Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

4. GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

The changes in the carrying value of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 are as follows (in thousands):


		2011		2010 (1)

Balance as of January 1, as revised for purchase accounting measurement period adjustments		$	2,511,907	$	2,250,538
Additions			356,247		251,781
Effect of foreign currency translation			(62,887)		9,588
Balance as of December 31,		$	2,805,267	$	2,511,907


(1)	Balances have been revised to reflect purchase accounting measurement period adjustments.


	The Company's other intangible assets subject to amortization consist of the following:

				As of December 31, 2011						As of December 31, 2010 (3)
		Estimated Useful Lives		Gross Carrying Value		Accumulated Amortization		Net Book Value		Gross Carrying Value		Accumulated Amortization		Net Book Value

		(years)		(in thousands)

Acquired network location (1)		Up to 20	$	1,496,440	$	(654,137)	$	842,303	$	1,263,636	$	(603,578)	$	660,058
Acquired customer-related intangibles		15-20		2,286,399		(843,432)		1,442,967		1,897,482		(736,851)		1,160,631
Acquired licenses and other intangibles		3-15		24,939		(20,045)		4,894		21,601		(19,984)		1,617
Economic Rights, TV Azteca		70		26,902		(12,643)		14,259		30,292		(13,646)		16,646

Total				3,834,680		(1,530,257)		2,304,423		3,213,011		(1,374,059)		1,838,952
Deferred financing costs, net (2)		N/A						47,532						46,914
Other intangible assets, net							$	2,351,955					$	1,885,866


(1)	Acquired network location intangibles are amortized over the shorter of the term of the corresponding ground lease or up to 20 years, as the Company considers these intangibles to be directly related to the tower assets.
(2)	Deferred financing costs are amortized over the term of the respective debt instruments to which they relate. This amortization is included in interest expense, rather than in amortization expense.
(3)	December 31, 2010 balances have been revised to reflect purchase accounting measurement period adjustments.

The acquired network location intangible represents the value to the Company of the incremental revenue growth which could potentially be obtained from leasing the excess capacity on acquired communications sites. The acquired customer-related intangibles typically represent the value to the Company of customer contracts and relationships in place at the time of an acquisition, including assumptions regarding estimated renewals. The acquired licenses and other intangibles consist primarily of non-competition agreements acquired from SpectraSite, Inc., and in other tower acquisitions.

The Company amortizes these intangibles on a straight-line basis. As of December 31, 2011, the weighted average amortization period of the Company's intangible assets, excluding the TV Azteca Economic Rights, is approximately 13 years. Amortization of intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 aggregated approximately $176.4 million, $156.1 million and $140.2 million, respectively (excluding amortization of deferred financing costs, which is included in interest expense). Based on the current estimated useful lives, the Company expects to record amortization expense (excluding amortization of deferred financing costs) as follows over the next five years (in thousands):


Year Ending December 31,
2012	$	188,100
2013		179,896
2014		171,638
2015		158,047
2016		150,634

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

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