Edgar Filing: VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC

At March 31,

At December 31,

(dollars in millions)

Wireless licenses

Document

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q



(Mark one)
☒	QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
	For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2019



☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

	For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 1-8606

Verizon Communications Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



Delaware		23-2259884
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)



1095 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York		10036
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 395-1000



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 ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

	Large accelerated filer	☒	Accelerated filer	☐
	Non-accelerated filer	☐	Smaller reporting company	☐
			Emerging growth company	☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ☐ Yes ☒ No

At March 31, 2019, 4,135,706,646 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding, after deducting 155,727,000 shares held in treasury.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS



Item No.		Page

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.	Financial Statements (Unaudited)

	Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income	3
	Three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018

	Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income	4
	Three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018

	Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets	5
	At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018

	Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	6
	Three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018

	Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements	7

Item 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	29

Item 3.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	46

Item 4.	Controls and Procedures	46

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.	Legal Proceedings	46

Item 1A.	Risk Factors	46

Item 2.	Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds	46

Item 6.	Exhibits	47

Signature		48

Certifications

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Part I - Financial Information

Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
(dollars in millions, except per share amounts) (unaudited)	2019			2018

Operating Revenues
Service revenues and other	$	27,197		$	26,732
Wireless equipment revenues	4,931			5,040
Total Operating Revenues	32,128			31,772

Operating Expenses
Cost of services (exclusive of items shown below)	7,792			7,946
Wireless cost of equipment	5,198			5,309
Selling, general and administrative expense	7,198			6,844
Depreciation and amortization expense	4,231			4,324
Total Operating Expenses	24,419			24,423

Operating Income	7,709			7,349
Equity in losses of unconsolidated businesses	(6		)	(19		)
Other income (expense), net	295			(75		)
Interest expense	(1,210		)	(1,201		)
Income Before Provision For Income Taxes	6,788			6,054
Provision for income taxes	(1,628		)	(1,388		)
Net Income	$	5,160		$	4,666

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	$	128		$	121
Net income attributable to Verizon	5,032			4,545
Net Income	$	5,160		$	4,666

Basic Earnings Per Common Share
Net income attributable to Verizon	$	1.22		$	1.11
Weighted-average shares outstanding (in millions)	4,138			4,104

Diluted Earnings Per Common Share
Net income attributable to Verizon	$	1.22		$	1.11
Weighted-average shares outstanding (in millions)	4,140			4,107

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
(dollars in millions) (unaudited)	2019			2018

Net Income	$	5,160		$	4,666
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax (Expense) Benefit
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $(5) and $(6)	24			93
Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges, net of tax of $5 and $(180)	(13		)	501
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities, net of tax of $(2) and $1	4			(5		)
Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans, net of tax of $56 and $60	(169		)	(173		)
Other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Verizon	(154		)	416
Total Comprehensive Income	$	5,006		$	5,082

Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	$	128		$	121
Comprehensive income attributable to Verizon	4,878			4,961
Total Comprehensive Income	$	5,006		$	5,082

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries



	At March 31,			At December 31,
(dollars in millions, except per share amounts) (unaudited)	2019			2018

Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	2,322		$	2,745
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $744 and $765	24,469			25,102
Inventories	1,417			1,336
Prepaid expenses and other	5,189			5,453
Total current assets	33,397			34,636

Property, plant and equipment	254,457			252,835
Less accumulated depreciation	166,608			163,549
Property, plant and equipment, net	87,849			89,286

Investments in unconsolidated businesses	674			671
Wireless licenses	94,237			94,130
Goodwill	24,635			24,614
Other intangible assets, net	9,608			9,775
Operating lease right-of-use assets	23,105			—
Other assets	10,442			11,717
Total assets	$	283,947		$	264,829

Liabilities and Equity
Current liabilities
Debt maturing within one year	$	8,614		$	7,190
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	18,664			22,501
Current operating lease liabilities	2,997			—
Other current liabilities	8,332			8,239
Total current liabilities	38,607			37,930

Long-term debt	105,045			105,873
Employee benefit obligations	17,888			18,599
Deferred income taxes	34,344			33,795
Non-current operating lease liabilities	18,971			—
Other liabilities	11,632			13,922
Total long-term liabilities	187,880			172,189

Commitments and Contingencies (Note 12)

Equity
Series preferred stock ($0.10 par value; 250,000,000 shares authorized; none issued)	—			—
Common stock ($0.10 par value; 6,250,000,000 shares authorized in each period; 4,291,433,646 issued in each period)	429			429
Additional paid in capital	13,418			13,437
Retained earnings	46,493			43,542
Accumulated other comprehensive income	2,216			2,370
Common stock in treasury, at cost (155,727,000 and 159,400,267 shares outstanding)	(6,825		)	(6,986		)
Deferred compensation – employee stock ownership plans and other	125			353
Noncontrolling interests	1,604			1,565
Total equity	57,460			54,710
Total liabilities and equity	$	283,947		$	264,829

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
(dollars in millions) (unaudited)	2019			2018

Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net Income	$	5,160		$	4,666
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense	4,231			4,324
Employee retirement benefits	(195		)	(151		)
Deferred income taxes	459			702
Provision for uncollectible accounts	319			239
Equity in losses of unconsolidated businesses, net of dividends received	21			30
Changes in current assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisition/disposition of businesses	(2,702		)	(2,033		)
Discretionary employee benefits contributions	(300		)	(1,000		)
Other, net	88			(129		)
Net cash provided by operating activities	7,081			6,648

Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Capital expenditures (including capitalized software)	(4,268		)	(4,552		)
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(25		)	(32		)
Acquisitions of wireless licenses	(104		)	(970		)
Other, net	(406		)	269
Net cash used in investing activities	(4,803		)	(5,285		)

Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Proceeds from long-term borrowings	2,131			1,956
Proceeds from asset-backed long-term borrowings	1,117			1,178
Repayments of long-term borrowings and finance lease obligations	(2,963		)	(2,984		)
Repayments of asset-backed long-term borrowings	(813		)	—
Dividends paid	(2,489		)	(2,407		)
Other, net	360			941
Net cash used in financing activities	(2,657		)	(1,316		)

Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(379		)	47
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	3,916			2,888
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note 1)	$	3,537		$	2,935

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries

Note 1. Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the United States (U.S.) and based upon Securities and Exchange Commission rules that permit reduced disclosure for interim periods. For a more complete discussion of significant accounting policies and certain other information, you should refer to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018 of Verizon Communications Inc. (Verizon or the Company). These financial statements reflect all adjustments that are necessary for a fair presentation of results of operations and financial condition for the interim periods shown, including normal recurring accruals and other items. The results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. We have reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation.

