to reconfigure our own infrastructure and
spectrum positions, can be used to offset the minimum obligation
of $2.8 billion; however, we are obligated to pay the full
amount of the costs relating to the reconfiguration plan, even
if those costs exceed that amount.
In addition, a financial reconciliation is required to be
completed at the end of the reconfiguration implementation, at
which time we will be required to make a payment to the
U.S. Treasury to the extent that the value of the spectrum
rights received exceeds the total of (i) the value of
spectrum rights that are surrendered and (ii) the
qualifying costs referred to above. As a result of the
uncertainty with regard to the calculation of the credit for our
internal network costs, as well as the significant number of
variables outside of our control, particularly with regard to
the 800 MHz reconfiguration licensee costs, we do not
believe that we can reasonably estimate what amount, if any,
will be paid to the U.S. Treasury.
As required under the terms of the Report and Order, we
delivered a $2.5 billion letter of credit to provide
assurance that funds will be available to pay the relocation
costs of the incumbent users of the 800 MHz spectrum.
Although the Report and Order provides for the possibility of
periodic reductions in the amount of the letter of credit, no
reductions have been made as of March 31, 2007.
Wireline
Through our Wireline segment, we provide a broad suite of
wireline voice and data communications services targeted to
domestic business customers, multinational corporations and
other communications companies. These services include domestic
and international data communications using various protocols,
such as multi-protocol label switching, or MPLS, technologies,
IP, asynchronous transfer mode, or ATM, frame relay, managed
network services and voice services. We also provide services to
the cable MSOs that resell our long distance service
and/or use
our back office systems and network assets in support of their
telephone service provided over cable facilities primarily to
residential end-user customers. We are one of the nations
largest providers of long distance services and operate
all-digital long distance and Tier 1 IP networks.
For several years, our long distance voice services have
experienced an industry-wide trend of lower revenue from lower
prices and competition from other wireline and wireless
communications companies, as well as cable MSOs and Internet
service providers. Growth in voice services provided by cable
MSOs is accelerating as consumers use cable MSOs as alternatives
to local and long distance voice communications providers. We
continue to assess the portfolio of services provided by our
Wireline segment and are focusing our efforts on
IP-based
services and de-emphasizing stand-alone voice services and
non-IP-based
data services. For example, in addition to increased emphasis on
selling IP and managed services, we are converting most of our
existing customers from ATM and frame relay to more advanced IP
technologies, such as MPLS, Sprintlink Frame Relay and
Sprintlink ATM, which will reduce our cost structure by moving
toward one consolidated data platform that can provide converged
services. Over time, this conversion is expected to result in
decreases in revenue from frame relay and ATM service offset by
increases in IP and MPLS services. We also are taking advantage
of the growth in voice services provided by cable MSOs, by
providing large cable MSOs with wholesale voice long distance,
which they offer as part of their bundled service offerings, as
well as traditional voice and data services for their enterprise
use.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
We consider the following accounting policies and estimates to
be the most important to our financial position and results of
operations, either because of the significance of the financial
statement item or because they
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require the exercise of significant judgment
and/or use
of significant estimates. While management believes that the
estimates used are reasonable, actual results could differ from
those estimates.
Revenue
Recognition and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Policies
Operating revenues primarily consist of wireless service
revenues, revenues generated from handset and accessory sales
and revenues from wholesale operators and PCS Affiliates, as
well as long distance voice, data and Internet revenues. Service
revenues consist of fixed monthly recurring charges, variable
usage charges and miscellaneous fees, such as activation fees,
directory assistance, operator-assisted calling, equipment
protection, late payment charges and certain regulatory related
fees. We recognize service revenues as services are rendered and
equipment revenue when title passes to the dealer or end-user
customer, in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin, or
SAB, No. 104, Revenue Recognition, and Emerging
Issues Task Force, or EITF, Issue
No. 00-21,
Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables. We
recognize revenue for access charges and other services charged
at fixed amounts ratably over the service period, net of credits
and adjustments for service discounts, billing disputes and
fraud or unauthorized usage. We recognize excess wireless usage
and long distance revenue at contractual rates per minute as
minutes are used. Additionally, we recognize excess wireless
data usage based on kilobytes and one-time use charges, such as
for the use of premium services, as incurred. As a result of the
cutoff times of our multiple billing cycles each month, we are
required to estimate the amount of subscriber revenues earned
but not billed from the end of each billing cycle to the end of
each reporting period. These estimates are based primarily on
rate plans in effect and our historical usage and billing
patterns and represented about 14% of our accounts receivable
balance as of March 31, 2007.
Certain of our bundled products and services, primarily in our
Wireless segment, are considered to be revenue arrangements with
multiple deliverables. Total consideration received in these
arrangements is allocated and measured using units of accounting
within the arrangement (i.e., service and handset contracts)
based on relative fair values. The activation fee revenue
associated with these arrangements in our direct sales channels
is recognized as equipment sales at the time the related handset
is sold. For our indirect sales channels, the activation fee is
solely linked to the service contract with the subscriber.
Accordingly, the activation fee revenue is deferred and
amortized over the estimated average service life of the end
user customer, and is classified as service revenue.
We establish an allowance for doubtful accounts receivable
sufficient to cover probable and reasonably estimable losses.
Because of the number of accounts that we have, it is not
practical to review the collectibility of each of those accounts
individually when we determine the amount of our allowance for
doubtful accounts each period, although we do perform some
account level analysis with respect to wireline customers. Our
estimate of the allowance for doubtful accounts considers a
number of factors, including collection experience, the credit
quality of our subscriber base, aging of the accounts receivable
portfolios, industry norms, regulatory decisions and other
factors.
The accounting estimates related to the recognition of revenue
in the results of operations require us to make assumptions
about future billing adjustments for disputes with customers,
unauthorized usage and future returns on handset sales.
The allowance amounts recorded, in each instance, represent our
best estimate of future outcomes, but the actual outcomes could
differ from the estimate selected, and the impact that changes
in our actual performance versus these amounts recorded would
have on the accounts receivable reported on our balance sheet
and our results of operations could be material to our financial
condition.
Inventories
Inventories of handsets and accessories in the Wireless segment
are stated at the lower of cost or market. We determine cost by
the
first-in,
first-out, or FIFO, method. Handset costs in excess of the
revenues generated from handset sales, or handset subsidies, are
expensed at the time of sale. We do not recognize the expected
handset subsidies prior to the time of sale because the
promotional discount decision is made at the point of sale
and/or
because we expect to recover the handset subsidies through
service revenues.
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As of March 31, 2007, we held about $884 million of
inventory. We analyze the realizable value of our handset and
other inventory on a quarterly basis. This analysis includes
assessing obsolescence, sales forecasts, product life cycle,
marketplace and other considerations. If our assessments
regarding the above factors change, we may be required to sell
handsets at a higher subsidy or potentially record expense in
future periods prior to the point of sale to the extent that we
expect that we will be unable to sell handsets with a service
contract.
Valuation
and Recoverability of Long-lived Assets Including Definite Lived
Intangible Assets
A significant portion of our total assets are long-lived assets,
consisting primarily of property, plant and equipment and
definite lived intangible assets. Changes in technology or in
our intended use of these assets, as well as changes in economic
or industry factors or in our business or prospects, may cause
the estimated period of use or the value of these assets to
change.
Long-lived assets consisting of property, plant and equipment
represented $26.1 billion of our $95.1 billion in
total assets as of March 31, 2007. We generally calculate
depreciation on these assets using the straight-line method
based on estimated economic useful lives as follows:
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Long-lived Assets
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Estimated Useful Life
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Average Useful Life
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Buildings and improvements
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3 to 31 years
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13 years
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Network equipment and software
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3 to 31 years
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9 years
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Non-network
internal use software, office equipment and other
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3 to 12 years
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4 years
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Since changes in technology or in our intended use of these
assets, as well as changes in broad economic or industry
factors, may cause the estimated period of use of these assets
to change, we perform annual internal studies to confirm the
appropriateness of depreciable lives for most categories of
property, plant and equipment. These studies utilize models,
which take into account actual usage, physical wear and tear,
replacement history, and assumptions about technology evolution,
to calculate the remaining life of our asset base. When these
factors indicate that an assets useful life is different
from the original assessment, we depreciate the remaining book
values prospectively over the adjusted estimated useful life.
During the first quarter 2007, we implemented depreciation rate
changes primarily with respect to assets that comprise the CDMA
network resulting from our annual depreciable lives studies.
Before considering the impact of assets placed into service in
2007, these revised rates, which were determined under group
life depreciation accounting, are expected to reduce annual
depreciation expense by about $400 million based upon the
net book value of our CDMA and Wireline network long-lived
assets as of January 1, 2007. These rate changes are
primarily related to the impact of certain assets becoming fully
depreciated and net changes in service lives of certain assets.
In addition to performing our annual studies, we also continue
to assess the estimated useful life of the iDEN network assets,
which had a net carrying value of $8.3 billion as of
March 31, 2007, and our future strategic plans for this
network, as a larger portion of our subscriber base is served by
our CDMA network. A reduction in our estimate of the useful life
of the iDEN network assets would cause increased depreciation
charges in future periods that could be material.
