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Significant Acquisitions and Other Transactions
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Business Combinations [Abstract]  
Significant Acquisitions and Other Transactions
Significant Acquisitions and Other Transactions

Other Transactions

On April 2, 2012, the Company and Savary Island entered into license exchange agreements with entities affiliated with T-Mobile USA, Inc. (collectively, “T-Mobile”). The transactions would result in the Company acquiring 10 MHz of additional AWS spectrum in Phoenix, Houston and two other Texas markets to supplement the spectrum the Company currently operates in those markets. The Company and Savary Island have agreed to assign T-Mobile spectrum in various markets in Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The transactions also include intra-market exchanges between the Company and T-Mobile in Philadelphia, Wilmington, Atlantic City and various markets in Texas and New Mexico. In connection with the closing of these transactions, the Company will cancel a portion of the indebtedness owed by Savary Island to Cricket. The closing of each transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the consent of the FCC. The wireless licenses to be assigned by the Company and Savary Island to T-Mobile have been classified as assets held for sale at their carrying value of $188.0 million in the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2012, because at that time the terms of the exchange were substantially certain and the transaction had met all the criteria prescribed by the authoritative guidance for held-for-sale classification.
On November 3, 2011, the Company entered into license purchase agreements to acquire 12 MHz of 700 MHz A block spectrum in Chicago from Verizon Wireless for $204 million and to sell excess PCS and AWS spectrum in various markets across the U.S. to Verizon Wireless for $188 million. The closing of both transactions is subject to customary closing conditions, including the consent of the FCC. The Company currently anticipates that both transactions will close simultaneously. The wireless licenses to be sold by the Company to Verizon Wireless have been classified as assets held for sale at their carrying value of $119.1 million in the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011.
 
Also on November 3, 2011, Savary Island entered into a license purchase agreement with Verizon Wireless to sell AWS spectrum in various markets to Verizon Wireless for $172 million. Savary Island has agreed to use substantially all of the proceeds from this sale to prepay a portion of its indebtedness to Cricket under the Savary Island Credit Agreement at the closing of the transaction. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the consent of the FCC. The wireless licenses to be sold by Savary Island to Verizon Wireless have been classified as assets held for sale at their carrying value of $85.2 million in the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

On February 11, 2011, the Company entered into an agreement with Global Tower, LLC (“GTP”) to sell certain of the Company's telecommunications tower assets in one or more closings. During the second and third quarters of 2011, the Company sold those telecommunications towers and related assets for approximately $25.8 million in cash. The transaction was structured as a sale lease-back financing, in which the Company entered into a 10-year lease agreement with GTP to continue the Company's commercial use of the towers. Accordingly, the Company recorded a capital lease obligation of $25.8 million, which was equal to the proceeds received from GTP.

STX Wireless Joint Venture

Cricket service is offered in South Texas by the Company's joint venture STX Operations. Cricket controls STX Operations through a 75.75% controlling membership interest in its parent company STX Wireless. On October 1, 2010, the Company and various entities doing business as Pocket Communications ("Pocket") contributed substantially all of their respective wireless spectrum and operating assets in the South Texas region to STX Wireless to create a joint venture to provide Cricket service in the South Texas region. In exchange for such contributions, Cricket received a 75.75% controlling membership interest in STX Wireless and Pocket received a 24.25% non-controlling membership interest. Additionally, in connection with the transaction, the Company made payments to Pocket of approximately $40.7 million in cash.

The joint venture strengthens the Company's presence and competitive positioning in the South Texas region. Commencing October 1, 2010, STX Operations began providing Cricket service to approximately 700,000 customers, of which approximately 323,000 were contributed by Pocket, with a network footprint covering population and potential customers ("POPs") of approximately 4.4 million.

The Company accounted for the acquisition of Pocket's business as a business purchase combination in accordance with the authoritative guidance for business combinations, with the Company as the acquirer. The consideration provided to Pocket, in exchange for Pocket's business, was allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed by STX Wireless based on their fair values as of October 1, 2010. The excess of the purchase price over the fair values of the net assets acquired was recorded as goodwill.


Pocket's 24.25% non-controlling membership interest in STX Wireless was recorded in mezzanine equity as a component of redeemable non-controlling interests. The non-controlling interest was initially recognized as part of the purchase accounting in the amount of $51.5 million. The $51.5 million amount comprised the sum of Pocket's proportionate share (24.25%) of the fair value in the business contributed to the joint venture by Pocket plus its proportionate share (24.25%) of the net equity of the business contributed by Cricket.

The joint venture is controlled and managed by Cricket under the terms of the amended and restated limited liability company agreement (the “STX LLC Agreement”). Under the STX LLC Agreement, Pocket has the right to put, and the Company has the right to call, all of Pocket's membership interests in STX Wireless, which rights are generally exercisable on or after April 1, 2014. In addition, in the event of a change of control of Leap, Pocket is obligated to sell to the Company all of its membership interests in STX Wireless. The purchase price for Pocket's membership interests would be equal to 24.25% of the product of Leap's enterprise value-to-revenue multiple for the four most recently completed fiscal quarters multiplied by the total revenues of STX Wireless and its subsidiaries over that same period, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. The purchase price is payable in either cash, Leap common stock or a combination thereof, as determined by Cricket in its discretion (provided that, if permitted by Cricket's debt instruments, at least $25 million of the purchase price must be paid in cash). The Company has the right to deduct from or set off against the purchase price certain distributions made to Pocket, as well as any obligations owed to the Company by Pocket. Under the STX LLC Agreement, Cricket is permitted to purchase Pocket's membership interests in STX Wireless over multiple closings in the event that the block of shares of Leap common stock issuable to Pocket at the closing of the purchase would be greater than 9.9% of the total number of shares of Leap common stock then issued and outstanding. To the extent the redemption price for Pocket's non-controlling membership interest varies from the value of Pocket's net interest in STX Wireless at any period (after the attribution of profits or losses), the value of such interest is accreted to the redemption price for such interest with a corresponding adjustment to additional paid-in capital. For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and for the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company recorded a net accretion expense of approximately $3.9 million and a net accretion benefit of $8.9 million, respectively, to bring the carrying value of Pocket's membership interests in STX Wireless to its estimated redemption value of $94.5 million and $90.7 million, respectively.

At the closing of the formation of the joint venture, STX Wireless entered into a loan and security agreement with Pocket pursuant to which, commencing in April 2012, STX Wireless agreed to make quarterly limited-recourse loans to Pocket out of excess cash in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $30 million, which loans are secured by Pocket's membership interests in STX Wireless. Such loans will bear interest at 8.0% per annum, compounded annually, and will mature on the earlier of October 2020 and the date on which Pocket ceases to hold any membership interests in STX Wireless. Cricket has the right to set off all outstanding principal and interest under this loan and security agreement against the payment of the purchase price for Pocket's membership interests in STX Wireless in the event of a put, call or mandatory buyout following a change of control of Leap.

In a separate transaction, on January 3, 2011, the Company acquired Pocket's customer assistance call center for $850,000. The Company accounted for this transaction as a business purchase combination in accordance with the authoritative guidance for business combinations. A portion of the purchase price was assigned to property and equipment and the remaining amount was allocated to goodwill.

During 2011, the Company completed the integration of the Cricket and Pocket operating assets in the South Texas region so that the combined network and retail operations of the STX Wireless joint venture operate more efficiently.

Savary Island Venture

Cricket owns an 85% non-controlling membership interest in Savary Island, which holds wireless spectrum in the upper Midwest portion of the U.S. and which leases a portion of that spectrum to Cricket. Cricket service was previously offered in greater Chicago and Southern Wisconsin by Denali, an entity in which the Company owned an 82.5% non-controlling membership interest. In December 2010, Cricket purchased the remaining 17.5% controlling membership interest in Denali that it did not previously own. Immediately prior to such purchase, Denali contributed all of its wireless spectrum outside of the Chicago and Southern Wisconsin operating markets and a related spectrum lease to Savary Island, a newly formed venture, in exchange for an 85% non-controlling membership interest. Savary Island acquired this spectrum as a “very small business” designated entity under FCC regulations. Ring Island Wireless, LLC (“Ring Island”) contributed $5.1 million of cash to Savary Island in exchange for a 15% controlling membership interest. On March 31, 2011, Denali and its subsidiaries were merged with and into Cricket, with Cricket as the surviving entity.