Earnings Per Common Share

There were a total of approximately 2 million outstanding dilutive securities, primarily consisting of restricted stock units, included in the computation of diluted earnings per common share for the three months ended March 31, 2019. There were a total of approximately 3 million outstanding dilutive securities, primarily consisting of restricted stock units, included in the computation of diluted earnings per common share for the three months ended March 31, 2018.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

Cash collections on the device payment plan agreement receivables collateralizing our asset-backed debt are required at certain specified times to be placed into segregated accounts. Deposits to the segregated accounts are considered restricted cash and are included in Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets in our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash are included in the following line items on the condensed consolidated balance sheets:



	At March 31,		At December 31,		Increase / (Decrease)
(dollars in millions)	2019		2018		Increase / (Decrease)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	2,322	$	2,745	$	(423	)
Restricted cash:
Prepaid expenses and other	1,091		1,047		44
Other assets	124		124		—
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	3,537	$	3,916	$	(379	)

Goodwill

Goodwill is the excess of the acquisition cost of businesses over the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. Impairment testing for goodwill is performed annually in the fourth quarter or more frequently if impairment indicators are present. In November 2018, we announced a strategic reorganization of our business which resulted in certain changes to our operating segments and reporting units. We transitioned to the new segment reporting structure effective April 1, 2019, in connection with which we are reassigning goodwill to each of our new reporting units.

We performed an impairment assessment of the impacted reporting units, specifically our Wireless, Wireline and Connect reporting units at March 31, 2019, immediately before our strategic reorganization became effective. Our impairment assessments indicated that the fair value for each of our Wireless, Wireline and Connect reporting units exceeded their respective carrying value and therefore, did not result in a goodwill impairment. Our Media reporting unit was not impacted by the strategic reorganization and there were no indicators of impairment during the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

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Recently Adopted Accounting Standard

The following Accounting Standard Updates (ASUs) were issued by Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and have been recently adopted by Verizon.



Description	Date of Adoption	Effect on Financial Statements
ASU 2016-02, ASU 2018-01, ASU 2018-10, ASU 2018-11, ASU 2018-20 and ASU 2019-01, Leases (Topic 842)
The FASB issued Topic 842 requiring entities to recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for all leases, with certain exceptions. In addition, Topic 842 will enable users of financial statements to further understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. Topic 842 allows for a modified retrospective application and is effective as of the first quarter of 2019. Entities are allowed to apply the modified retrospective approach: (1) retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented in the financial statements with the cumulative-effect adjustment recognized at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented; or (2) retrospectively at the beginning of the period of adoption (January 1, 2019) through a cumulative-effect adjustment. The modified retrospective approach includes a number of optional practical expedients that entities may elect to apply.	1/1/2019	We adopted Topic 842 beginning on January 1, 2019, using the modified retrospective approach with a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening retained earnings recorded at the beginning of the period of adoption. Therefore, upon adoption, we have recognized and measured leases without revising comparative period information or disclosure. We recorded an increase of $410 million (net of tax) to retained earnings on January 1, 2019 which related to deferred sale leaseback gains recognized from prior transactions. Additionally, the adoption of the standard had a significant impact in our condensed consolidated balance sheet due to the recognition of $22.1 billion of operating lease liabilities, along with $23.2 billion of operating lease right-of-use-assets.

The cumulative after-tax effect of the changes made to our condensed consolidated balance sheet for the adoption of Topic 842 were as follows:



(dollars in millions)	At December 31, 2018		Adjustments due to Topic 842			At January 1, 2019
Prepaid expenses and other	$	5,453	$	(329	)	$	5,124
Operating lease right-of-use assets	—		23,241			23,241
Other assets	11,717		(2,048		)	9,669
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	22,501		(3		)	22,498
Other current liabilities	8,239		(2		)	8,237
Current operating lease liabilities	—		2,931			2,931
Deferred income taxes	33,795		139			33,934
Non-current operating lease liabilities	—		19,203			19,203
Other liabilities	13,922		(1,815		)	12,107
Retained earnings	43,542		410			43,952
Noncontrolling interests	1,565		1			1,566

In addition to the increase to the operating lease liabilities and right-of-use assets and the derecognition of deferred sale leaseback gains through opening retained earnings, Topic 842 also resulted in reclassifying the presentation of prepaid and deferred rent to operating lease right-of-use assets. The operating lease right-of-use assets amount also includes the balance of any prepaid lease payments, unamortized initial direct costs, and lease incentives.

We elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard. Accordingly, we have adopted these practical expedients and did not reassess: (1) whether an expired or existing contract is a lease or contains an embedded lease; (2) lease classification of an expired or existing lease; (3) capitalization of initial direct costs for an expired or existing lease. In addition, we have elected the land easement transition practical expedient, and did not reassess whether an existing or expired land easement is a lease or contains a lease if it has not historically been accounted for as a lease.

We lease network equipment including towers, distributed antenna systems, small cells, real estate, connectivity mediums which include dark fiber, equipment leases, and other various types of assets for use in our operations under both operating and finance leases. We assess whether an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at inception. For arrangements considered leases or that contain a lease that is accounted for separately, we determine the classification and initial measurement of the right-of-use asset and lease liability at the lease commencement date, which is the date that the underlying asset becomes available for use.

