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Business Combinations
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Business Combinations [Abstract]  
Business Combinations
Note 2 – Business Combinations

Business Combination Agreement and Amendments

On April 29, 2018, we entered into a Business Combination Agreement with Sprint and the other parties named therein (as amended, the “Business Combination Agreement”) for the Merger. The Business Combination Agreement was subsequently amended to provide that, following the closing of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (collectively, the “Transactions”), SoftBank would indemnify us against certain specified matters and the loss of value arising out of, or resulting from, cessation of access to spectrum under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations and qualifications.

On February 20, 2020, T-Mobile, SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom AG (“DT”) entered into a letter agreement (the “Letter Agreement”). Pursuant to the Letter Agreement, SoftBank agreed to cause its applicable affiliates to surrender to T-Mobile, for
no additional consideration, an aggregate of 48,751,557 shares of T-Mobile common stock (such number of shares, the “SoftBank Specified Shares Amount”), effective immediately following the Effective Time (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement), making SoftBank’s exchange ratio 11.31 shares of Sprint common stock for each share of T-Mobile common stock. This resulted in an effective exchange ratio of approximately 11.00 shares of Sprint common stock for each share of T-Mobile common stock immediately following the closing of the Merger, an increase from the originally agreed 9.75 shares. Sprint stockholders, other than SoftBank, received the original fixed exchange ratio of 0.10256 shares of T-Mobile common stock for each share of Sprint common stock, or the equivalent of approximately 9.75 shares of Sprint common stock for each share of T-Mobile common stock.

The Letter Agreement requires T-Mobile to issue to SoftBank 48,751,557 shares of T-Mobile common stock, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Letter Agreement, for no additional consideration, if certain conditions are met. The issuance of these shares is contingent on the trailing 45-day volume-weighted average price per share of T-Mobile common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market being equal to or greater than $150.00, at any time during the period commencing on April 1, 2022 and ending on December 31, 2025. If the threshold price is not met, then none of the SoftBank Specified Shares Amount will be issued.

Closing of Sprint Merger

On April 1, 2020, we completed the Merger, and as a result, Sprint and its subsidiaries became wholly owned consolidated subsidiaries of T-Mobile. Sprint was the fourth-largest telecommunications company in the U.S., offering a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communication products and services. As a combined company, we have been able to rapidly launch a broad and deep nationwide 5G network, accelerate innovation, increase competition in the U.S. wireless and broadband industries and achieve significant synergies and cost reductions by eliminating redundancies within the combined network as well as other business processes and operations.

Upon completion of the Merger, each share of Sprint common stock was exchanged for 0.10256 shares of T-Mobile common stock, or 9.75 shares of Sprint common stock for each share of T-Mobile common stock. After adjustments, including the holdback of the SoftBank Specified Shares Amount and fractional shares, we issued 373,396,310 shares of T-Mobile common stock to Sprint stockholders. The fair value of the T-Mobile common stock provided in exchange for Sprint common stock was approximately $31.3 billion.

Additional components of consideration included the repayment of certain of Sprint’s debt, replacement of equity awards attributable to pre-combination services, contingent consideration and a cash payment received from SoftBank for certain reimbursed Merger expenses.

Immediately following the closing of the Merger and the surrender of the SoftBank Specified Shares Amount, pursuant to the Letter Agreement described above, DT and SoftBank held, directly or indirectly, approximately 43.6% and 24.7%, respectively, of the outstanding T-Mobile common stock, with the remaining approximately 31.7% of the outstanding T-Mobile common stock held by other stockholders. As of September 30, 2021, DT and SoftBank held, directly or indirectly, approximately 46.8% and 4.9%, respectively, of the outstanding T-Mobile common stock, with the remaining approximately 48.3% of the outstanding T-Mobile common stock held by other stockholders. Pursuant to the Proxy, Lock-up and ROFR Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2020, by and between DT and SoftBank and the Proxy, Lock-up and ROFR Agreement, dated as of June 22, 2020 by and among DT, Marcelo Claure and Claure Mobile LLC, a Delaware limited liability company wholly owned by Mr. Claure, as of September 30, 2021, DT has voting control over approximately 52.0% of the outstanding T-Mobile common stock.

