Property and Equipment

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

3. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

Property and equipment (including assets held under capital leases) consist of the following:


		Estimated		As of December 31,
		Useful Lives (1)		2012		2011 (2)

		(years)		(in thousands)
Towers		Up to 20	$	6,929,888	$	6,036,484
Equipment		3 - 15		560,009		459,070
Buildings and improvements		3 - 31		424,213		369,561
Land and improvements (3)		3 - 20		1,005,857		868,664
Construction-in-progress				151,289		155,585

	Total			9,071,256		7,889,364
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization				(3,281,261)		(2,907,642)

Property and equipment, net			$	5,789,995	$	4,981,722


(1)	Assets on leased land are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the asset or the term of the corresponding ground lease taking into consideration lease renewal options and residual value.
(2)	December 31, 2011 balances have been revised to reflect purchase accounting measurement period adjustments.
(3)	Estimated useful lives apply to land improvements only.

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $411.9 million, $353.4 million and $286.0 million, respectively. Property and equipment, net includes approximately $868.3 million and $790.5 million of capital leases, which are primarily classified as either towers or land and improvements as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for long-lived, physical assets that are used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and other types of furniture and equipment including, but not limited to, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment and software. This disclosure may include property plant and equipment accounting policies and methodology, a schedule of property, plant and equipment gross, additions, deletions, transfers and other changes, depreciation, depletion and amortization expense, net, accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization expense and useful lives, income statement disclosures, assets held for sale and public utility disclosures.

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