For both operating and finance leases, we recognize a right-of-use asset, which represents our right to use the underlying asset for the lease term, and a lease liability, which represents the present value of our obligation to make payments arising over the lease term. The present value of the lease payments is calculated using the incremental borrowing rate for operating and finance leases. The incremental borrowing rate is determined using a portfolio approach based on the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over a similar term. Management uses the unsecured borrowing rate and risk-adjusts that rate to approximate a collateralized rate, which will be updated on a quarterly basis for measurement of new lease liabilities.

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In those circumstances where the Company is the lessee, we have elected to account for non-lease components associated with our leases (e.g., common area maintenance costs) and lease components as a single lease component for substantially all of our asset classes. Additionally, in arrangements where we are the lessor, we have customer premise equipment for which we apply the lease and non-lease component practical expedient and account for non-lease components (e.g., service revenue) and lease components as combined components under the revenue recognition guidance in ASU 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" (Topic 606) as the service revenues are the predominant components in the arrangements.

Rent expense for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease and is included in either Cost of services or Selling, general and administrative expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income, based on the use of the facility on which rent is being paid. Variable rent payments related to both operating and finance leases are expensed in the period incurred. Our variable lease payments consist of payments dependent on various external indicators, including real estate taxes, common area maintenance charges and utility usage.

Operating leases with a term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet; we recognize a rent expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

We recognize the amortization of the right-of-use asset for our finance leases on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the term of the lease or the useful life of the right-of-use asset in Depreciation and amortization expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income. The interest expense related to finance leases is recognized using the effective interest method based on the discount rate determined at lease commencement and is included within Interest expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income.

See Note 5 for additional information related to leases, including disclosure required under Topic 842.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

The following ASUs have been recently issued by the FASB.



Description	Date of Adoption	Effect on Financial Statements
ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326)
In June 2016, the FASB issued this standard update which requires certain financial assets be measured at amortized cost net of an allowance for estimated credit losses such that the net receivable represents the present value of expected cash collection. In addition, this standard update requires that certain financial assets be measured at amortized cost reflecting an allowance for estimated credit losses expected to occur over the life of the assets. The estimate of credit losses must be based on all relevant information including historical information, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the amounts. An entity will apply the update through a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective (January 1, 2020). A prospective transition approach is required for debt securities for which an other-than-temporary impairment has been recognized before the effective date. Early adoption of this standard is permitted.	1/1/2020	We are currently evaluating the impacts that this standard update will have on our various financial assets, which we expect to include, but is not limited to, our device payment plan agreement receivables, service receivables and contract assets. We have established a cross-functional coordinated team to address the potential impacts to our systems, processes and internal controls in order to meet the standard update's accounting and reporting requirements.

Note 2. Revenues and Contract Costs

We earn revenue from contracts with customers, primarily through the provision of telecommunications and other services and through the sale of wireless equipment.

Revenue by Category

We operate and manage our business in two reportable segments, Wireless and Wireline. Revenue is disaggregated by products and services, and customer groups, respectively, which we view as the relevant categorization of revenues for these businesses. See Note 11 for additional information on revenue by segment.

Corporate and other includes the results of our Media business, Verizon Media, which operated in 2018 under the "Oath" brand, and our telematics business, branded Verizon Connect. Verizon Media generated revenues from contracts with customers under Topic 606 of approximately $1.8 billion and $1.9 billion, during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Verizon Connect generated revenues from contracts with customers under Topic 606 of approximately $242 million and $234 million, during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

We also earn revenues, that are not accounted for under Topic 606, from leasing arrangements (such as towers), captive reinsurance arrangements primarily related to wireless device insurance and the interest on equipment financed on a device payment plan agreement when sold to the

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customer by an authorized agent. As allowed by the practical expedient within Topic 842, we have elected to combine the lease and non-lease components for those arrangements of customer premise equipment where we are the lessor as components accounted for under Topic 606. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, revenues from arrangements that were not accounted for under Topic 606 were approximately $787 million and $1.2 billion, respectively.

Remaining Performance Obligations

When allocating the total contract transaction price to identified performance obligations, a portion of the total transaction price may relate to service performance obligations that were not satisfied or were partially satisfied as of the end of the reporting period. Below we disclose information relating to these unsatisfied performance obligations. In the prior year, we have elected to apply the practical expedient available under Topic 606, which provides the option to exclude the expected revenues arising from unsatisfied performance obligations related to contracts that have an original expected duration of one year or less. This situation primarily arises with respect to certain month-to-month service contracts. At March 31, 2019, month-to-month service contracts represented approximately 86% of Wireless postpaid contracts and approximately 55% of Wireline consumer and small business contracts, compared to March 31, 2018, for which month-to-month service contracts represented approximately 82% of Wireless postpaid contracts and 57% of Wireline consumer and small business contracts.

Additionally, certain Wireless and Wireline contracts provide customers the option to purchase additional services. The fee related to the additional services is recognized when the customer exercises the option (typically on a month-to-month basis).

Wireless customer contracts are generally either month-to-month and cancellable at any time (typically under a device payment plan) or contain terms greater than one month (typically under a fixed-term plan). Additionally, customers may incur charges based on usage or may purchase additional optional services in conjunction with entering into a contract which can be cancelled at any time and therefore are not included in the transaction price. When a service contract is longer than one month, the service contract term will generally be two years or less. The transaction price allocated to service performance obligations, which are not satisfied or are partially satisfied as of the end of the reporting period, are generally related to our fixed-term plans.

Our wireless customers also include other companies who utilize Verizon's network to resell wireless service to their respective end customers. Reseller arrangements generally include a stated contract term, which typically extend longer than two years. These arrangements generally include an annual minimum revenue commitment over the term of the contract for which revenues will be recognized in future periods.

