Significant Acquisitions and Other Transactions (Notes)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Significant Acquisitions and Other Transactions	Significant Acquisitions and Other Transactions Other Transactions On November 26, 2012, the Company entered into an intra-market license exchange agreement with a subsidiary of T-Mobile USA, Inc., ("T-Mobile") and Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless ("Verizon Wireless") involving various markets in Philadelphia, Wilmington and Atlantic City. Completion of the license exchange is subject to customary closing conditions, including the consent of the FCC. The wireless licenses to be transferred under the license exchange agreements have been classified in assets held for sale at their carrying value of $136.2 million in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012. On October 1, 2012, the Company assigned to various entities affiliated with T-Mobile spectrum in various markets in Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin in exchange for 10 MHz of additional AWS spectrum in Phoenix, Houston and two other Texas markets. The transactions also included intra-market exchanges between the Company and T-Mobile in Philadelphia, Wilmington, Atlantic City and various markets in Texas and New Mexico. The Company recognized a non-cash gain on the transaction of approximately $106.4 million related to the excess of the fair value over carrying value of the spectrum exchanged by the Company in this transaction. On August 28, 2012, the Company acquired 12 MHz of 700 MHz A block spectrum in Chicago from Verizon Wireless for $204 million and the Company and Savary Island sold to Verizon Wireless excess PCS and AWS spectrum in various markets across the U.S. for $360 million. The Company recognized a net gain of $130.4 million in connection with these transactions. On November 30, 2011, the Company assigned 10 MHz of unused wireless spectrum in Indianapolis, IN, Minneapolis, MN and Syracuse, NY to various entities affiliated with T-Mobile as part of a license exchange transaction. In exchange, the Company received 10 MHz of additional wireless spectrum in seven existing Cricket markets in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico. In connection with the closing of this transaction, the Company recognized a non-cash gain of approximately $20.5 million. On June 30, 2011, one of the Company's equity method investees declared a cash dividend and paid the dividend with funds borrowed under a third-party line of credit. The Company's share of the dividend based on its ownership percentage was $18.2 million and was received in full on July 1, 2011. In the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company presented the portion of the dividend equal to its share of accumulated profits (approximately $6.6 million) as cash from operating activities and the remainder (approximately $11.6 million) as cash from investing activities, as it represented a return of the Company's original investment. 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, which Cricket controls through a 75.75% membership interest in its parent company STX Wireless. The joint venture was created in October 2010 through the contribution by the Company and Pocket of substantially all of their respective wireless spectrum and operating assets 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 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. Cricket controls and manages the joint venture 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. In the event optional cash distributions are made to the members of STX Wireless pursuant to the STX LLC Agreement, the purchase price is reduced by the total amount of such distributions made to Pocket plus an amount equal to an 8.0% per annum return on each such distribution from the date it was made. 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 years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company recorded a net accretion benefit of approximately $0.7 million and $8.9 million, respectively, to bring the carrying value of Pocket's membership interests in STX Wireless to its estimated redemption value. In accordance with the STX LLC Agreement, STX Wireless made pro-rata tax distributions of $9.1 million and $3.0 million to Cricket and Pocket, respectively, in connection with their estimated tax liabilities resulting from STX Wireless' earnings for the year ended December 31, 2012. During the year ended December 31, 2011, STX Wireless made similar pro-rata tax distributions of $5.7 million and $1.7 million to Cricket and Pocket, respectively. The Company recorded these tax distributions to Pocket as an adjustment to additional paid-in-capital in the consolidated balance sheets and as a component of accretion of redeemable non-controlling interests and distributions, net of tax, in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The distributions made to Cricket were eliminated in consolidation. On July 12, 2012, STX Wireless made an optional pro-rata cash distribution of $50.7 million and $16.2 million to Cricket and Pocket, respectively. Under the STX LLC Agreement, this optional distribution to Pocket (plus an annual return, as discussed above), is deducted from the purchase price payable to Pocket in the event of a put, call or mandatory buyout following a change of control of Leap. 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. As of December 31, 2012, Pocket had approximately $8.3 million in aggregate principal amount of outstanding borrowings under the loan and security agreement. Borrowings under the loan and security agreement 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. Accordingly, outstanding borrowings and accrued interest under the loan and security agreement have been recorded as a deduction from the purchase price payable to Pocket as discussed above in the consolidated balance sheets and as a component of accretion of redeemable non-controlling interests and distributions, net of tax, in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The offset of the outstanding borrowings and accrued interest against the purchase price for Pocket's membership interest, coupled with the accretion benefit recorded to adjust the redemption value of Pocket's net interest in STX Wireless, brought the carrying value of Pocket's membership interests in STX Wireless to an estimated redemption value of $64.5 million and $90.7 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. 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 Cricket and Pocket operating assets in the South Texas region to enable the combined network and retail operations of the STX Wireless joint venture to operate more efficiently. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company incurred approximately $26.4 million of such integration costs, which were recorded in impairments and other charges within the Company's consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Savary Island Venture Cricket formerly owned an 85% non-controlling membership interest in Savary Island, which held wireless spectrum in the upper Midwest portion of the U.S. and which leased a portion of that spectrum to us. The remaining 15% controlling interest was held by Ring Island Wireless, LLC ("Ring Island"). In May 2012, Ring Island exercised its right to put its entire controlling membership interest in Savary Island to Cricket, and in October 2012, Cricket acquired Ring Island’s 15% controlling interest for approximately $5.3 million in cash. In December 2012, Savary Island and its subsidiaries were merged with and into Cricket, with Cricket as the surviving entity. Cricket, Savary Island and Savary Island's wholly-owned subsidiaries were party to an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of December 27, 2010 (the "Savary Island Credit Agreement") pursuant to which Savary Island had assumed approximately $211.6 million of the outstanding loans owed to Cricket by a subsidiary of Denali Spectrum, LLC (“Denali”) in connection with the contribution of certain wireless spectrum by a subsidiary of Denali to Savary Island. Under the Savary Island Credit Agreement, Cricket had also agreed to loan Savary Island up to $5.0 million to fund its working capital needs. Immediately prior to Cricket’s acquisition of Ring Island’s controlling membership interest in Savary Island, the outstanding borrowings under the Savary Island Credit Agreement (including accrued interest), after giving effect to various repayments and debt cancellations made in connection with the closing of spectrum transactions involving Savary Island, totaled approximately $12.5 million. In connection with Cricket’s acquisition of Ring Island’s controlling membership interest, all remaining indebtedness under the Savary Island Credit Agreement was converted into equity in Savary Island and the Savary Island Credit Agreement and all related loan and security documents were terminated.