We review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events
or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount
may not be recoverable. A significant amount of judgment is
involved in determining the occurrence of an indicator of
impairment that requires an evaluation of the recoverability of
our long-lived assets. If the total of the expected undiscounted
future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of our
assets, a loss, if any, is recognized for the difference between
the fair value and carrying value of the assets. Impairment
analyses, when performed, are based on our current business and
technology strategy, our views of growth rates for our business,
anticipated future economic and regulatory conditions and
expected technological availability. For software projects that
are under development, we periodically assess the probability of
deployment into the business to determine if an impairment
charge is required.
Intangible assets with definite useful lives represented
$8.3 billion of our $95.1 billion in total assets as
of March 31, 2007. Definite lived intangible assets consist
primarily of customer relationships that are amortized over
three to five years using the sum of the years digits
method, which we believe best reflects the estimated
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pattern in which the economic benefits will be consumed. Other
definite lived intangible assets primarily include certain
rights under affiliation agreements that we reacquired in
connection with the acquisitions of certain PCS Affiliates and
Nextel Partners, which are being amortized over the remaining
terms of those affiliation agreements on a straight-line basis,
and the Nextel and Direct
Connectsm
trade names, which are being amortized over ten years from the
date of the Sprint-Nextel merger on a straight-line basis.
We continually assess whether any indicators of impairment exist
that would trigger a test of any of these definite lived
intangible assets, including, but not limited to, a significant
decrease in the market price of or the cash flows expected to be
derived from the asset, or a significant change in the extent or
manner in which the asset is used. In addition, if we ever were
required to determine the implied fair value of our goodwill as
part of a second step goodwill impairment test, it would result
in our evaluating the recorded value of our definite lived
intangible assets for impairment. We also evaluate the remaining
useful lives of our definite lived intangible assets each
reporting period to determine whether events and circumstances
warrant a revision to the remaining periods of amortization,
which would be addressed prospectively. For example, we review
certain trends such as customer churn, average revenue per user,
revenue, our future plans regarding the iDEN network and changes
in marketing strategies, among others. Significant changes in
certain trends may cause us to adjust, on a prospective basis,
the remaining estimated life of certain of our definite lived
intangible assets.
Valuation
and Recoverability of Goodwill and Indefinite Lived Intangible
Assets
Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives represented
$50.9 billion of our $95.1 billion in total assets as
of March 31, 2007. We have identified FCC licenses and our
Sprint and Boost Mobile trademarks as indefinite lived
intangible assets, in addition to our goodwill, after
considering the expected use of the assets, the regulatory and
economic environment within which they are being used, and the
effects of obsolescence on their use. We review our goodwill,
which relates solely to our wireless reporting unit, and other
indefinite lived intangibles annually on October 1 for
impairment, or more frequently if indicators of impairment
exist. We continually assess whether any indicators of
impairment exist. A significant amount of judgment is involved
in determining if an indicator of impairment has occurred. Such
indicators may include: a sustained, significant decline in our
share price and market capitalization; a significant decline in
our expected future cash flows; a significant adverse change in
legal factors or in the business climate; unanticipated
competition; the testing for recoverability of a significant
asset group within a reporting unit;
and/or
slower growth rates, among others. In addition, if we exit a
line of business in future periods, any goodwill allocated to
that line of business could be impaired.
When required, we first test goodwill for impairment by
comparing the fair value of our wireless reporting unit with its
carrying amount. If the fair value of the wireless reporting
unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill is not deemed to be
impaired, and no further testing would be necessary. If the
carrying amount of our wireless reporting unit were to exceed
its fair value, we would perform a second test to measure the
amount of impairment loss, if any. To measure the amount of any
impairment loss, we would determine the implied fair value of
goodwill in the same manner as if our wireless reporting unit
were being acquired in a business combination. Specifically, we
would allocate the fair value of the wireless reporting unit to
all of the assets and liabilities of that unit, including any
unrecognized intangible assets, in a hypothetical calculation
that would yield the implied fair value of goodwill. If the
implied fair value of goodwill is less than the recorded
goodwill, we would record an impairment charge for the
difference.
When required, we test other indefinite lived intangibles for
impairment by comparing the assets respective carrying
value to estimates of fair value, determined using the direct
value method. Our FCC licenses are combined as a single unit of
accounting following the unit of accounting guidance as
prescribed by EITF Issue
No. 02-7,
Unit of Accounting for Testing Impairment of Indefinite-Lived
Intangible Assets, except for our FCC licenses in the
2.5 GHz band, which are tested separately as a single unit
of accounting.
The accounting estimates related to our goodwill and other
indefinite lived intangible assets require us to make
significant assumptions about fair values. Our assumptions
regarding fair values require significant judgment about
economic factors, industry factors and technology
considerations, as well as our views
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regarding the prospects of our business. Changes in these
judgments may have a significant effect on the estimated fair
values.
During the fourth quarter 2006, we performed our annual goodwill
and other indefinite lived intangible asset impairment analyses
as described above. The result of these analyses was that our
indefinite lived intangible assets were not impaired. As
permitted by Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB,
guidance, our goodwill analysis included an estimate of a
control premium with respect to the minority interest traded
value of our common shares and an estimate of the value of our
wireline business, as well as other assumptions. As of
March 31, 2007, we have not identified any indicators of
impairment with respect to our goodwill and other indefinite
lived intangible assets. However, if our share price were to
experience a sustained, significant decline as compared to the
share price as of March 31, 2007, or if any other indicator
of impairment exists, such as a significant decline in expected
cash flows, we may be required to perform the second step of the
goodwill impairment test, which could cause us to recognize a
non-cash impairment charge that could be material to our
consolidated financial statements.
Tax
Valuation Allowances and Uncertain Tax Positions
We are required to estimate the amount of taxes payable or
refundable for the current year and the deferred income tax
liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events
that have been reflected in our consolidated financial
statements or tax returns for each taxing jurisdiction in which
we operate. This process requires our management to make
assessments regarding the timing and probability of the ultimate
tax impact. We record valuation allowances on deferred tax
assets if we determine it is more likely than not that the asset
will not be realized. The accounting estimates related to the
tax valuation allowance requires us to make assumptions
regarding the timing of future events, including the probability
of expected future taxable income and available tax planning
opportunities. These assumptions require significant judgment
because actual performance has fluctuated in the past and may do
so in the future. The impact that changes in actual performance
versus these estimates could have on the realization of tax
benefits as reported in our results of operations could be
material.
We carried an income tax valuation allowance of
$816 million as of March 31, 2007. This amount
includes a valuation allowance of $604 million for the
total tax benefits related to net operating loss carryforwards,
subject to utilization restrictions, acquired in connection with
certain acquisitions. The remainder of the valuation allowance
relates to capital loss, state net operating loss and tax credit
carryforwards. Within our total valuation allowance, we had
$54 million related to separate company state net operating
losses incurred by the PCS entities after we acquired them. The
valuation allowance was provided on these separate company state
net operating loss benefits since these entities had no history
of taxable income. Current trends indicate that the valuation
allowance continues to be appropriate and we do not anticipate
adjusting this amount in the near term. We continue to monitor
these trends, and in the future it is possible that our
cumulative historical income test will ultimately yield
sufficient positive evidence that it is more likely than not
that we will realize the tax benefit of some of the separate
company state net operating losses for which the valuation
allowance has been provided. Should that occur, subject to
review of other qualitative factors and uncertainties at that
time, we would expect to start reversing some of the valuation
allowance. For the valuation allowance related to the acquired
tax benefits described above, we would first reduce goodwill or
intangible assets resulting from the acquisitions, or reduce
income tax expense if these intangible assets have been reduced
to zero. For the remainder of our valuation allowance, we would
reduce income tax expense.
We adopted FASB Interpretation No. 48, or FIN 48,
Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, an
interpretation of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards,
or SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes,
on January 1, 2007. The adoption of FIN 48 did not
have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
The accounting estimates related to the liability for uncertain
tax positions requires us to make judgments regarding the
sustainability of each uncertain tax position based on its
technical merits. If we determine it is more likely than not a
tax position will be sustained based on its technical merits, we
record the impact of the position in our financial statements at
the largest amount that is greater than fifty percent likely of
being realized upon ultimate settlement. These estimates are
updated at each reporting date based on the facts, circumstances
and information available. We are also required to assess at
each reporting date
35
whether it is reasonably possible that any significant increases
or decreases to the unrecognized tax benefits will occur during
the next twelve months. See note 9 for additional
information regarding FIN 48. Our liability for uncertain
tax positions was $614 million as of March 31, 2007.
Actual income taxes could vary from these estimates due to
future changes in income tax law, significant changes in the
jurisdictions in which we operate, our inability to generate
sufficient future taxable income or unpredicted results from the
final determination of each years liability by taxing
authorities. These changes could have a significant impact on
our financial position.
Significant
New Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2006, the EITF, reached a consensus on Issue
No. 06-3,
How Taxes Collected from Customers and Remitted to
Governmental Authorities Should Be Presented in the Income
Statement (That Is, Gross versus Net Presentation). EITF
Issue
No. 06-3
requires that companies disclose their accounting policy
regarding the gross or net presentation of certain taxes. Taxes
within the scope of EITF Issue
No. 06-3
are any taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are
directly imposed on a revenue-producing transaction between a
seller and a customer and may include, but are not limited to,
sales, use, value added and some excise taxes. We adopted EITF
Issue
No. 06-3
on January 1, 2007. The adoption did not impact our
consolidated financial statements. We account for transaction
taxes such as sales, excise and usage taxes on a net basis.