Consideration Transferred

The acquisition-date fair value of consideration transferred in the Merger totaled $40.8 billion, comprised of the following:
(in millions)April 1, 2020
Fair value of T-Mobile common stock issued to Sprint stockholders (1)
$31,328 
Fair value of T-Mobile replacement equity awards attributable to pre-combination service (2)
323 
Repayment of Sprint’s debt (including accrued interest and prepayment penalties) (3)
7,396 
Fair value of contingent consideration (4)
1,882 
Payment received from selling stockholder (5)
(102)
Total consideration exchanged$40,827 
(1)     Represents the fair value of T-Mobile common stock issued to Sprint stockholders pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, less shares surrendered by SoftBank pursuant to the Letter Agreement. The fair value is based on 373,396,310 shares of T-Mobile common stock issued at an
exchange ratio of 0.10256 shares of T-Mobile common stock per share of Sprint common stock, less 48,751,557 T-Mobile shares surrendered by SoftBank which are treated as contingent consideration, and the closing price per share of T-Mobile common stock on NASDAQ on March 31, 2020, of $83.90, as shares were transferred to Sprint stockholders prior to the opening of markets on April 1, 2020.
(2)     Equity-based awards held by Sprint employees prior to the acquisition date have been replaced with T-Mobile equity-based awards. The portion of the equity-based awards that relates to services performed by the employee prior to the acquisition date is included within consideration transferred, and includes stock options, restricted stock units and performance-based restricted stock units.
(3)     Represents the cash consideration paid concurrent with the close of the Merger to retire certain Sprint debt, as required by change in control provisions of the debt, plus interest and prepayment penalties.
(4)     Represents the fair value of the SoftBank Specified Shares Amount contingent consideration that may be issued as set forth in the Letter Agreement.
(5)     Represents receipt of a cash payment from SoftBank for certain reimbursed Merger expenses.

The SoftBank Specified Shares Amount was determined to be contingent consideration with an acquisition-date fair value of $1.9 billion. We estimated the fair value using the income approach, a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model, whereby a Monte Carlo simulation method estimated the probability of different outcomes as the likelihood of achieving the 45-day volume-weighted average price threshold is not easily predicted. This fair value measurement is based on significant inputs not observable in the market and, therefore, represents a Level 3 measurement as defined in ASC 820: Fair Value Measurement. The key assumptions in applying the income approach include the estimated future share-price volatility, which was based on historical market trends and the estimated future performance of T-Mobile.

The maximum amount of contingent consideration that could be issued to SoftBank has an estimated value of $7.3 billion, based on SoftBank Specified Shares Amount of 48,751,557 multiplied by the defined volume-weighted average price per share of $150.00. The contingent consideration that could be delivered to SoftBank is classified within equity and is not subject to remeasurement.

Fair Value of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed

We accounted for the Merger as a business combination. The identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed of Sprint were recorded at their fair values as of the acquisition date and consolidated with those of T-Mobile. Assigning fair market values to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of an acquisition requires the use of significant judgment regarding estimates and assumptions. For the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, we used the cost, income and market approaches, including market participant assumptions.

The following table summarizes the fair values for each major class of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date. We retained the services of certified valuation specialists to assist with assigning values to certain acquired assets and assumed liabilities.
(in millions)April 1, 2020
Cash and cash equivalents$2,084 
Accounts receivable1,775 
Equipment installment plan receivables1,088 
Inventory658 
Prepaid expenses140 
Assets held for sale1,908 
Other current assets637 
Property and equipment18,435 
Operating lease right-of-use assets6,583 
Financing lease right-of-use assets291 
Goodwill9,423 
Spectrum licenses45,400 
Other intangible assets6,280 
Equipment installment plan receivables due after one year, net247 
Other assets (1)
540 
Total assets acquired95,489 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities5,015 
Short-term debt2,760 
Deferred revenue508 
Short-term operating lease liabilities1,818 
Short-term financing lease liabilities
Liabilities held for sale475 
Other current liabilities681 
Long-term debt29,037 
Tower obligations950 
Deferred tax liabilities3,478 
Operating lease liabilities5,615 
Financing lease liabilities12 
Other long-term liabilities4,305 
Total liabilities assumed54,662 
Total consideration transferred$40,827 
(1)     Included in Other assets acquired is $80 million in restricted cash.

Amounts initially disclosed for the estimated values of certain acquired assets and liabilities assumed were adjusted through March 31, 2021 (the close of the measurement period) based on information arising after the initial valuation.

Intangible Assets and Liabilities

Goodwill with an assigned value of $9.4 billion represents the excess of the consideration transferred over the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The goodwill recognized includes synergies expected to be achieved from the operations of the combined company, the assembled workforce of Sprint and intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition. Expected synergies from the Merger include the cost savings from the planned integration of network infrastructure, facilities, personnel and systems. None of the goodwill resulting from the Merger is deductible for tax purposes. All of the goodwill acquired is allocated to the wireless reporting unit.