At March 31, 2019, the transaction price related to Wireless unsatisfied performance obligations expected to be recognized for the remainder of 2019, 2020 and thereafter was $8.3 billion, $6.7 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively.

Wireline customer contracts are either month-to-month, include a specified term with fixed monthly fees, or contain revenue commitments, and may also contain usage based services. Consumer Markets customers under contract generally have a service term of two years; however, this term may be month-to-month. Certain Enterprise Solutions, Partner Solutions and Business Markets service contracts with customers extend into future periods, contain fixed monthly fees and usage-based fees, and can include annual commitments per each year of the contract or commitments over the entire specified contract term. A significant number of contracts within these businesses have a contract term that is twelve months or less.

At March 31, 2019, the transaction price relating to Wireline unsatisfied performance obligations expected to be recognized for the remainder of 2019, 2020 and thereafter was $5.9 billion, $4.0 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively.

In certain Enterprise Solutions, Partner Solutions and Business Markets service contracts within Wireline and certain telematics service contracts within Corporate and other, there are customer contracts that have a contractual minimum fee over the total contract term. We cannot predict the time period when revenue will be recognized related to those contracts; thus they are excluded from the time bands discussed above. These contracts have varying terms spanning over four years ending in January 2024 and have aggregate contract minimum payments totaling $3.8 billion.

Accounts Receivable and Contract Balances

The timing of revenue recognition may differ from the time of billing to our customers. Receivables presented in our consolidated balance sheet represent an unconditional right to consideration. Contract balances represent amounts from an arrangement when either Verizon has performed, by transferring goods or services to the customer in advance of receiving all or partial consideration for such goods and services from the customer, or the customer has made payment to Verizon in advance of obtaining control of the goods and/or services promised to the customer in the contract.

Contract assets primarily relate to our rights to consideration for goods or services provided to the customers but for which we do not have an unconditional right at the reporting date. Under a fixed-term plan, the total contract revenue is allocated between wireless services and equipment revenues. In conjunction with these arrangements, a contract asset is created, which represents the difference between the amount of equipment revenue recognized upon sale and the amount of consideration received from the customer. The contract asset is reclassified as accounts receivable as wireless services are provided and billed. We have the right to bill the customer as service is provided over time, which results in our right to the payment being unconditional. The contract asset balances are presented in our consolidated balance sheet as Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets. We assess our contract assets for impairment on a quarterly basis and will recognize an impairment charge to the extent their carrying amount is not recoverable.

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Contract liabilities arise when we bill our customers and receive consideration in advance of providing the goods or services promised in the contract. We typically bill service one month in advance, which is the primary component of the contract liability balance. Contract liabilities are recognized as revenue when services are provided to the customer. The contract liability balances are presented in our condensed consolidated balance sheet as Other current liabilities and Other liabilities.

The following table presents information about receivables from contracts with customers:



	At January 1,		At March 31,		At January 1,		At March 31,
(dollars in millions)	2019		2019		2018		2018
Receivables⁽¹⁾	$	12,104	$	11,601	$	12,073	$	11,028
Device payment plan agreement receivables⁽²⁾	8,940		9,687		1,461		3,630


⁽¹⁾	Balances do not include receivables related to the following contracts: leasing arrangements (such as towers), captive reinsurance arrangements primarily related to wireless device insurance and the interest on equipment financed on a device payment plan agreement when sold to the customer by an authorized agent.


⁽²⁾	Included in device payment plan agreement receivables presented in Note 7. Balances do not include receivables related to contracts completed prior to January 1, 2018 and receivables derived from the sale of equipment on a device payment plan through an authorized agent.

The following table presents information about contract balances:



	At January 1,		At March 31,		At January 1,		At March 31,
(dollars in millions)	2019		2019		2018		2018
Contract asset	$	1,003	$	1,021	$	1,170	$	1,106
Contract liability ⁽¹⁾	4,943		4,973		4,452		4,571

⁽¹⁾Revenue recognized related to contract liabilities existing at January 1, 2019 and January 1, 2018 were $3.7 billion and $3.5 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2018, respectively.

The balance of contract assets and contract liabilities recorded in our condensed consolidated balance sheet were as follows:



	At March 31,		At December 31,
(dollars in millions)	2019		2018
Assets
Prepaid expenses and other	$	770	$	757
Other assets	251		246
Total	$	1,021	$	1,003

Liabilities
Other current liabilities	$	4,255	$	4,207
Other liabilities	718		736
Total	$	4,973	$	4,943

Contract Costs

Topic 606 requires the recognition of an asset for incremental costs to obtain a customer contract, which are then amortized to expense, over the respective periods of expected benefit. We recognize an asset for incremental commission expenses paid to internal sales personnel and agents in conjunction with obtaining customer contracts. We only defer these costs when we have determined the commissions are, in fact, incremental and would not have been incurred absent the customer contract. Costs to obtain a contract are amortized and recorded ratably as commission expense over the period representing the transfer of goods or services to which the assets relate. These costs are recorded in Selling, general and administrative expense. Wireless costs to obtain contracts are amortized over our customers' estimated device upgrade cycles, as such costs are typically incurred each time a customer upgrades. Wireline costs to obtain contracts are amortized as expense over the estimated customer relationship period for our Consumer Markets customers. Incremental costs to obtain contracts for our Enterprise Solutions, Partner Solutions and Business Markets are insignificant.

We also defer costs incurred to fulfill contracts that: (1) relate directly to the contract; (2) are expected to generate resources that will be used to satisfy our performance obligation under the contract; and (3) are expected to be recovered through revenue generated under the contract. Contract fulfillment costs are expensed to Cost of services as we satisfy our performance obligations. These costs principally relate to direct costs that enhance our Wireline business resources, such as costs incurred to install circuits.

We determine the amortization periods for our costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a customer contract at a portfolio level due to the similarities within these customer contract portfolios.