Universal service fee revenues are recorded gross and represent
about 2% of net operating revenues for the quarters ended
March 31, 2007 and 2006.
In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS, No. 157, Fair
Value Measurements. This statement defines fair value and
establishes a framework for measuring fair value. Additionally,
this statement expands disclosure requirements for fair value
with a particular focus on measurement inputs.
SFAS No. 157 is effective for our quarterly reporting
period ending March 31, 2008. We are in the process of
evaluating the impact of this statement on our consolidated
financial statements.
In September 2006, the EITF reached a consensus on Issue
No. 06-1,
Accounting for Consideration Given by a Service Provider to
Manufacturers or Resellers of Equipment Necessary for an
End-Customer to Receive Service from the Service Provider.
EITF Issue
No. 06-1
provides guidance regarding whether the consideration given by a
service provider to a manufacturer or reseller of specialized
equipment should be characterized as a reduction of revenue or
an expense. This issue is effective for our quarterly reporting
period ending March 31, 2008. Entities are required to
recognize the effects of applying this issue as a change in
accounting principle through retrospective application to all
prior periods unless it is impracticable to do so. We are in the
process of evaluating the impact of this issue on our
consolidated financial statements.
In February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, The
Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial
Liabilities Including an Amendment of FASB Statement
No. 115. This statement allows entities to measure
assets and liabilities at fair value and report any unrecognized
gains or losses in earnings subsequent to adoption. The
statement serves to minimize the fluctuations in earnings that
occur when assets and liabilities are measured differently
without imposing hedge accounting requirements. This statement
is effective for our quarterly reporting period ending
March 31, 2008 and must be applied in conjunction with
SFAS No. 157. We are in the process of evaluating the
impact of this statement on our consolidated financial
statements.
Results
of Operations
We present consolidated information as well as separate
supplemental financial information for our two reportable
segments, Wireless and Wireline. The disaggregated financial
results for our two segments have been prepared in a manner that
is consistent with the basis and manner in which our executives
evaluate segment performance and make resource allocation
decisions. Consequently, we define segment earnings as operating
income before depreciation, amortization, severance, lease exit
costs, asset impairments and other expenses. See note 11 of
the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional
information on our segments. For reconciliations of segment
earnings to the closest generally accepted accounting principles
measure, operating income, see tables set forth in
Wireless and
Wireline below. We generally
36
account for transactions between segments based on fully
distributed costs, which we believe approximate fair value. In
certain transactions, pricing is set using market rates.
Consolidated
Our operating results for the first quarter 2006 include the
results of the PCS Affiliates that we acquired in the first
quarter 2006, either from the date of acquisition or from the
start of the month closest to the acquisition date. Our
operating results for the first quarter 2007 include the results
of Nextel Partners, which we acquired in the second quarter 2006
and the results of UbiquiTel, which we acquired in the third
quarter 2006. For further information on business combinations,
see note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements. These transactions affect the comparability of our
reported operating results with other periods.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
Net operating revenues
|
|
$
|
10,096
|
|
|
$
|
10,074
|
|
(Loss) income from continuing
operations
|
|
|
(211
|
)
|
|
|
164
|
|
Net (loss) income
|
|
|
(211
|
)
|
|
|
419
|
|
Net operating revenues were flat in the first quarter 2007 as
compared to the first quarter 2006, primarily due to increases
in CDMA and wholesale subscribers and increases in data services
revenue, offset by decreases in service and handset pricing, as
well as a decline in the post-paid iDEN subscriber base. For
additional information, see Segment Results of
Operations below.
In the first quarter 2007, we incurred a loss from continuing
operations of $211 million compared to income from
continuing operations of $164 million in the first quarter
2006, due to an increase in operating expenses, primarily
resulting from increases in network costs related to improved
coverage and capacity, increases in wireless equipment subsidy
and other customer acquisition costs, which included incremental
costs related to advertising and brand awareness, and an
increase in severance costs related to our workforce reductions.
For additional information, see Segment
Results of Operations and Consolidated
Information below.
In the first quarter 2007, we incurred a net loss of
$211 million compared to net income of $419 million in
the first quarter 2006 due to the reasons stated above and the
absence of income from discontinued operations. For additional
information, see Segment Results of
Operations and Consolidated
Information below.
Presented below are results of operations for our Wireless and
Wireline segments, followed by a discussion of results of
operations on a consolidated basis.
37
Segment
Results of Operations
Wireless
Our Wireless segment results of operations include the results
of acquired companies from either the date of the acquisition or
the start of the month closest to the acquisition date. As such,
the results of acquired companies are included as of the
following dates: Enterprise Communications Partnership and
Alamosa Holdings, Inc. from February 1, 2006, Velocita
Wireless Holding Corporation from March 1, 2006 and Nextel
Partners and UbiquiTel from July 1, 2006.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
|
|
|
|
Wireless
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
(dollars in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service
|
|
$
|
7,815
|
|
|
$
|
7,487
|
|
|
|
4
|
%
|
Wholesale, affiliate and other
|
|
|
260
|
|
|
|
201
|
|
|
|
29
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total services revenue
|
|
|
8,075
|
|
|
|
7,688
|
|
|
|
5
|
%
|
Cost of
services(1)
|
|
|
(2,079
|
)
|
|
|
(1,876
|
)
|
|
|
11
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service gross margin
|
|
$
|
5,996
|
|
|
$
|
5,812
|
|
|
|
3
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service gross margin percentage
|
|
|
74
|
%
|
|
|
76
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment revenue
|
|
$
|
648
|
|
|
$
|
830
|
|
|
|
(22
|
)%
|
Cost of
products(1)
|
|
|
(1,379
|
)
|
|
|
(1,253
|
)
|
|
|
10
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment net subsidy
|
|
$
|
(731
|
)
|
|
$
|
(423
|
)
|
|
|
73
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment net subsidy percentage
|
|
|
(113
|
)%
|
|
|
(51
|
)%
|
|
|
|
|
Selling, general and
administrative
expense(1)
|
|
$
|
(2,870
|
)
|
|
$
|
(2,705
|
)
|
|
|
6
|
%
|
Wireless segment earnings
|
|
|
2,395
|
|
|
|
2,684
|
|
|
|
(11
|
)%
|
Severance, lease exit costs, asset
impairments and
other(2)
|
|
|
(159
|
)
|
|
|
(28
|
)
|
|
|
NM
|
|
Depreciation(2)
|
|
|
(1,229
|
)
|
|
|
(1,285
|
)
|
|
|
(4
|
)%
|
Amortization(2)
|
|
|
(913
|
)
|
|
|
(938
|
)
|
|
|
(3
|
)%
|
Wireless operating income
|
|
|
94
|
|
|
|
433
|
|
|
|
(78
|
)%
|
NM Not Meaningful
|
|
|
(1) |
|
A total of $112 million in service and repair costs
associated with our Wireless segment was reclassified to cost of
services, of which $87 million was reclassified from cost
of products and $25 million was reclassified from selling,
general and administrative expense for the quarter ended
March 31, 2006. |
|
(2) |
|
Severance, lease exit costs, asset impairments, depreciation
and amortization are discussed in the Consolidated Information
section. Other expense includes a charge associated with legal
contingencies and net costs associated with a planned exit of a
non-core line of business. |
38
Selected
Financial and Operating Data
The following is a summary of our subscriber activity and
related subscriber data. The number of subscribers impacts
service revenues, cost of service and bad debt expense as well
as support costs, such as customer care, which are recorded in
general and administrative expenses.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
Direct subscribers, end of period
(millions)
|
|
|
45.9
|
|
|
|
42.2
|
|
CDMA network
|
|
|
25.1
|
|
|
|
22.5
|
|
iDEN network
|
|
|
20.8
|
|
|
|
19.7
|
|
Wholesale and affiliate
subscribers, end of period (millions)
|
|
|
7.8
|
|
|
|
6.6
|
|
Direct net subscriber
additions(1)(thousands)
|
|
|
55
|
|
|
|
1,065
|
|
Monthly customer churn rate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Direct post-paid
|
|
|
2.3
|
%
|
|
|
2.1
|
%
|
Direct prepaid
|
|
|
7.0
|
%
|
|
|
5.4
|
%
|
Weighted average
|
|
|
2.7
|
%
|
|
|
2.4
|
%
|
Average monthly service revenue
per user
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Direct post-paid
|
|
$
|
59
|
|
|
$
|
62
|
|
Direct prepaid
|
|
|
32
|
|
|
|
36
|
|
Weighted average
|
|
|
57
|
|
|
|
61
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Direct net subscriber additions do not include subscribers
acquired in connection with the PCS Affiliate acquisitions. |
Service
Revenue
Service revenues consist of fixed monthly recurring charges,
variable usage charges and miscellaneous fees such as activation
fees, directory assistance, operator-assisted calling, equipment
protection, late payment charges and certain regulatory related
fees. Service revenues increased 4% in the first quarter 2007 as
compared to the first quarter 2006 primarily due to the increase
in the number of our direct subscribers, partially offset by a
decrease in our weighted average monthly service revenue per
user to $57 in the first quarter 2007 as compared to $61 in the
first quarter 2006. We ended the first quarter 2007 with about
45.9 million direct subscribers and during the first
quarter 2007, we had about 55,000 net direct subscriber
additions. In comparison, we ended the first quarter 2006 with
about 42.2 million direct subscribers and during the first
quarter 2006, we had about 1.1 million net direct
subscriber additions excluding the PCS Affiliate subscribers of
about 1.6 million that were acquired with the acquisition
of these companies. We believe that the increase in direct
subscribers, separate from the growth attributable to
subscribers gained as part of our acquisitions, is primarily due
to the following factors:
|
|
|
|
|
growth in the number of subscribers purchasing our wireless
prepaid service offering of 7% in the first quarter 2007 for an
end of quarter 2007 wireless prepaid subscriber total of
4.3 million;
|
|
|
|
our differentiating products and services, particularly
data-related services, including those available under our
Sprint Power Vision service plans, and other non-voice services,
such as instant messaging and emails, sending and receiving
pictures, playing on-line games and browsing the Internet
wirelessly, as well as our data connection cards; and
|
|
|
|
selected handset pricing promotions and improved handset
choices; partially offset by
|
|
|
|
a decline in our post-paid iDEN subscriber base.
