Accounts Receivable (Narrative) (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) satellites	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)
Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Unbillable, expected to be collected after one year	$ 2,001	$ 1,408
Accounts receivable, net	8,713	7,729
Commercial Customers [Member]
Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Unbillable, expected to be collected after one year	178	$ 172
LightSquared [Member]
Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Accounts receivable, net	$ 104
Number of satellites \| satellites	2

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- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

Amount due from customers or clients, within one year of the balance sheet date (or the normal operating cycle, whichever is longer), for goods or services (including trade receivables) that have been delivered or sold in the normal course of business, reduced to the estimated net realizable fair value by an allowance established by the entity of the amount it deems uncertain of collection.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.3-4)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 02
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph a(1)
-Article 5

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 02
-Paragraph 4
-Article 5

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- Definition

Amount of receivables under long-term contracts that have not been billed and were not billable that are expected to be collected after the next fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 910
-SubTopic 310
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51673017&loc=d3e49336-109356

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