Other costs, such as general costs or costs related to past performance obligations, are expensed as incurred.

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Collectively, costs to obtain a contract and costs to fulfill a contract are referred to as Deferred contract costs, which were as follows:



		At March 31,		At December 31,
(dollars in millions)	Amortization Period	2019		2018
Wireless	2 to 3 years	$	3,084	$	2,989
Wireline	2 to 5 years	868		850
Corporate	2 to 3 years	69		56
Total		$	4,021	$	3,895

Deferred contract costs are classified as current or non-current within Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets, respectively. The balances of Deferred contract costs included in our condensed consolidated balance sheet were as follows:



	At March 31,		At December 31,
(dollars in millions)	2019		2018
Assets
Prepaid expenses and other	$	2,230	$	2,083
Other assets	1,791		1,812
Total	$	4,021	$	3,895

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, we recognized expense of $615 million and $405 million, respectively, associated with the amortization of Deferred contract costs, primarily within Selling, general and administrative expense in our condensed consolidated statements of income.

We assess our Deferred contract costs for impairment on a quarterly basis. We recognize an impairment charge to the extent the carrying amount of a deferred cost exceeds the remaining amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for the goods and services related to the cost, less the expected costs related directly to providing those goods and services that have not yet been recognized as expenses. There have been no impairment charges recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2019 or March 31, 2018.

Note 3. Acquisitions and Divestitures

Spectrum License Transactions

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we entered into and completed various wireless license transactions for an insignificant amount of cash consideration.

Other

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we completed various other acquisitions for an insignificant amount of cash consideration.

Note 4. Wireless Licenses, Goodwill, and Other Intangible Assets

Wireless Licenses

The carrying amount of Wireless licenses are as follows:

At March 31, 2019 and 2018, approximately $7.2 billion and $13.6 billion, respectively, of wireless licenses were under development for commercial service for which we were capitalizing interest costs. We recorded approximately $88 million and $124 million of capitalized interest on wireless licenses for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

The average remaining renewal period for our wireless licenses portfolio was 4.4 years as of March 31, 2019.

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Goodwill

Changes in the carrying amount of Goodwill are as follows:



(dollars in millions)	Wireless		Wireline		Other		Total
Balance at January 1, 2019 ⁽¹⁾	$	18,397	$	3,871	$	2,346	$	24,614
Acquisitions (Note 3)	—		20		—		20
Reclassifications, adjustments and other	—		1		—		1
Balance at March 31, 2019 ⁽¹⁾	$	18,397	$	3,892	$	2,346	$	24,635

⁽¹⁾Goodwill is net of accumulated impairment charge of $4.6 billion, related to our Media reporting unit (included within Other in the table above), which was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Other Intangible Assets

The following table displays the composition of Other intangible assets, net:



	At March 31, 2019							At December 31, 2018
(dollars in millions)	Gross Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Amount		Gross Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Amount
Customer lists (8 to 13 years)	$	3,953	$	(1,213	)	$	2,740	$	3,951	$	(1,121	)	$	2,830
Non-network internal-use software (3 to 7 years)	18,958		(13,192		)	5,766		18,603		(12,785		)	5,818
Other (2 to 25 years)	1,999		(897		)	1,102		1,988		(861		)	1,127
Total	$	24,910	$	(15,302	)	$	9,608	$	24,542	$	(14,767	)	$	9,775

The amortization expense for Other intangible assets was as follows:



	Three Months Ended
(dollars in millions)	March 31,
2019	$	555
2018	534

The estimated future amortization expense for Other intangible assets for the remainder of the current year and next 5 years is as follows:



Years	(dollars in millions)
Remainder of 2019	$	1,603
2020	1,837
2021	1,544
2022	1,276
2023	1,004
2024	749

Note 5. Leasing Arrangements

We enter into various lease arrangements for network equipment including towers, distributed antenna systems, small cells, real estate, connectivity mediums including dark fiber, equipment leases, and other various types of assets for use in our operations. Our leases have remaining lease terms ranging from 1 year to 24 years, some of which include options to extend the leases term for up to 25 years, and some of which include options to terminate the leases. For the majority of leases entered into during the current period, we have concluded it is not reasonably certain that we would exercise the options to extend the lease or terminate the lease. Therefore, as of the lease commencement date, our lease terms generally do not include these options. We include options to extend the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option.

During March 2015, we completed a transaction with American Tower Corporation (American Tower) pursuant to which American Tower acquired the exclusive rights to lease and operate approximately 11,300 of our wireless towers for an upfront payment of $5.0 billion. We have subleased capacity on the towers from American Tower for a minimum of 10 years at current market rates in 2015, with options to renew. We continue to include the towers in Property, plant and equipment, net in our condensed consolidated balance sheets and depreciate them accordingly. In addition to the rights to lease and operate the towers, American Tower assumed the interest in the underlying ground leases related to these towers. While American Tower can renegotiate the terms of and is responsible for paying the ground leases, we are still the primary obligor for these leases and accordingly, the present value of these ground leases are included in our operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities. We do not expect to be required to make ground lease payments unless American Tower defaults, which we determined to be remote.

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The components of net lease cost were as follows:



		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
(dollars in millions)	Classification	2019
Operating lease cost ⁽¹⁾	Cost of services Selling, general and administrative expense	$	1,170
Finance lease cost:
Amortization of right-of-use assets	Depreciation and amortization expense	86
Interest on lease liabilities	Interest expense	9
Short-term lease cost ⁽¹⁾	Cost of services Selling, general and administrative expense	16
Variable lease cost ⁽¹⁾	Cost of services Selling, general and administrative expense	57
Sublease income	Service revenues and other	(67		)
Total net lease cost		$	1,271

⁽¹⁾All operating lease costs, including short-term and variable lease costs, are split between Cost of services and Selling, general and administrative expense in the condensed consolidated statements of income based on the use of the facility that the rent is being paid on. See Note 1 for additional information. Variable lease costs represent payments that are dependent on a rate or index, or on usage of the asset.

