Equipment Installment Plans - Allowance for Credit Losses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Allowance for credit losses
Allowance for credit losses, beginning of period	$ 77
Allowance for credit losses, end of period	77
Equipment Installment Plan Receivable
Allowance for credit losses
Allowance for credit losses, beginning of period	77	$ 65
Bad debts expense	18	14
Write-offs, net of recoveries	(18)	(13)
Allowance for credit losses, end of period	$ 77	$ 66

A valuation allowance for financing receivables that are expected to be uncollectible.

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

A roll forward is a reconciliation of a concept from the beginning of a period to the end of a period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableAllowanceForCreditLossesRollForward
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of direct write-downs of financing receivables charged against the allowance.

+ References

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of expense related loan transactions, lease transactions, credit loss from transactions other than loan and lease transactions, and other loss based on assessment of uncollectability from the counterparty to reduce the account to their net realizable value.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 11B
-Subparagraph (c)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84173941&loc=SL6953423-111524

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 220
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-04.11)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114873765&loc=SL114874048-224260

Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109223946&loc=d3e3602-108585

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis=tds_EquipmentInstallmentPlanReceivableMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: