Long-Term Debt, Financing and Capital Lease Obligations (Narrative) (Details)		1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
		May 31, 2016 USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($) site years	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 tranche	Dec. 12, 2013 USD ($)	Sep. 11, 2013 USD ($)	Jul. 10, 2013 USD ($)
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Document Period End Date				Jun. 30, 2016
Sale Leaseback Transaction, Net Book Value				$ 500,000,000	$ 1,200,000,000			$ 1,300,000,000
Sale Leaseback Transaction, Net Proceeds, Financing Activities					600,000,000
Sale Leaseback Transaction, Cumulative Lease Payments				75,000,000
Repayments of Accounts Receivable Securitization				165,000,000
Long-term debt issued by 100% owned subsidiary and is fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the parent				24,600,000,000
Interest Costs Capitalized				10,000,000		$ 15,000,000
Cash interest payments				600,000,000		$ 600,000,000
Redeemable notes				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
Percentage of principal amount required to repurchase notes on change of control				101.00%
Bridge Loan			$ 2,500,000,000	$ 0.0469
Number of cell sites leased back | site				3,000
Term in years for cell sites leased back renewal options | years				20
Payments for (Proceeds from) Businesses and Interest in Affiliates		$ 181,000,000
Ratio Of Total Indebtedness To Adjusted EBITDA				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%
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
Long-term Debt, Gross	[1]			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
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				14.75%
Long-term Debt, Gross	[1]			$ 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
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
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
Line of Credit [Member] | Secured Equipment Credit Facility [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding				773,000,000	805,000,000
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, Amount Outstanding				254,000,000
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
Number of tranches | tranche									3
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding				196,000,000
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
Number of tranches | tranche									3
Proceeds from Lines of Credit				32,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding				291,000,000
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
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding				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
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
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity				3,000,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding				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				$ 326,000,000
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, 2016				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
Minimum required cash remaining on hand for operations as part of covenants				$ 2,000,000,000
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
Network Sale-Leaseback [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Sale Leaseback Transaction, Net Book Value				3,000,000,000
Sale Leaseback Transaction, Net Proceeds, Financing Activities			2,200,000,000
Sale Leaseback Transaction, Annual Rental Payments				300,000,000
MLS 2nd Tranche [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Sale Leaseback Transaction, Net Book Value			1,300,000,000	889,000,000
Sale Leaseback Transaction, Net Proceeds, Investing Activities			$ 1,100,000,000
FCC Licenses [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired				85,000,000
Other, Net [Member]
Schedule of Capitalization, Long-term Debt [Line Items]
Payments for (Proceeds from) Businesses and Interest in Affiliates				$ 96,000,000

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