|
39
Our weighted average monthly service revenue per user decreased
to $57 in the first quarter 2007 from $61 in the first quarter
2006, primarily due to the following factors:
|
|
|
|
|
a continuing migration of our customer base to more competitive
service pricing plans on both the iDEN and CDMA networks and
plans that allow users to add additional units to their plan at
attractive rates, such as add a phone and
family plans;
|
|
|
|
our prepaid wireless subscribers, who generally have a lower
average revenue per user, increased as a percentage of our
direct subscriber base to 9% in the first quarter 2007 compared
to 7% in the first quarter 2006;
|
|
|
|
a decline in our post-paid iDEN subscriber base, which generally
has higher average revenue per user; and
|
|
|
|
the integration of the subscribers acquired from the PCS
Affiliates, who have a lower average monthly service revenue and
who will no longer be a source of roaming revenue for us;
partially offset by
|
|
|
|
the increase in data service revenues, as subscribers took
advantage of our wide array of data offerings such as short
message service, or SMS, connection cards and our Sprint Vision
and Power Vision service plans.
|
We have limited distribution of our Boost Mobile-branded prepaid
services in a few of our network capacity constrained markets,
which may adversely impact our ability to add users of prepaid
services in the affected markets. We continually monitor our
credit policies on a market by market basis in an effort to
optimize the balance between new subscribers who are of a prime
and subprime quality, which may adversely impact our ability to
add lower credit quality subscribers in markets with tight
credit policies. We expect our weighted average monthly service
revenue per user to remain relatively stable during the
remainder of 2007 as expected growth for our data services is
expected to offset decreases in pricing due to competitive
market pricing, incremental customer acquisitions at lower
average revenues and existing customer migrations to lower
priced plans. See Forward-Looking
Statements.
Wholesale,
Affiliate and Other Revenue
Wholesale, affiliate and other revenues consist primarily of
revenues from the sale of wireless services to companies that
resell those services to their subscribers and net revenues
retained from wireless subscribers residing in PCS Affiliate
territories. Wholesale, affiliate and other revenues increased
29% in the first quarter 2007 as compared to the first quarter
2006, primarily due to increased minutes of use of our wholesale
operator subscribers. In the first quarter 2007, wholesale
subscriber additions were 467,000, resulting in about
6.8 million subscribers at quarter end, compared to about
5.4 million subscribers at March 31, 2006.
Cost of
Services
Cost of services consists primarily of:
|
|
|
|
|
costs to operate and maintain our CDMA and iDEN networks,
including direct switch and cell site costs, such as rent,
utilities, maintenance, payroll costs associated with our
network engineering employees and frequency leasing costs;
|
|
|
|
fixed and variable interconnection costs, the fixed component of
which consists of monthly flat-rate fees for facilities leased
from local exchange carriers based on the number of cell sites
and switches in service in a particular period and the related
equipment installed at each site; and the variable component of
which generally consists of per-minute use fees charged by
wireline and wireless providers for calls terminating on their
networks, which fluctuates in relation to the level and duration
of those terminating calls;
|
|
|
|
costs to service and repair handsets and activate service for
new subscribers;
|
|
|
|
roaming fees paid to other carriers; and
|
40
|
|
|
|
|
variable costs relating to payments to third parties for the use
of their proprietary data applications, such as ringers, games,
music and TV navigation by our customers.
|
Cost of services increased 11% in the first quarter 2007
compared to the first quarter 2006, primarily due to increased
costs relating to the expansion of our network and increased
minutes of use on our networks. Specifically, we experienced:
|
|
|
|
|
an increase in cell site and switch related operational costs,
including increases in fixed and variable interconnection costs,
due to the increase in usage, cell sites and related equipment
in service;
|
|
|
|
an increase in backhaul costs driven by the increased capacity
required to support our EV-DO service; and
|
|
|
|
an increase in costs for premium data services resulting from
increased subscriber data usage; partially offset by
|
|
|
|
decreases in roaming expenses due to the acquisition of Nextel
Partners and certain PCS Affiliates and the negotiation of lower
roaming rates paid to the remaining independent PCS Affiliates.
|
We expect the aggregate amount of cost of service to increase as
customer usage of our networks increases and we add more sites
and other equipment to expand the coverage and capacity of our
CDMA and iDEN networks. See Forward-Looking
Statements, Liquidity and Capital
Resources and Capital
Requirements.
Service gross margin percentage decreased 2% in the first
quarter 2007 to 74% as cost of services grew at a faster rate
than service revenue due to the reasons described above.
Equipment
Revenue
We recognize equipment revenue when title to the handset or
accessory passes to the dealer or end-user customer. Revenues
from sales of handsets and accessories decreased 22% in the
first quarter 2007 as compared to the first quarter 2006 despite
an 8% increase in the number of handsets sold in the first
quarter 2007 compared to the first quarter 2006 due to more
aggressive acquisition and retention handset pricing. This
corresponds to a 27% decrease in the average sales price per
handset in the first quarter 2007 compared to the first quarter
2006. We expect equipment revenue to increase primarily as a
result of an increase in the number of handsets expected to be
sold and an increase in the average sales price per handset. See
Forward-Looking Statements.
Cost of
Products
We recognize the cost of handsets and accessories, including
handset costs in excess of the revenues generated from handset
sales (or subsidy), when title to the handset or accessory
passes to the dealer or end-user customer. Cost of handset and
accessories also includes order fulfillment related expenses and
write-downs of handset and related accessory inventory for
shrinkage and obsolescence. The cost of handsets is reduced by
any rebates that we earned from the supplier. Handset and
accessory costs increased 10% in the first quarter 2007 as
compared to the first quarter 2006 primarily due to a 3%
increase in the average cost per handset sold combined with an
8% increase in the number of handsets sold, as well as costs
associated with restocking of dealers inventories of Boost
Mobile handsets in selected markets in the first quarter 2007,
particularly in markets where we had limited distribution of our
Boost Mobile-branded prepaid services in prior periods. The
increase in the average cost per handset sold was primarily a
result of selling handsets with increased functionality, which
have a higher cost, and selling a significant number of
PowerSource devices in the first quarter 2007, which have a
higher cost as compared to typical single network handsets as
they feature voice and data applications over our CDMA network
and walkie-talkie applications over our iDEN network.
Our marketing plans assume that handsets typically will be sold
at prices below our cost, which is consistent with industry
practice. Our subscriber retention efforts often include
providing incentives to customers such as offering new handsets
at discounted prices. Equipment net subsidy as a percentage of
equipment revenues increased to 113% in the first quarter 2007
from 51% in the first quarter 2006. Handset subsidies have
41
increased significantly in recent periods resulting from a
combination of aggressive customer acquisitions and retention
pricing, as well as selling higher cost handsets. We expect
handset subsidies to decrease from current levels due to
improved handset pricing on the PowerSource handsets in addition
to reduced handset sales promotions. See
Forward-Looking Statements.
Selling,
General and Administrative Expense
Sales and marketing costs primarily consist of customer
acquisition costs, including commissions paid to our indirect
dealers, third-party distributors and direct sales force for new
handset activations, upgrades, residual payments to our indirect
dealers, payroll and facilities costs associated with our direct
sales force, retail stores and marketing employees, advertising,
media programs and sponsorships, including costs related to
branding. General and administrative costs primarily consist of
fees paid for billing, customer care and information technology
operations, bad debt expense and back office support activities,
including collections, legal, finance, human resources,
strategic planning and technology and product development, along
with the related payroll and facilities costs.
Sales and marketing expense increased 8% in the first quarter
2007 from the first quarter 2006, primarily due to increased
compensation of our post-paid third-party dealers for both new
subscriber additions and upgrades and advertising expense, as a
result of our renewed focus on promoting our brand to gain
market share by attracting new subscribers and to continue to
build goodwill among existing subscribers.
General and administrative costs increased 4% in the first
quarter 2007 from the first quarter 2006, primarily due to:
|
|
|
|
|
an increase in bad debt expense resulting from an increase in
the number of subscribers, including subscribers acquired from
purchased affiliates, including Nextel Partners, an increase in
the average write-off per account and an increase in involuntary
churn. The increase in the average write-off per account was
primarily due to increases in unpaid data usage. Bad debt
expense for the first quarter 2007 increased 96% from the first
quarter 2006. The allowance for doubtful accounts as a
percentage of outstanding accounts receivable was 10% for the
first quarter 2007 and 7% for the first quarter 2006; and
|
|
|
|
an increase in our customer care expenses related to call volume
increases due to migrating customers to a single billing
platform, a larger subscriber base and increases in customer
retention efforts; partially offset by
|
|
|
|
a decrease in information technology and billing expenses due to
reduced data center hosting fees and a reduction of information
technology personnel subsequent to the first quarter 2006.
|
We expect selling, general and administrative expenses to remain
relatively stable through the remainder of 2007. Increased cost
efficiencies related to headcount reductions, merger synergies
and other productivity measures are expected to substantially
offset continued increases in costs associated with customer
acquisition and retention, including increased costs related to
strengthening third-party distribution channels, additional
marketing, advertising and brand awareness initiatives and
customer care activities. See Forward-Looking
Statements.
Wireless
Segment Earnings
Wireless segment earnings decreased 11% in the first quarter
2007 from the first quarter 2006 primarily due to an increase in
the operating expenses caused by additional equipment subsidies
resulting from more aggressive customer acquisition and
retention efforts, and an increase to selling, general and
administrative expenses, partially offset by an increase in net
operating revenues due to increases in data service revenues and
an increase in the number of CDMA and wholesale subscribers.
42
Wireline
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
|
|
|
|
Wireline
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
(dollars in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voice
|
|
$
|
898
|
|
|
$
|
966
|
|
|
|
(7
|
)%
|
Data
|
|
|
311
|
|
|
|
373
|
|
|
|
(17
|
)%
|
Internet
|
|
|
344
|
|
|
|
269
|
|
|
|
28
|
%
|
Other
|
|
|
45
|
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
(22
|
)%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net services revenue
|
|
|
1,598
|
|
|
|
1,666
|
|
|
|
(4
|
)%
|
Cost of services and products
|
|
|
(1,112
|
)
|
|
|
(1,093
|
)
|
|
|
2
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service gross margin
|
|
$
|
486
|
|
|
$
|
573
|
|
|
|
(15
|
)%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service gross margin percentage
|
|
|
30
|
%
|
|
|
34
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
Selling, general and
administrative expense
|
|
$
|
(281
|
)
|
|
$
|
(334
|
)
|
|
|
(16
|
)%
|
Wireline segment earnings
|
|
|
205
|
|
|
|
239
|
|
|
|
(14
|
)%
|
Severance, lease exit costs, asset
impairments and
other(1)
|
|
|
(55
|
)
|
|
|
(10
|
)
|
|
|
NM
|
|
Depreciation(1)
|
|
|
(127
|
)
|
|
|
(122
|
)
|
|
|
4
|
%
|
Wireline operating income
|
|
|
23
|
|
|
|
107
|
|
|
|
(79
|
)%
|
NM Not Meaningful
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Severance, lease exit costs, asset impairments and
depreciation are discussed in the Consolidated Information
section. Other expense includes a charge associated with legal
contingencies. |
Total Net
Services Revenues
Total net services revenues decreased 4% in the first quarter
2007 as compared to the first quarter 2006, primarily as a
result of a lower priced product mix, as well as volume
decreases associated with the reduction in our customer base,
which is a result of our exit from several businesses further
described below. This decrease was partially offset by a higher
volume of minutes in our wholesale and affiliate business and
growth in our cable voice over IP, or VoIP, business.
In 2007, we expect to see continued revenue growth in IP
services, offset by declines in voice revenues due to lower
pricing on commercial contracts and continued pressures in the
long distance market. Increased competition and the excess
capacity resulting from new technologies and networks may result
in further price reductions. See
Forward-Looking Statements.
Voice
Revenues
Voice revenues decreased 7% in the first quarter 2007 as
compared to the first quarter 2006, primarily as a result of
certain business wireline customers that were transferred to
Embarq as part of the spin-off in the second quarter 2006, as
well as continued price declines. Also contributing to the
decrease is the loss of conference line customers due to the
final transition of those activities in the third quarter 2006
as part of the sale of that business.
Our retail business experienced a 25% decrease in voice revenues
from the first quarter 2006 to the first quarter 2007, primarily
due to the loss of accounts related to the Embarq spin-off and
the sale of our conference line business, as well as lower
prices. Our business trends indicate a shift away from the
retail business and towards the wholesale business.
Voice revenues related to our wholesale business increased about
15% from the first quarter 2006 to the first quarter 2007.
Minute volume increases accounted for this increase, primarily
as a result of our relationship with Embarq and several large
cable MSOs. We began providing wholesale long distance services
to Embarq following the spin-off. We provide local and long
distance communications services to the cable MSOs, which
43
they include as part of their bundled service offerings. Rate
decreases slightly offset the minute volume increase.
Voice revenues generated from the provision of services to
Wireless represented 22% of total voice revenues for the first
quarter 2007 as compared to 17% for the first quarter 2006.
Data
Revenues
Data revenues reflect sales of legacy data services, including
ATM, frame relay and managed network services. Data revenues
decreased 17% for the first quarter 2007 as compared to the
first quarter 2006, primarily as customers migrated to
IP-based
technologies. These declines were partially offset by growth in
managed network services.
Internet
Revenues
Internet revenues reflect sales of
IP-based
data services, including MPLS. Internet revenues increased 28%
in the first quarter 2007 as compared to the first quarter 2006.
The 2007 increase was due to higher dedicated IP revenues as
business customers increasingly migrate to MPLS services, as
well as revenue growth in our cable VoIP business, which
experienced an 88% increase in the first quarter 2007, as
compared to the first quarter 2006.
Other
Revenues
Other revenue, which primarily consists of customer premises
equipment, or CPE, decreased 22% in the first quarter 2007 as
compared to the first quarter 2006, as a result of fewer
projects in 2007.
Costs of
Services and Products
Costs of services and products include access costs paid to
local phone companies, other domestic service providers and
foreign phone companies to complete calls made by our domestic
customers, costs to operate and maintain our networks and costs
of equipment. Costs of services and products increased 2% in the
first quarter 2007 from the first quarter 2006. The increases
relate primarily to minute volume growth as a result of our
relationship with Embarq and several large cable MSOs, as well
as increased prepaid card international charges. Also
contributing to the increases are higher rates associated with
increased international minutes used by subscribers of our
wireless services, additional international access charges and
network costs to support growth in our cable initiatives. These
increases were partially offset by favorable volume and rate
trends associated with the sales of various businesses in 2005
and 2006.
Service gross margin decreased from 34% in the first quarter
2006 to 30% in the first quarter 2007, primarily as a result of
declining net services revenue and a lower margin product mix.
Selling,
General and Administrative Expense
Selling, general and administrative expense decreased 16% in the
first quarter 2007, as compared to the first quarter 2006. The
2007 decline was due primarily to a reduction in headcount and
overhead allocations that occurred in the first quarter 2007,
reduced commissions as a result of the spin-off of Embarq and
decreased customer care expenses due to a smaller customer base.
These declines were partially offset by increases in costs
associated with cable VoIP support in the first quarter 2007.
Selling, general and administrative expense includes charges for
estimated bad debt expense. Every quarter we reassess our
allowance for doubtful accounts, based on customer-specific
indicators, as well as historical trends and industry data, to
ensure we are adequately reserved. Bad debt expense for the
first quarter 2007 decreased to $3 million from
$6 million for the first quarter 2006. The improvement in
bad debt expense reflects improved trends in collections and
agings. The allowance for doubtful accounts as a percentage of
outstanding accounts receivable was 3% in the first quarter 2007
and 7% in the first quarter 2006.
44
Wireline
Segment Earnings
Wireline segment earnings decreased 14% in the first quarter
2007 from the first quarter 2006, primarily due to voice revenue
declines related to customer migrations to alternate sources
such as cable and wireless.
Consolidated
Information
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling, general and
administrative expense
|
|
$
|
(3,303
|
)
|
|
$
|
(3,132
|
)
|
|
|
5
|
%
|
Severance, lease exit costs and
asset impairments
|
|
|
(174
|
)
|
|
|
(38
|
)
|
|
|
NM
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
(1,355
|
)
|
|
|
(1,408
|
)
|
|
|
(4
|
)%
|
Amortization
|
|
|
(913
|
)
|
|
|
(938
|
)
|
|
|
(3
|
)%
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
(367
|
)
|
|
|
(394
|
)
|
|
|
(7
|
)%
|
Interest income
|
|
|
31
|
|
|
|
84
|
|
|
|
(63
|
)%
|
Equity in (losses) earnings of
unconsolidated investees, net
|
|
|
(2
|
)
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
|
NM
|
|
Other, net
|
|
|
(2
|
)
|
|
|
56
|
|
|
|
NM
|
|
Income tax benefit (expense)
|
|
|
128
|
|
|
|
(86
|
)
|
|
|
NM
|
|
Discontinued operations, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
255
|
|
|
|
NM
|
|
(Loss) income available to common
shareholders
|
|
|
(211
|
)
|
|
|
417
|
|
|
|
NM
|
|
NM Not Meaningful
Selling,
General and Administrative Expense
Selling, general and administrative expenses are primarily
allocated at the segment level and are discussed in the segment
earnings discussions above. The selling, general and
administrative expenses related to the Wireless segment were
$2.9 billion in the first quarter 2007 and
$2.7 billion in the first quarter 2006. The selling,
general and administrative expenses related to the Wireline
segment were $281 million in the first quarter 2007 and
$334 million in the first quarter 2006.