Supplemental disclosure for the statement of cash flows related to operating and finance leases were as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
(dollars in millions)	2019
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating cash flows for operating leases	$	(1,058	)
Operating cash flows for finance leases	(9		)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Financing cash flows for finance leases	(86		)
Supplemental lease cash flow disclosures
Operating lease right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities	668
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities	115

Supplemental disclosure for the balance sheet related to finance leases were as follows:



	At March 31,
(dollars in millions)	2019
Assets
Property, plant and equipment, net	$	742

Liabilities
Debt maturing within one year	$	323
Long-term debt	611
Total Finance lease liabilities	$	934

The weighted-average remaining lease term and the weighted-average discount rate of our leases were as follows:



	At March 31,
	2019
Weighted-average remaining lease term (years)
Operating Leases	9
Finance Leases	4
Weighted-average discount rate
Operating Leases	4.2	%
Finance Leases	3.6	%

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The Company's maturity analysis of operating and finance lease liabilities as of March 31, 2019 were as follows:



(dollars in millions)	Operating Leases			Finance Leases
Remainder of 2019	$	3,051		$	279
2020	3,805			270
2021	3,462			173
2022	3,045			122
2023	2,689			75
Thereafter	10,792			105
Total lease payments	26,844			1,024
Less interest	(4,876		)	(90		)
Present value of lease liabilities	21,968			934
Less current obligation	(2,997		)	(323		)
Long-term obligation at March 31, 2019	$	18,971		$	611

As of March 31, 2019, we have contractually obligated lease payments amounting to $477 million for an office facility operating lease that has not yet commenced. We have legally obligated lease payments for various other operating leases that have not yet commenced for which the total obligation was not significant. We have certain rights and obligations for these leases, but have not recognized an operating lease right-of-use asset or an operating lease liability since they have not yet commenced.

Note 6. Debt

Significant Debt Transactions

Exchange Offers

The following table shows the transactions that occurred in the first quarter of 2019.



(dollars in millions)	Principal Amount Exchanged		Principal Amount Issued
Verizon 1.750% - 5.150% notes and floating rate notes, due 2021 - 2025	$	3,892	$	—
GTE LLC 8.750% debentures, due 2021	21		—
Verizon 4.016% notes due 2029 ⁽¹⁾	—		4,000
Total	$	3,913	$	4,000

⁽¹⁾Total exchange amount issued in consideration does not include an insignificant amount of cash used to settle.

Debt Redemptions, Repurchases and Repayments

The following table shows the transactions that occurred in the first quarter of 2019.



(dollars in millions)	Principal Redeemed / Repaid		Amount Paid as % of Principal⁽¹⁾
Verizon 5.900% notes due 2054	$	500	100.000	%
Verizon 1.375% notes due 2019	206		100.000	%
Verizon 1.750% notes due 2021	621		100.000	%
Verizon 3.000% notes due 2021	930		101.061	%
Verizon 3.500% notes due 2021	315		102.180	%
Open market repurchases of various Verizon notes	163		Various
Total	$	2,735

⁽¹⁾ Percentages represent price paid to redeem, repurchase and repay.

In April 2019, we notified investors of our intention to redeem in May 2019 in whole $831 million aggregate principal amount of 2.625% Notes due 2020 and $736 million aggregate principal amount of 3.500% Notes due 2021.

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Debt Issuances

The following table shows the transactions that occurred in the first quarter of 2019.



(dollars in millions)	Principal Amount Issued		Net Proceeds ⁽¹⁾
Verizon 3.875% notes due 2029 ⁽²⁾	$	1,000	$	994
Verizon 5.000% notes due 2051	510		506
Total	$	1,510	$	1,500

⁽¹⁾Net proceeds were net of discount and issuance costs.

⁽²⁾An amount equal to the net proceeds from this green bond will be used to fund, in whole or in part, "Eligible Green Investments." "Eligible Green Investments" include new and existing investments made by us during the period from two years prior to the issuance of the green bond through the maturity date of the green bond, in the following categories: (1) renewable energy; (2) energy efficiency; (3) green buildings; (4) sustainable water management; and (5) biodiversity and conservation. "Eligible Green Investments" include operating expenditures as well as capital investments.

In April 2019, we issued €2.5 billion of notes with interest rates of 0.875% and 1.250% per year due on 2027 and 2030 respectively, and £500 million of notes with an interest rate of 2.500% per year due on 2031.

Short Term Borrowing and Commercial Paper Program

In July 2018, we entered into a short term uncommitted credit facility with the ability to borrow up to $700 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we drew $600 million from the facility.

As of March 31, 2019, we had no commercial paper outstanding.

Asset-Backed Debt

As of March 31, 2019, the carrying value of our asset-backed debt was $10.4 billion. Our asset-backed debt includes Asset-Backed Notes (ABS Notes) issued to third-party investors (Investors) and loans (ABS Financing Facilities) received from banks and their conduit facilities (collectively, the Banks). Our consolidated asset-backed debt bankruptcy remote legal entities (each, an ABS Entity or collectively, the ABS Entities) issue the debt or are otherwise party to the transaction documentation in connection with our asset-backed debt transactions. Under the terms of our asset-backed debt, Cellco Partnership (Cellco) and certain other affiliates of Verizon (collectively, the Originators) transfer device payment plan agreement receivables to one of the ABS Entities, which in turn transfers such receivables to another ABS Entity that issues the debt. Verizon entities retain the equity interests in the ABS Entities, which represent the rights to all funds not needed to make required payments on the asset-backed debt and other related payments and expenses.