Under the amended and restated limited liability company agreement of Savary Island (the “Savary Island LLC Agreement”), Ring Island has the right to put its entire controlling membership interest in Savary Island to Cricket during the 30-day period commencing on the earlier to occur of May 1, 2012 (based on current FCC rules) and the date of a sale of all or substantially all of the assets, or the liquidation, of Savary Island, and during any 30-day period commencing after a breach by Cricket of its obligation to pay spectrum lease fees or fund working capital loans under the Savary Island Credit Agreement (see below) which breach has continued for 120 days after written notice of breach. The purchase price for such sale is an amount equal to Ring Island's equity contributions to Savary Island less any optional distributions made pursuant to the Savary Island LLC Agreement, plus $150,000 if the sale is consummated prior to May 1, 2017 without incurring any unjust enrichment payments. If the put option is exercised, the consummation of the sale will be subject to FCC approval. The Company has recorded this obligation to purchase Ring Island's controlling membership interest in Savary Island as a component of redeemable non-controlling interest in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Savary Island has guaranteed Cricket's put obligations under the Savary Island LLC Agreement, which guaranty is secured on a first-lien basis by certain assets of Savary Island. Under the Savary Island LLC Agreement, Savary Island is also required to make monthly mandatory distributions to Ring Island. Savary Island is also party to a management services agreement with Cricket, pursuant to which Cricket provides management services to Savary Island in exchange for a management fee.
 
The Company attributes profits and losses to Ring Island's redeemable non-controlling interests each reporting period. To the extent that the redemption price for Ring Island's controlling membership interest exceeds the value of Ring Island's net interest in Savary Island at any period (after the attribution of profits or losses), the value of such interest is accreted to the redemption price for such interest with a corresponding adjustment to additional paid-in capital.  However, the Company would not reduce the carrying amount of the redeemable non-controlling interest below the redemption price. Both the attribution of profit or loss and the accretion of the redeemable non-controlling interest are presented as a component of accretion of redeemable non-controlling interests and distributions, net of tax, in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income.  As of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, this redeemable non-controlling interest had a carrying value of $5.3 million.
 
At the closing of the formation of the venture, Savary Island assumed $211.6 million of the outstanding loans then owed by Denali and its subsidiaries to Cricket. In connection with Savary Island's assumption of such loans, Cricket, Savary Island and Savary Island's subsidiaries entered into an amended and restated senior secured credit agreement, dated as of December 27, 2010 (the “Savary Island Credit Agreement”) to amend and restate the terms of the Denali senior secured credit agreement applicable to the assumed loans. Under the Savary Island Credit Agreement, Cricket also agreed to loan Savary Island up to an additional $5.0 million to fund its working capital needs. In connection with the closing of a license exchange transaction with T-Mobile on November 30, 2011, Savary Island assigned 10 MHz of unused wireless spectrum in Indianapolis, IN and Minneapolis, MN to T-Mobile and Cricket canceled $41.1 million in principal amount of indebtedness owed by Savary Island under the Savary Island Credit Agreement. As of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, borrowings outstanding under the Savary Island Credit Agreement (excluding accrued interest) totaled $170.5 million. Loans under the Savary Island Credit Agreement (including the assumed loans) accrue interest at the rate of 9.5% per annum and such interest is added to principal annually. All outstanding principal and accrued interest is due in May 2021. Outstanding principal and accrued interest are due in quarterly installments commencing May 2018. However, if Ring Island exercises its put under the Savary Island LLC Agreement prior to such date, then the amortization commencement date under the Savary Island Credit Agreement will be the later of the amortization commencement date and the put closing date. Savary Island may prepay loans under the Savary Island Credit Agreement at any time without premium or penalty. The obligations of Savary Island and its subsidiaries under the Savary Island Credit Agreement are secured by all of the personal property, fixtures and owned real property of Savary Island and its subsidiaries, subject to certain permitted liens. The Savary Island Credit Agreement and the related security agreements contain customary representations, warranties, covenants and conditions.