In addition to the selling, general and administrative expenses
discussed in the segment earnings discussions, we incurred
corporate general and administrative expenses of
$152 million in the first quarter 2007 and $93 million
in the first quarter 2006, including merger and integration
costs of $99 million in the first quarter 2007 and
$76 million in the first quarter 2006. Merger and
integration costs are generally non-recurring in nature and
primarily include charges for costs to adopt and launch a new
branding strategy and logos, including costs to re-brand
company-owned stores and facilities, costs to train
customer-facing employees and prepare systems for the launch of
the common customer interfacing systems, processes and other
integration planning and execution costs, and costs related to
employee retention.
Severance,
Lease Exit Costs and Asset Impairments
We recorded $166 million in the first quarter 2007 related
to the separation of employees and lease exit costs primarily as
a result of continued organizational realignment initiatives
associated with the Sprint-Nextel merger and the PCS Affiliate
and Nextel Partners acquisitions and our planned work force
reductions. As of March 31, 2007, we have completed the
majority of these headcount reductions, the remainder of which
are expected to occur by year-end. In the first quarter 2006, we
recorded $20 million in severance and lease exit costs
primarily related to our realignment initiatives associated with
the Sprint-Nextel merger. We recorded asset impairment charges
of $8 million in the first quarter 2007 primarily related
to the closing of retail stores due to integration activities
and $18 million in the first quarter 2006 primarily related
to the write-off of various software applications.
45
Depreciation
and Amortization Expense
Depreciation expense decreased 4% in the first quarter 2007 from
the first quarter 2006, primarily due to depreciation rate
changes, mainly to our CDMA network, resulting from our annual
depreciable lives studies. Before considering the impact of
assets placed into service in 2007, these revised rates, which
were determined under group life depreciation accounting, are
expected to reduce aggregate annual depreciation expense by
about $400 million based upon the net book value of our
CDMA network and Wireline network long-lived assets as of
January 1, 2007. The revised rates reduced first quarter
2007 depreciation expense by about $88 million with respect
to CDMA network assets and about $12 million with respect
to Wireline network assets. These rate changes are primarily
related to certain assets becoming fully depreciated and net
changes in service lives of certain assets. The decreases
resulting from the depreciation rate changes were partially
offset by $71 million of incremental depreciation expense
related to the 2006 acquisitions of certain PCS Affiliates and
Nextel Partners.
Amortization expense decreased $25 million in the first
quarter 2007 from the first quarter 2006, primarily due to the
amortization of the customer relationships acquired as part of
the Sprint-Nextel merger, which are amortized using the sum of
the years digits method, resulting in higher amortization
rates in early periods that decline over time. See note 5
to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional
information regarding our definite lived intangible assets.
Interest
Expense
Interest expense in the first quarter 2007 decreased
$27 million as compared to the first quarter 2006,
primarily reflecting the retirement of debt bearing higher
interest rates relative to our remaining debt. This decrease was
partially offset by the increase in our effective interest rate
resulting from the assumption of higher rate debt in connection
with the acquisition of certain PCS Affiliates and Nextel
Partners in 2006. The effective interest rate on our average
long-term debt balance of $21.6 billion in the first
quarter 2007 was 7.0%. The effective interest rate on our
average long-term debt balance of $24.9 billion in the
first quarter 2006 was 6.5%. The effective interest rate
includes the effect of interest rate swap agreements. As of
March 31, 2007, the average floating rate of interest on
the interest rate swaps was 8.3%, while the weighted average
coupon on the underlying debt was 7.2%. See
Liquidity and Capital Resources for more
information on our financing activities.
Interest
Income
Interest income includes dividends received from certain
investments in equity securities and interest earned on
marketable debt securities and cash equivalents. In the first
quarter 2007, interest income decreased 63% as compared to the
first quarter 2006 primarily due to a decrease in our marketable
securities balances and the decrease in cash investment balances
due to debt retirements, purchases of common stock and business
acquisitions.
Income
Tax Benefit (Expense)
Our consolidated effective tax rate was a 37.8% benefit for the
first quarter 2007 due to net losses and 34.4% for the first
quarter 2006. Information regarding the items that caused the
effective income tax rates to vary from the statutory federal
rate for income taxes related to continuing operations can be
found in note 9 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements.
Discontinued
Operations, net
Discontinued operations reflect the results of our Local segment
for the first quarter 2006. Additional information regarding our
discontinued operations can be found in note 2 of the Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements.
46
Financial
Condition
Our consolidated assets were $95.1 billion as of
March 31, 2007, which included $59.2 billion of
intangible assets, and $97.2 billion as of
December 31, 2006, which included $60.1 billion of
intangible assets. The decrease in our consolidated assets was
primarily a result of the settlement of our securities loan
agreement, as well as amortization of $913 million related
to our definite-lived intangible assets.
See Liquidity and Capital Resources
for additional information on the change in cash and cash
equivalents.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Management exercises discretion regarding the liquidity and
capital resource needs of our business segments. This
responsibility includes the ability to prioritize the use of
capital and debt capacity, to determine cash management policies
and to make decisions regarding the timing and amount of capital
expenditures.
Discontinued
Operations
On May 17, 2006, we completed the spin-off of Embarq. The
separation of Embarq from us resulted in two separate companies
each of which can focus on maximizing opportunities for its
distinct business. We believe this separation presents the
opportunity for enhanced performance of each of the two
companies, including: allowing each company separately to pursue
the business and regulatory strategies that best suit its
long-term interests and, by doing so, addressing the growing
strategic divergence between Embarqs local
wireline-centric focus and our increasingly national
wireless-centric focus; creating separate companies that have
different financial characteristics, which may appeal to
different investor bases; creating opportunities to more
efficiently develop and finance expansion plans; and creating
effective management incentives tied to the relevant
companys performance.
In connection with the spin-off, Embarq transferred to our
parent company $2.1 billion in cash and about
$4.5 billion of Embarq senior notes in partial
consideration for, and as a condition to, our transfer to Embarq
of the local communications business. Embarq also retained about
$665 million in debt obligations of its subsidiaries. The
cash and senior notes were transferred by our parent company to
our finance subsidiary, Sprint Capital Corporation, in
satisfaction of indebtedness owed by our parent company to
Sprint Capital. On May 19, 2006, Sprint Capital sold the
Embarq senior notes to the public, and received about
$4.4 billion in net proceeds. Embarq provided
$903 million of net cash to us in 2006 excluding cash
received from Embarq in connection with the spin-off.
Cash
Flows
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quarter Ended
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
(in millions)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash provided by operating
activities
|
|
$
|
2,464
|
|
|
$
|
2,965
|
|
|
|
(17
|
)%
|
Cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(1,022
|
)
|
|
|
(4,259
|
)
|
|
|
(76
|
)%
|
Cash used in financing activities
|
|
|
(1,142
|
)
|
|
|
(1,006
|
)
|
|
|
14
|
%
|
Operating
Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities of $2.5 billion
in the first quarter 2007 decreased $501 million from the
first quarter 2006 primarily due to a $698 million decrease
in cash provided from discontinued operations, combined with a
$132 million decrease in cash received from our customers.
This was partially offset by a $199 million decrease in
cash paid to suppliers and employees.
Investing
Activities
Net cash used in investing activities for the first quarter 2007
decreased by $3.2 billion from the first quarter 2006
primarily due to $3.4 billion paid in 2006 to acquire
Alamosa Holdings, Velocita and Enterprise Communications,
combined with $866 million in cash collateral received back
from our securities loan
47
agreements in 2007, partially offset by a $919 million
decrease in net proceeds from the purchase and maturity of
marketable securities, investments and assets.
Capital expenditures increased $263 million in our Wireless
segment due to higher expenditures for equipment and other
assets designed to increase network capacity and coverage, and
provide new functionality. Capital expenditures in our Wireline
segment increased $46 million, due to higher expenditures
for equipment and other assets designed to increase capacity and
IP services. This was partially offset by a $210 million
decrease in capital expenditures related to discontinued
operations.
Financing
Activities
Net cash used in financing activities of $1.1 billion
during the first quarter 2007 increased $136 million
compared to the first quarter 2006.
In 2007, cash of $866 million was used to pay off our
securities loan agreement. We paid $608 million for the
early redemption of IWO Holdings, Inc.s Senior Secured
Floating Rate Notes due 2012 and UbiquiTel Operating
Companys 9.875% Senior Notes due 2011, as compared to
debt payments of $868 million in the first quarter 2006,
which were primarily related to the maturity of our
7.125% Senior Notes.
We also repurchased about 15 million of our common shares
for $300 million pursuant to our share repurchase program
in the first quarter 2007. These payments were partially offset
by $750 million in proceeds from our unsecured loan
agreement with Export Development Canada entered into in March
2007.