Other intangible assets include $4.9 billion of customer relationships with a weighted-average useful life of eight years and tradenames of $207 million with a useful life of two years. Leased spectrum arrangements that have favorable (asset) and unfavorable (liability) terms compared to current market rates were assigned fair values of $745 million and $125 million, respectively, with 18-year and 19-year weighted average useful lives, respectively.
The fair value of Spectrum licenses of $45.4 billion was estimated using the income approach, specifically a Greenfield model. This fair value measurement is based on significant inputs not observable in the market and, therefore, represents a Level 3 measurement as defined in ASC 820: Fair Value Measurement. The key assumptions in applying the income approach include the discount rate, estimated market share, estimated capital and operating expenditures, forecasted service revenue and a long-term growth rate for a hypothetical market participant that enters the wireless industry and builds a nationwide wireless network.

Acquired Receivables

The fair value of the assets acquired includes Accounts receivable of $1.8 billion and Equipment installment plan (“EIP”) receivables of $1.3 billion. The unpaid principal balance under these contracts as of April 1, 2020, the date of the Merger, was $1.8 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively. The difference between the fair value and the unpaid principal balance primarily represents amounts expected to be uncollectible.

Indemnification Assets and Contingent Liabilities

Pursuant to Amendment No 2. to the Business Combination Agreement, SoftBank agreed to indemnify us against certain specified matters and losses. As of the acquisition date, we recorded a contingent liability and an offsetting indemnification asset for the expected reimbursement by SoftBank for certain Lifeline matters. The liability is presented in Accounts payable and accrued liabilities, and the indemnification asset is presented in Other current assets within our acquired assets and liabilities at the acquisition date. In November 2020, we entered into a consent decree with the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) to resolve certain Lifeline matters, which resulted in a payment of $200 million by SoftBank. Final resolution of these matters could require making additional reimbursements and paying additional fines and penalties, which we do not expect to have a significant impact on our financial results. We expect that any additional liabilities related to these matters would be indemnified and reimbursed by SoftBank.

Deferred Taxes

As a result of the Merger, we acquired deferred tax assets for which a valuation allowance reserve is deemed to be necessary, as well as additional uncertain tax benefit reserves. As of the date of the Merger, the amount of the valuation allowance reserve and uncertain tax benefit reserves was $851 million and $660 million, respectively.

Transaction Costs

We recognized transaction costs of $15 million and $8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $28 million and $192 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. These costs were associated with legal and professional services and were recognized as Selling, general and administrative expenses in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Pro Forma Information

The following unaudited pro forma financial information gives effect to the Transactions as if they had been completed on January 1, 2019. The unaudited pro forma information was prepared in accordance with the requirements of ASC 805: Business Combinations, which is a different basis than pro forma information prepared under Article 11 of Regulation S-X (“Article 11”). As such, they are not directly comparable with historical results for stand-alone T-Mobile prior to April 1, 2020, historical results for T-Mobile from April 1, 2020 that reflect the Transactions and are inclusive of the results and operations of Sprint, nor our previously provided pro forma financials prepared in accordance with Article 11. The pro forma results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 include the impact of several significant nonrecurring pro forma adjustments to previously reported operating results. The pro forma adjustments are based on historically reported transactions by the respective companies. The pro forma results do not include any anticipated synergies or other expected benefits of the acquisition.
(in millions)Three Months Ended September 30, 2020Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020
Total revenues$19,269 $54,342 
Income from continuing operations1,359 2,461 
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax— 677 
Net income1,359 3,138 
Significant nonrecurring pro forma adjustments include:

Transaction costs of $9 million and $211 million that were incurred during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, are assumed to have occurred on the pro forma close date of January 1, 2019, and are recognized as if incurred in the first quarter of 2019;
The Prepaid Business divested on July 1, 2020, is assumed to have been classified as discontinued operations as of January 1, 2019, and the related activities are presented in Income from discontinued operations, net of tax;
Permanent financing issued and debt redemptions occurring in connection with the closing of the Merger are assumed to have occurred on January 1, 2019, and historical interest expense associated with repaid borrowings is removed;
Tangible and intangible assets are assumed to be recorded at their estimated fair values as of January 1, 2019 and are depreciated or amortized over their estimated useful lives; and
Accounting policies of Sprint are conformed to those of T-Mobile including depreciation for leased devices, distribution arrangements with Brightstar US, Inc., amortization of costs to acquire a contract and certain tower lease transactions.

The selected unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not purport to represent what the actual consolidated results of operations would have been had the Transactions actually occurred on January 1, 2019, nor do they purport to project the future consolidated results of operations.

Regulatory Matters

The Transactions were the subject of various legal and regulatory proceedings involving a number of state and federal agencies. In connection with those proceedings and the approval of the Transactions, we have certain commitments and other obligations to various state and federal agencies and certain nongovernmental organizations. See Note 13 - Commitments and Contingencies for further information.

