Long-Term Debt, Financing and Capital Lease Obligations (Narrative) (Details)		3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) site years tranche	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) site years tranche	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 12, 2013 USD ($)	Sep. 11, 2013 USD ($)	Jul. 10, 2013 USD ($)
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Long-term debt issued by 100% owned subsidiary and is fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the parent		$ 21,800,000,000	$ 21,800,000,000
Interest Costs Capitalized			40,000,000	$ 41,000,000
Cash interest payments			1,800,000,000	$ 1,800,000,000
Redeemable notes		30,100,000,000	30,100,000,000
Principal amount of notes with the right to require the Company to repurchase on change of control		$ 21,600,000,000	$ 21,600,000,000
Percentage of principal amount required to repurchase notes on change of control		101.00%	101.00%
Number of cell sites leased back | site		3,000	3,000
Term in years for cell sites leased back renewal options | years		20	20
Ratio Of Total Indebtedness To Adjusted EBITDA		2.5	2.5
Exchangeable notes [Member] | Clearwire Communications LLC [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		8.25%	8.25%						8.25%
Fixed amount of cash for a fixed principal amount of notes surrendered that becomes exchangeable at the holder's option									$ 706.21
Fixed principal amount of notes surrendered for a fixed amount of cash that becomes exchangeable at the holder's option									$ 1,000
Total cash consideration payable upon an exchange of all principal amount of notes outstanding		$ 444,000,000	$ 444,000,000
Long-term Debt, Gross	[1]	629,000,000	629,000,000			$ 629,000,000
Secured Debt [Member] | Clearwire Communications LLC [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Principal amount of notes with the right to require the Company to repurchase on change of control		$ 300,000,000	$ 300,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage		14.75%	14.75%
Long-term Debt, Gross	[1]	$ 300,000,000	$ 300,000,000			300,000,000
Senior Notes [Member] | Sprint Communications Inc. Guaranteed Notes due 2021 [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage								7.25%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 2,250,000,000
Senior Notes [Member] | Sprint Corporation 7.875% [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage								7.875%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount								$ 4,250,000,000
Senior Notes [Member] | Sprint Corporation 7.125% [Member] [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage							7.125%
Debt Instrument, Face Amount							$ 2,500,000,000
Senior Notes [Member] | Sprint Corporation [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Gross		10,500,000,000	10,500,000,000			10,500,000,000
Senior Notes [Member] | Sprint Nextel Corporation [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Gross		9,280,000,000	9,280,000,000			9,280,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | Export Development Canada Agreement [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Repayments of Lines of Credit		500,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding						800,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | Secured Equipment Credit Facility [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding		960,000,000	960,000,000			610,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | EKN Secured Equipment Credit Facility [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit					$ 1,000,000,000
Line of credit facility, year-to-date principal payment			127,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding		381,000,000	381,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | Finnvera Secured Equipment Credit Facility [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 800,000,000	$ 800,000,000
Number of tranches | tranche		3	3
Proceeds from Lines of Credit			$ 208,000,000
Line of credit facility, year-to-date principal payment			28,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding		$ 224,000,000	224,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | K-sure Secured Equipment Credit Facility [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 750,000,000	$ 750,000,000
Number of tranches | tranche		3	3
Proceeds from Lines of Credit			$ 266,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding		$ 323,000,000	323,000,000
Line of Credit [Member] | Delcredere / Ducroire (D/D) Secured Equipment Credit Facility [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		250,000,000	250,000,000
Proceeds from Lines of Credit			32,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding		32,000,000	32,000,000
Guaranteed notes [Member] | Sprint Nextel Corporation [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Gross		4,000,000,000	4,000,000,000			4,000,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility expires in 2018 [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		3,300,000,000	3,300,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		3,000,000,000	3,000,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding		0	0			$ 0
Letter of Credit [Member] | Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility expires in 2018 [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount		$ 323,000,000	$ 323,000,000
Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility expires in 2018 [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Ratio Of Total Indebtedness To Adjusted EBITDA through the quarter ended December 31, 2015		6.5	6.5
Ratio Of Total Indebtedness To Adjusted EBITDA through the quarter ended December 31, 2016		6.25	6.25
Required Ratio Of Total Indebtedness To Adjusted EBITDA for each fiscal quarter ending thereafter through expiration of the revolving credit facility		6.0	6.0
Minimum required cash remaining on hand for operations as part of covenants		$ 2,000,000,000	$ 2,000,000,000
Tranche three [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | Export Development Canada Agreement [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding		300,000,000	300,000,000
Tranche four [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | Export Development Canada Agreement [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		250,000,000	250,000,000
Tranche three and four [Member] | Line of Credit [Member] | Export Development Canada Agreement [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding		$ 550,000,000	$ 550,000,000

[1] Notes of Clearwire Communications LLC are also direct obligations of Clearwire Finance, Inc. and are guaranteed by certain Clearwire subsidiaries.