Capital
Requirements
We currently anticipate that future funding needs in the near
term will principally relate to:
|
|
|
|
|
operating expenses relating to our segment operations;
|
|
|
|
capital expenditures, particularly with respect to the expansion
of the coverage and capacity of our wireless networks and the
deployment of new technologies in those networks, including our
plans to build a next generation broadband wireless network;
|
|
|
|
increasing expenditures for income taxes, after utilization of
available tax net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards;
|
|
|
|
scheduled interest and principal payments related to our debt
and any purchases or redemptions of our debt securities;
|
|
|
|
dividend payments as declared by our board of directors, and
purchases of our common shares pursuant to our share repurchase
program;
|
|
|
|
amounts required to be expended in connection with the Report
and Order;
|
|
|
|
potential costs of compliance with regulatory mandates; and
|
|
|
|
other general corporate expenditures.
|
Liquidity
As of March 31, 2007, our cash and cash equivalents and
marketable securities totaled $2.4 billion.
We have a $6.0 billion revolving credit facility, which
expires in December 2010 and provides for interest rates equal
to the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, or Prime Rate
plus a spread that varies depending on our parent companys
credit ratings. There is no rating trigger that would allow the
lenders to terminate this facility in the event of a credit
rating downgrade.
In April 2006, we commenced a commercial paper program, which
reduced our borrowing costs by allowing us to issue short-term
debt at lower rates than those available under our
$6.0 billion revolving credit facility. The
$2.0 billion program is backed by our revolving credit
facility and reduces the amount we can borrow
48
under the facility to the extent of the commercial paper
outstanding. As of March 31, 2007, we had $399 million
of commercial paper outstanding, net of discounts. Although our
credit rating remains investment grade, recent downgrades to our
credit rating by major credit rating agencies have impacted, and
may continue to impact, our ability to place the commercial
paper with investors, as well as the duration and interest rates
of commercial paper issued since the ratings downgrade.
As of March 31, 2007, we had $2.6 billion in letters
of credit, including a $2.5 billion letter of credit
required by the Report and Order, outstanding under our
$6.0 billion revolving credit facility. These letters of
credit reduce the availability under the revolving credit
facility by an equivalent amount. As a result of the letters of
credit and outstanding commercial paper, we had about
$3.0 billion of borrowing capacity available under our
revolving credit facility. In addition, we had $12 million
of general letters of credit outstanding.
As of March 31, 2007, we were in compliance with all debt
covenants, including all financial ratio tests, associated with
our borrowings.
Our ability to fund our capital needs from outside sources is
ultimately impacted by the overall capacity and terms of the
banking and securities markets. Given the volatility in these
markets, we continue to monitor them closely and to take steps
to maintain financial flexibility and a reasonable capital cost
structure.
As of March 31, 2007, we had working capital of
$615 million compared to working capital of
$506 million as of December 31, 2006. The increase in
working capital is primarily due to increases in cash balances
resulting from financing transactions, offset by debt payments
and reductions in inventories and deferred tax asset balances.
Future
Contractual Obligations
In addition to the future contractual obligations disclosed in
our annual report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006, for which there have
been no significant changes, the following is a discussion of
our contractual obligations associated with the Report and
Order, as well as the adoption of FIN 48.
The total minimum cash obligation for the Report and Order is
$2.8 billion. Costs incurred under the Report and Order
associated with the reconfiguration of the 800 MHz band may
be applied against the $2.8 billion obligation, subject to
approval by the TA under the Report and Order. In addition,
costs associated with the reconfiguration of the 1.9 GHz
spectrum are not fully approved for credit until the completion
of the entire reconfiguration process. Because the final
reconciliation and audit of the entire reconfiguration
obligation outlined in the Report and Order will not take place
until after the completion of all aspects of the reconfiguration
process, there can be no assurance that we will be given full
credit for the expenditures that we have incurred under the
Report and Order. Additionally, since we, the TA and the FCC
have not yet reached an agreement on the methodology for
calculating certain amounts of property, plant and equipment to
be submitted for credit associated with reconfiguration activity
with our own network, we cannot provide assurance that we will
be granted full credit for certain of these network costs. As a
result of the uncertainty with regard to the calculation of the
credit for our internal network costs, as well as the
significant number of variables outside of our control,
particularly with regard to the 800 MHz reconfiguration
licensee costs, we do not believe that we can reasonably
estimate what amount, if any, will be paid to the
U.S. Treasury. From the inception of the program through
March 31, 2007, we estimate that we had incurred
$790 million of costs directly attributable to the
reconfiguration program. This amount does not include any
indirect network costs that we have preliminarily allocated to
the reconfiguration program.
Our liability for uncertain tax positions was $614 million
as of March 31, 2007. This amount updates the payments due
2012 and Thereafter column in the Future Contractual
Obligations table in our 2006 Form 10-K. Due to the
inherent uncertainty of the underlying tax positions, it is not
practicable to assign this liability to any particular years in
the table.
49
Off-Balance
Sheet Financing
We do not participate in, or secure, financings for any
unconsolidated, special purpose entities.
Future
Outlook
We expect to be able to meet our currently identified funding
needs for at least the next 12 months by using:
|
|
|
|
|
our anticipated cash flows from operating activities as well as
our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities on hand;
and/or
|
|
|
|
cash available under our existing revolving credit facility and
our commercial paper program.
|
In making this assessment, we have considered:
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|
|
|
anticipated levels of capital expenditures, including funding
required in connection with the deployment of next generation
technologies and our next generation broadband wireless network;
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anticipated payments under the Report and Order;
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declared and anticipated dividend payments, scheduled debt
service requirements and purchases of our common shares pursuant
to our share repurchase program;
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merger and integration costs associated with the Sprint-Nextel
merger and the acquisitions of certain PCS Affiliates and Nextel
Partners; and
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other future contractual obligations.
|
If there are material changes in our business plans, or
currently prevailing or anticipated economic conditions in any
of our markets or competitive practices in the mobile wireless
communications industry, or if other presently unexpected
circumstances arise that have a material effect on our cash flow
or profitability, anticipated cash needs could change
significantly.
The conclusion that we expect to meet our funding needs for at
least the next 12 months as described above does not take
into account:
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any significant acquisition transactions or the pursuit of any
significant new business opportunities or spectrum acquisition
strategies;
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potential material purchases or redemptions of our outstanding
debt securities for cash; and
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potential material increases in the cost of compliance with
regulatory mandates.
|
Any of these events or circumstances could involve significant
additional funding needs in excess of anticipated cash flows
from operating activities and the identified currently available
funding sources, including existing cash on hand, borrowings
available under our existing revolving credit facility and our
commercial paper program. If existing capital resources are not
sufficient to meet these funding needs, it would be necessary to
raise additional capital to meet those needs. Our ability to
raise additional capital, if necessary, is subject to a variety
of additional factors that cannot currently be predicted with
certainty, including:
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the commercial success of our operations;
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the volatility and demand of the capital markets;
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the market prices of our securities; and
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tax law restrictions related to the spin-off of Embarq that may
limit our ability to raise capital from the sale of our equity
securities.
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We have in the past and may in the future have discussions with
third parties regarding potential sources of new capital to
satisfy actual or anticipated financing needs. At present, other
than the existing arrangements that have been described in this
report, we have no legally binding commitments or understandings
with any third parties to obtain any material amount of
additional capital.
50
The above discussion is subject to the risks and other
cautionary and qualifying factors set forth under
Forward-Looking Statements and in
Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors in our
annual report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006.
Financial
Strategies
General
Risk Management Policies
We primarily use derivative instruments for hedging and risk
management purposes. Hedging activities may be done for various
purposes, including, but not limited to, mitigating the risks
associated with an asset, liability, committed transaction or
probable forecasted transaction. We seek to minimize
counterparty credit risk through stringent credit approval and
review processes, credit support agreements, continual review
and monitoring of all counterparties, and thorough legal review
of contracts. We also control exposure to market risk by
regularly monitoring changes in hedge positions under normal and
stress conditions to ensure they do not exceed established
limits.
Our board of directors has adopted a financial risk management
policy that authorizes us to enter into derivative transactions,
and all transactions comply with the policy. We do not purchase
or hold any derivative financial instruments for speculative
purposes with the exception of equity rights obtained in
connection with commercial agreements or strategic investments,
usually in the form of warrants to purchase common shares.
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Item 3.
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Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
|
We are primarily exposed to the market risk associated with
unfavorable movements in interest rates, foreign currencies, and
equity prices. The risk inherent in our market risk sensitive
instruments and positions is the potential loss arising from
adverse changes in those factors. There have been no material
changes to our market risk policies or our market risk sensitive
instruments and positions as described in our annual report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006.
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Item 4.
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Controls
and Procedures
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Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the
objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed
in our reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, such
as this
Form 10-Q,
is reported in accordance with the SECs rules. Disclosure
controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that
such information is accumulated and communicated to management,
including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure.
In connection with the preparation of this
Form 10-Q
as of March 31, 2007, under the supervision and with the
participation of our management, including our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we carried out an
evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of
our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on this
evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer each concluded that the design and operation of the
disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of
March 31, 2007 in providing reasonable assurance that
information required to be disclosed in reports we file or
submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is accumulated
and communicated to management, including the Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow
timely decisions regarding required disclosure and in providing
reasonable assurance that the information is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods
specified in the SECs rules and forms.