Significant Acquisitions and Other Transactions

Other Transactions

On November 26, 2012, the Company entered into an intra-market license exchange agreement with a subsidiary of T-Mobile USA, Inc., ("T-Mobile") and Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless ("Verizon Wireless") involving various markets in Philadelphia, Wilmington and Atlantic City. Completion of the license exchange is subject to customary closing conditions, including the consent of the FCC. The wireless licenses to be transferred under the license exchange agreements have been classified in assets held for sale at their carrying value of $136.2 million in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012.

On October 1, 2012, the Company assigned to various entities affiliated with T-Mobile spectrum in various markets in Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin in exchange for 10 MHz of additional AWS spectrum in Phoenix, Houston and two other Texas markets. The transactions also included intra-market exchanges between the Company and T-Mobile in Philadelphia, Wilmington, Atlantic City and various markets in Texas and New Mexico. The Company recognized a non-cash gain on the transaction of approximately $106.4 million related to the excess of the fair value over carrying value of the spectrum exchanged by the Company in this transaction.

On August 28, 2012, the Company acquired 12 MHz of 700 MHz A block spectrum in Chicago from Verizon Wireless for $204 million and the Company and Savary Island sold to Verizon Wireless excess PCS and AWS spectrum in various markets across the U.S. for $360 million. The Company recognized a net gain of $130.4 million in connection with these transactions.