Our asset-backed debt is secured by the transferred device payment plan agreement receivables and future collections on such receivables. The device payment plan agreement receivables transferred to the ABS Entities and related assets, consisting primarily of restricted cash, will only be available for payment of asset-backed debt and expenses related thereto, payments to the Originators in respect of additional transfers of device payment plan agreement receivables, and other obligations arising from our asset-backed debt transactions, and will not be available to pay other obligations or claims of Verizon’s creditors until the associated asset-backed debt and other obligations are satisfied. The Investors or Banks, as applicable, which hold our asset-backed debt have legal recourse to the assets securing the debt, but do not have any recourse to Verizon with respect to the payment of principal and interest on the debt. Under a parent support agreement, Verizon has agreed to guarantee certain of the payment obligations of Cellco and the Originators to the ABS Entities.

Proceeds from our asset-backed debt transactions are reflected in Cash flows from financing activities in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The asset-backed debt issued and the assets securing this debt are included in our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

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ABS Notes

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we completed the following ABS Notes transactions:



(dollars in millions)	Interest Rates %		Expected Weighted-average Life to Maturity	Principal Amount Issued
A-1a Senior class notes	2.930		2.50	$	900
A-1b Senior floating rate class notes	LIBOR + 0.330	⁽¹⁾	2.50	100
B Junior class notes	3.020		3.22	69
C Junior class notes	3.220		3.40	53
Total ABS notes				$	1,122

⁽¹⁾ The one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rate at March 31, 2019 was 2.495%.

Under the terms of each series of ABS Notes, there is a two year revolving period during which we may transfer additional receivables to the ABS Entity. The two year revolving period of the ABS Notes we issued in July 2016 and November 2016 ended in July 2018 and November 2018 respectively, and we began to repay principal on the 2016-1 Class A senior ABS Notes and the 2016-2 Class A senior ABS Notes in August 2018 and December 2018, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we made aggregate repayments of $559 million.

ABS Financing Facilities

In May 2018, we entered into a device payment plan agreement financing facility with a number of financial institutions (2018 ABS Financing Facility). Under the terms of the 2018 ABS Financing Facility, the financial institutions made advances under asset-backed loans backed by device payment plan agreement receivables of business customers for proceeds of $540 million. The loan agreement entered into in connection with the 2018 ABS Financing Facility has a final maturity date in December 2021 and bears interest at a floating rate. There is a one year revolving period beginning from May 2018 during which we may transfer additional receivables to the ABS Entity. Subject to certain conditions, we may also remove receivables from the ABS Entity. Under the loan agreement, we have the right to prepay all or a portion of the advances at any time without penalty, but in certain cases, with breakage costs. If we choose to prepay, the amount prepaid shall be available for further drawdowns until May 2019, except in certain circumstances. As of March 31, 2019, the 2018 ABS Financing Facility is fully drawn and the outstanding borrowing under the 2018 ABS Financing Facility was $540 million.

We entered into an ABS Financing Facility in September 2016 with a number of financing institutions (2016 ABS Financing Facility). Under the terms of the 2016 ABS Financing Facility, the financial institutions made advances under asset-backed loans backed by device payment plan agreement receivables of consumer customers. Two loan agreements were entered into in connection with the 2016 ABS Financing Facility in September 2016 and May 2017. The loan agreements have a final maturity date in March 2021 and bear interest at floating rates. The two year revolving period of the two loan agreements ended in September 2018. Under the loan agreements, we have the right to prepay all or a portion of the advances at any time without penalty, but in certain cases, with breakage costs. Subject to certain conditions, we may also remove receivables from the ABS Entity. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we made an aggregate of $253 million in repayments. The aggregate outstanding borrowings under the two loans were $671 million as of March 31, 2019.

Variable Interest Entities (VIEs)

The ABS Entities meet the definition of a VIE for which we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary as we have both the power to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact the entity’s performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the entity. Therefore, the assets, liabilities and activities of the ABS Entities are consolidated in our financial results and are included in amounts presented on the face of our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The assets and liabilities related to our asset-backed debt arrangements included in our condensed consolidated balance sheets were as follows:



	At March 31,		At December 31,
(dollars in millions)	2019		2018
Assets
Account receivable, net	$	9,535	$	8,861
Prepaid expenses and other	1,045		989
Other assets	3,263		2,725

Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	10		7
Short-term portion of long-term debt	5,494		5,352
Long-term debt	4,892		4,724

See Note 7 for additional information on device payment plan agreement receivables used to secure asset-backed debt.

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Credit Facilities

As of March 31, 2019, the unused borrowing capacity under our $9.5 billion credit facility was approximately $9.4 billion. The credit facility does not require us to comply with financial covenants or maintain specified credit ratings, and it permits us to borrow even if our business has incurred a material adverse change. We use the credit facility for the issuance of letters of credit and for general corporate purposes.

In March 2016, we entered into a $1.0 billion credit facility insured by Eksportkreditnamnden Stockholm, Sweden, the Swedish export credit agency. As of March 31, 2019, the outstanding balance was $706 million. We used this credit facility to finance network equipment-related purchases.

In July 2017, we entered into credit facilities insured by various export credit agencies providing us with the ability to borrow up to $4.0 billion to finance equipment-related purchases. The facilities have borrowings available, portions of which extend through October 2019, contingent upon the amount of eligible equipment-related purchases that we make. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we drew $424 million from these facilities. As of March 31, 2019, we had an outstanding balance of $3.1 billion.

Non-Cash Transaction

During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, we financed, primarily through vendor financing arrangements, the purchase of approximately $115 million and $345 million respectively, of long-lived assets consisting primarily of network equipment. At both March 31, 2019 and 2018, $1.0 billion and $1.3 billion, respectively, relating to these financing arrangements, including those entered into in prior years and liabilities assumed through acquisitions, remained outstanding. These purchases are non-cash financing activities and therefore are not reflected within Capital expenditures in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

Early Debt Redemptions

During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, we recorded losses on early debt redemptions of an insignificant amount and $249 million, respectively, which were recorded in Other income (expense), net in our condensed consolidated statements of income.