We continue to update our internal control over financial
reporting as necessary to accommodate any modifications to our
business processes or accounting procedures. During the first
quarter 2007, we completed various phases of our systems and
processes consolidation plan. These included migrating certain
customers onto a single billing platform, migrating all
employees to a single human resource and payroll platform and
transitioning part of our call traffic to a new call processing
system. There have been no other changes in our internal control
over financial reporting that occurred during the first quarter
2007 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to
materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
51
PART II.
OTHER INFORMATION
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Item 1.
|
Legal
Proceedings
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In February 2007, the District Court of Johnson County, Kansas,
dismissed a count of the complaint related to intra-company
allocations in the consolidated lawsuit relating to the
recombination of our tracking stocks, which was reported in our
annual report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006. This requires
dismissal of the complaint against three of our former directors
and reconsideration of the class definition. The court asked the
parties for further briefing on the class certification issue
and the plaintiffs request for a jury trial. In April
2007, the Kansas Court of Appeals accepted interlocutory appeal
of the District Courts class certification and stayed
proceedings in the trial court pending the decision on appeal.
All defendants have denied plaintiffs allegations and
intend to defend this matter vigorously.
We are involved in certain other legal proceedings that are
described in note 10 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements included in this report. During the quarter ended
March 31, 2007, there were no material developments in the
status of these legal proceedings.
Various other suits, proceedings and claims, including purported
class actions typical for a business enterprise, are pending
against us or our subsidiaries. While it is not possible to
determine the ultimate disposition of each of these proceedings
and whether they will be resolved consistent with our beliefs,
we expect that the outcome of such proceedings, individually or
in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our
financial condition or results of operations.
There have been no material changes to the risk factors
described in our annual report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006.
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Item 2.
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Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
|
In March 2007, we issued to certain of our directors and
executive officers an aggregate of 1,001 restricted stock units
relating to our common shares. These restricted stock units were
the result of dividend equivalent rights attached to restricted
stock units granted to these individuals in 2003. Each
restricted stock unit represents the right to one common share
once the unit vests. Some of these restricted stock units vested
in 2006, but the holder of these restricted stock units elected
to delay delivery of the underlying shares. The other restricted
stock units vest in 2007. Neither these restricted stock units,
nor the common stock issuable once the units vest, were
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, or Securities Act.
The restricted stock units were issued in reliance on the
exemption from registration provided by Section 4(2) of the
Securities Act because the restricted stock units were issued in
transactions not involving a public offering.
Issuer
Purchases of Equity Securities
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Maximum Number
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Total Number of
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(or Approximate
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Shares Purchased as
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Dollar Value) of
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Total
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Part of Publicly
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Shares that May
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Number of
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Announced
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Yet Be Purchased
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Shares
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Average Price Paid
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Plans or
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Under the Plans
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Period
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Purchased(1)
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per Share
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Programs(2)
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or Programs
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(in billions)
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January 1 through January 31
common shares, Series 1
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$
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$
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4.4
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February 1 through February 28
common shares, Series 1
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$
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4.4
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March 1 through March 31
common shares, Series 1
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15,313,550
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19.61
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15,313,550
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$
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4.1
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Total
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15,313,550
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19.61
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15,313,550
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52
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(1) |
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Acquisitions of equity securities during the first quarter
2007 were pursuant to our share repurchase program. |
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(2) |
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On August 3, 2006, we announced that our board of
directors authorized us to repurchase through open market
purchases up to $6.0 billion of our common shares over an
18 month period expiring in the first quarter 2008. As of
March 31, 2007, we had repurchased $1.9 billion of our
common shares at an average price of $17.14 per share. |
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Item 3.
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Default
Upon Senior Securities
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None
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Item 4.
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Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
|
On May 8, 2007, we held our 2007 annual meeting of
shareholders in Reston, Virginia. Only shareholders on the
record date of March 20, 2007 were entitled to vote at the
annual meeting.
As of the record date, the following shares were outstanding and
entitled to vote:
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Outstanding
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Votes per Share
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Series 1 common stock
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2,809,560,604
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1.0000
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Series 2 common stock
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79,831,333
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0.1000
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Based on the preliminary vote count, the shareholders elected
the ten directors to serve a term of one year, ratified the
appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm for 2007, approved the 2007 Omnibus Incentive
Plan and rejected the shareholder proposal concerning an
advisory vote on compensation of named executive officers. The
number of votes cast for each proposal will be provided in our
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ending June 30, 2007.
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Item 5.
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Other
Information
|
None
(a) The following exhibits are filed as part of this report:
(3) Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws:
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3
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.1
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Amended and Restated Articles of
Incorporation (filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Sprint Nextels
Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed August 18, 2005 and incorporated herein by reference).
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3
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.2
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Amended and Restated Bylaws (filed
as Exhibit 3 to Sprint Nextels Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed February 28, 2007 and incorporated herein by
reference).
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53
(4) Instruments defining the Rights of Sprint Nextel
Security Holders:
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4
|
.1
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The rights of Sprint Nextels
equity security holders are defined in the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh
and Eighth Articles of Sprint Nextels Articles of
Incorporation. See Exhibit 3.1.
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4
|
.2
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Provision regarding Kansas Control
Share Acquisition Act is in Article 2, Section 2.5 of
the Bylaws. Provisions regarding Stockholders Meetings are
set forth in Article 3 of the Bylaws. See Exhibit 3.2.
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4
|
.3.1
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Second Amended and Restated Rights
Agreement between Sprint Corporation and UMB Bank, n.a., as
Rights Agent, dated as of March 16, 2004 and effective as
of April 23, 2004 (filed as Exhibit 1 to Amendment
No. 5 to Sprint Nextels Registration Statement on
Form 8-A
relating to Sprint Nextels Rights, filed April 12,
2004, and incorporated herein by reference).
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4
|
.3.2
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Amendment dated June 17, 2005
to Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement between Sprint
Corporation and UMB Bank, n.a., as Rights Agent, effective
August 12, 2005 (filed as Exhibit 4(d) to Sprint
Nextels Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended June 30, 2005 and incorporated herein
by reference).
|
(10) Executive Compensation Plans and Arrangements:
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10
|
.1
|
|
2007 Omnibus Incentive Plan (filed
as
Exhibit 4-A
to Sprint Nextels Registration Statement on
Form S-8
(No. 333-142702)
and incorporated herein by reference).
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10
|
.2
|
|
Summary of 2007 Short-Term
Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10.5 to Sprint
Nextels Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006 and incorporated
herein by reference).
|
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10
|
.3
|
|
Summary of 2007 Long-Term
Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10.23 to Sprint
Nextels Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006 and incorporated
herein by reference).
|
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10
|
.4
|
|
Form of Award Agreement (awarding
stock options and restricted stock units) under the 1997
Long-Term Stock Incentive Program for 2007 for Gary D. Forsee
(filed as Exhibit 10.24 to Sprint Nextels Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006 and incorporated
herein by reference).
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10
|
.5
|
|
Form of Award Agreement (awarding
stock options and restricted stock units) under the 1997
Long-Term Stock Incentive Program for 2007 for executive
officers with Nextel employment agreements (filed as
Exhibit 10.25 to Sprint Nextels Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006 and incorporated
herein by reference).
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10
|
.6
|
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Form of Award Agreement (awarding
stock options and restricted stock units) under the 1997
Long-Term Stock Incentive Program for 2007 for other executive
officers (filed as Exhibit 10.26 to Sprint Nextels
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006 and incorporated
herein by reference).
|
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10
|
.7
|
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Employment Agreement dated as of
February 12, 2007, between Sprint Nextel Corporation and
Mark Angelino (filed as Exhibit 10.42 to Sprint
Nextels Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006 and incorporated
herein by reference).
|
|
10
|
.8
|
|
Employment Agreement dated as of
February 6, 2007, between Sprint Nextel Corporation and
Richard Lindahl (filed as Exhibit 10.43 to Sprint
Nextels Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006 and incorporated
herein by reference).
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10
|
.9
|
|
Second Amendment to the Employment
Agreement of Barry J. West, dated February 28, 2007.
|
|
10
|
.10
|
|
Form of Award Agreement (awarding
restricted stock units) under the 2007 Omnibus Incentive Plan
for Non-Employee Directors.
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54
|
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15
|
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|
Letter Re: Unaudited Interim
Financial Information.
|
|
31
|
.1
|
|
Certification of Chief Executive
Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Rule 13a-14(a).
|
|
31
|
.2
|
|
Certification of Chief Financial
Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Rule 13a-14(a).
|
|
32
|
.1
|
|
Certification of Chief Executive
Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted
Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
|
|
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|
2002.
|
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32
|
.2
|
|
Certification of Chief Financial
Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted
Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
Sprint Nextel will furnish to the SEC, upon request, a copy of
the instruments defining the rights of holders of long-term debt
that do not exceed 10% of the total assets of Sprint Nextel.
55
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on
its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
SPRINT NEXTEL CORPORATION
(Registrant)
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ William
G. Arendt
|
William G. Arendt
Senior Vice President Controller
Principal Accounting Officer
Dated: May 9, 2007
56