Shenandoah Personal Communications Company Affiliate Relationship

Sprint PCS (specifically Sprint Spectrum L.P.) was party to a variety of publicly filed agreements with Shenandoah Personal Communications Company LLC (“Shentel”), pursuant to which Shentel was the exclusive provider of Sprint PCS’s wireless mobility communications network products in certain parts of Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Pursuant to one such agreement, the Sprint PCS Management Agreement, dated November 5, 1999 (as amended, supplemented and modified from time to time, the “Management Agreement”), Sprint PCS was granted an option to purchase Shentel’s wireless telecommunications assets (the “Wireless Assets”) used to provide services pursuant to the Management Agreement. On August 26, 2020, Sprint, now our indirect subsidiary, on behalf of and as the direct or indirect owner of Sprint PCS, exercised its option by delivering a binding notice of exercise to Shentel.

On May 28, 2021, T-Mobile USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation and our direct wholly owned subsidiary, entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Shentel, for the acquisition of the Wireless Assets for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.9 billion in cash, subject to certain adjustments prescribed by the Management Agreement and such additional adjustments agreed by the parties.

Closing of Shentel Wireless Assets Acquisition

On July 1, 2021, upon the completion of certain customary conditions, including the receipt of certain regulatory approvals, we closed on the acquisition of the Wireless Assets pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, and as a result, T-Mobile became the legal owner of the Wireless Assets. Through this transaction, we reacquired the exclusive rights to deliver Sprint’s wireless network services in Shentel’s former affiliate territory and simplified our operations. Concurrently, and as agreed to through the Purchase Agreement, T-Mobile and Shentel entered into certain separate transactions, including the effective settlement of the pre-existing arrangements between T-Mobile and Shentel under the Management Agreement.

In exchange, T-Mobile transferred cash of approximately $2.0 billion, approximately $1.9 billion of which was determined to be consideration transferred for the Wireless Assets and the remainder of which was determined to relate to separate transactions, primarily associated with the effective settlement of pre-existing arrangements between T-Mobile and Shentel. Accordingly, these separate transactions are not included in the calculation of the consideration transferred in exchange for the Wireless Assets, and the settlement of pre-existing arrangements between T-Mobile and Shentel did not result in material gains or losses.
Prior to the acquisition of the Wireless Assets, revenues generated from our affiliate relationship with Shentel were presented as Other service revenues. Upon the close of the transaction, revenues generated from postpaid customers within the reacquired territory are presented as Postpaid revenues within our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. The financial results of the Wireless Assets since the closing through September 30, 2021, were not material to our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, nor were they material to our prior period consolidated results on a pro forma basis.

Fair Value of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed

We have accounted for the acquisition of the Wireless Assets as a business combination. The identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their preliminary fair values as of the acquisition date and consolidated with those of T-Mobile. Assigning fair market values to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of an acquisition requires the use of significant judgment regarding estimates and assumptions. For the preliminary fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, we used the cost, income and market approaches, including market participant assumptions.

The following table summarizes the preliminary fair values for each major class of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date. We retained the services of certified valuation specialists to assist with assigning values to certain acquired assets and assumed liabilities. We are in the process of finalizing the valuation of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, including income tax related amounts. Therefore, the preliminary fair values set forth below are subject to further adjustment as additional information is obtained and the valuations are completed.
(in millions)July 1, 2021
Inventory$
Property and equipment136 
Operating lease right-of-use assets308 
Goodwill1,035 
Other intangible assets770 
Other assets
Total assets acquired2,258 
Short-term operating lease liabilities73 
Operating lease liabilities264 
Other long-term liabilities35 
Total liabilities assumed372 
Total consideration transferred$1,886 

Intangible Assets and Liabilities

Goodwill with a provisionally assigned value of $1.0 billion, substantially all of which is deductible for tax purposes, represents the anticipated cost savings from the operations of the combined company resulting from the planned integration of network infrastructure and facilities, the assembled workforce hired concurrently with the acquisition of Wireless Assets, and the intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition. All of the goodwill acquired is allocated to the wireless reporting unit.

Other intangible assets include $770 million of reacquired rights to provide services in Shentel’s former affiliate territory which is being amortized on a straight-line basis over a useful life of approximately nine years in line with the remaining term of the Management Agreement upon the acquisition of the Wireless Assets, which represents the period of expected economic benefits associated with the re-acquisition of such rights. This fair value measurement is based on significant inputs not observable in the market, and therefore, represents a Level 3 measurement as defined in ASC 820. The key assumptions in applying the income approach include forecasted subscriber growth rates, revenue over an estimated period of time, the discount rate, estimated capital expenditures, estimated income taxes and the long-term growth rate, as well as forecasted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) margins.