Guarantees

We guarantee the debentures of our operating telephone company subsidiaries. As of March 31, 2019, $796 million aggregate principal amount of these obligations remained outstanding. Each guarantee will remain in place for the life of the obligation unless terminated pursuant to its terms, including the operating telephone company no longer being a wholly-owned subsidiary of Verizon.

We also guarantee the debt obligations of GTE LLC as successor in interest to GTE Corporation that were issued and outstanding prior to July 1, 2003. As of March 31, 2019, $423 million aggregate principal amount of these obligations remained outstanding.

Note 7. Wireless Device Payment Plans

Under the Verizon device payment program, our eligible wireless customers purchase wireless devices under a device payment plan agreement. Customers that activate service on devices purchased under the device payment program pay lower service fees as compared to those under our fixed-term service plans, and their device payment plan charge is included on their wireless monthly bill. As of January 2017, we no longer offer consumers new fixed-term subsidized service plans for phones; however, we continue to offer subsidized plans to our business customers, and we also continue to service existing fixed-term subsidized plans for consumers who have not yet purchased and activated devices under the Verizon device payment program.

Wireless Device Payment Plan Agreement Receivables

The following table displays device payment plan agreement receivables, net, recognized in our condensed consolidated balance sheets:



	At March 31,			At December 31,
(dollars in millions)	2019			2018
Device payment plan agreement receivables, gross	$	18,865		$	19,313
Unamortized imputed interest	(493		)	(546		)
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net of unamortized imputed interest	18,372			18,767
Allowance for credit losses	(526		)	(597		)
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net	$	17,846		$	18,170

Classified in our condensed consolidated balance sheets:
Accounts receivable, net	$	12,607		$	12,624
Other assets	5,239			5,546
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net	$	17,846		$	18,170

Included in our device payment plan agreement receivables, net at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, are net device payment plan agreement receivables of $12.7 billion and $11.5 billion, respectively, that have been transferred to ABS Entities and continue to be reported in our condensed

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consolidated balance sheets. See Note 6 for additional information. We believe the carrying value of our installment loans receivables approximate their fair value using a Level 3 expected cash flow model.

We may offer certain promotions that allow a customer to trade in their owned device in connection with the purchase of a new device. Under these types of promotions, the customer receives a credit for the value of the trade-in device. In addition, we may provide the customer with additional future credits that will be applied against the customer’s monthly bill as long as service is maintained. We recognize a liability for the trade-in device measured at fair value, which is determined by considering several factors, including the weighted-average selling prices obtained in recent resales of similar devices eligible for trade-in. Future credits are recognized when earned by the customer. Device payment plan agreement receivables, net does not reflect the trade-in device liability. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 the amount of trade-in liability was insignificant and $64 million, respectively.

From time to time, we offer certain marketing promotions that allow our customers to upgrade to a new device after paying down a certain specified portion of the required device payment plan agreement amount as well as trading in their device in good working order. When a customer enters into a device payment plan agreement with the right to upgrade to a new device, we account for this trade-in right as a guarantee obligation.

For Wireless indirect channel contracts with customers, we impute risk adjusted interest on the device payment plan agreement receivables. We record the imputed interest as a reduction to the related accounts receivable. Interest income, which is included within Service revenues and other in our condensed consolidated statements of income, is recognized over the financed device payment term. See Note 2 for additional information on financing considerations with respect to Wireless direct channel contracts with customers.

When originating device payment plan agreements, we use internal and external data sources to create a credit risk score to measure the credit quality of a customer and to determine eligibility for the device payment program. If a customer is either new to Verizon Wireless or has less than 210 days of customer tenure with Verizon Wireless (a new customer), the credit decision process relies more heavily on external data sources. If the customer has 210 days or more of customer tenure with Verizon Wireless (an existing customer), the credit decision process relies on internal data sources. Verizon Wireless’ experience has been that the payment attributes of longer tenured customers are highly predictive for estimating their reliability to make future payments. External data sources include obtaining a credit report from a national consumer credit reporting agency, if available. Verizon Wireless uses its internal data and/or credit data obtained from the credit reporting agencies to create a custom credit risk score. The custom credit risk score is generated automatically (except with respect to a small number of applications where the information needs manual intervention) from the applicant’s credit data using Verizon Wireless’ proprietary custom credit models, which are empirically derived, demonstrably and statistically sound. The credit risk score measures the likelihood that the potential customer will become severely delinquent and be disconnected for non-payment. For a small portion of new customer applications, a traditional credit report is not available from one of the national credit reporting agencies because the potential customer does not have sufficient credit history. In those instances, alternate credit data is used for the risk assessment.

Based on the custom credit risk score, we assign each customer to a credit class, each of which has specified offers of credit including an account level spending limit and either a maximum amount of credit allowed per device or a required down payment percentage. During the fourth quarter of 2018 Verizon Wireless moved all customers, new and existing, from a required down payment percentage, between zero and 100%, to a maximum amount of credit per device.

Subsequent to origination, Verizon Wireless monitors delinquency and write-off experience as key credit quality indicators for its portfolio of device payment plan agreements and fixed-term service plans. The extent of our collection efforts with respect to a particular customer are based on the results of proprietary custom empirically derived internal behavioral scoring models that analyze the customer’s past performance to predict the likelihood of the customer falling further delinquent. These customer scoring models assess a number of variables, including origination characteristics, customer account history and payment patterns. Based on the score derived from these models, accounts are grouped by risk category to determine the collection strategy to be applied to such accounts. We continuously monitor collection performance results and the credit quality of our device payment plan agreement receivables based on a variety of metrics, including aging. Verizon Wireless considers an account to be delinquent and in default status if there are unpaid charges remaining on the account on the day after the bill’s due date.

The balance and aging of the device payment plan agreement receivables on a gross basis were as follows:



	At March 31,	At December 31,
(dollars in millions)	2019	2018
Unbilled	$