On November 30, 2011, the Company assigned 10 MHz of unused wireless spectrum in Indianapolis, IN, Minneapolis, MN and Syracuse, NY to various entities affiliated with T-Mobile as part of a license exchange transaction. In exchange, the Company received 10 MHz of additional wireless spectrum in seven existing Cricket markets in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico. In connection with the closing of this transaction, the Company recognized a non-cash gain of approximately $20.5 million.

On June 30, 2011, one of the Company's equity method investees declared a cash dividend and paid the dividend with funds borrowed under a third-party line of credit. The Company's share of the dividend based on its ownership percentage was $18.2 million and was received in full on July 1, 2011. In the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company presented the portion of the dividend equal to its share of accumulated profits (approximately $6.6 million) as cash from operating activities and the remainder (approximately $11.6 million) as cash from investing activities, as it represented a return of the Company's original investment.

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, which Cricket controls through a 75.75% membership interest in its parent company STX Wireless. The joint venture was created in October 2010 through the contribution by the Company and Pocket of substantially all of their respective wireless spectrum and operating assets 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 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.

Cricket controls and manages the joint venture 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. In the event optional cash distributions are made to the members of STX Wireless pursuant to the STX LLC Agreement, the purchase price is reduced by the total amount of such distributions made to Pocket plus an amount equal to an 8.0% per annum return on each such distribution from the date it was made. 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 years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company recorded a net accretion benefit of approximately $0.7 million and $8.9 million, respectively, to bring the carrying value of Pocket's membership interests in STX Wireless to its estimated redemption value.

In accordance with the STX LLC Agreement, STX Wireless made pro-rata tax distributions of $9.1 million and $3.0 million to Cricket and Pocket, respectively, in connection with their estimated tax liabilities resulting from STX Wireless' earnings for the year ended December 31, 2012. During the year ended December 31, 2011, STX Wireless made similar pro-rata tax distributions of $5.7 million and $1.7 million to Cricket and Pocket, respectively. The Company recorded these tax distributions to Pocket as an adjustment to additional paid-in-capital in the consolidated balance sheets and as a component of accretion of redeemable non-controlling interests and distributions, net of tax, in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The distributions made to Cricket were eliminated in consolidation.

On July 12, 2012, STX Wireless made an optional pro-rata cash distribution of $50.7 million and $16.2 million to Cricket and Pocket, respectively. Under the STX LLC Agreement, this optional distribution to Pocket (plus an annual return, as discussed above), is deducted from the purchase price payable to Pocket in the event of a put, call or mandatory buyout following a change of control of Leap.

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. As of December 31, 2012, Pocket had approximately $8.3 million in aggregate principal amount of outstanding borrowings under the loan and security agreement. Borrowings under the loan and security agreement 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. Accordingly, outstanding borrowings and accrued interest under the loan and security agreement have been recorded as a deduction from the purchase price payable to Pocket as discussed above in the consolidated balance sheets and as a component of accretion of redeemable non-controlling interests and distributions, net of tax, in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The offset of the outstanding borrowings and accrued interest against the purchase price for Pocket's membership interest, coupled with the accretion benefit recorded to adjust the redemption value of Pocket's net interest in STX Wireless, brought the carrying value of Pocket's membership interests in STX Wireless to an estimated redemption value of $64.5 million and $90.7 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

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 Cricket and Pocket operating assets in the South Texas region to enable the combined network and retail operations of the STX Wireless joint venture to operate more efficiently. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company incurred approximately $26.4 million of such integration costs, which were recorded in impairments and other charges within the Company's consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Savary Island Venture

Cricket formerly owned an 85% non-controlling membership interest in Savary Island, which held wireless spectrum in the upper Midwest portion of the U.S. and which leased a portion of that spectrum to us. The remaining 15% controlling interest was held by Ring Island Wireless, LLC ("Ring Island"). In May 2012, Ring Island exercised its right to put its entire controlling membership interest in Savary Island to Cricket, and in October 2012, Cricket acquired Ring Island’s 15% controlling interest for approximately $5.3 million in cash. In December 2012, Savary Island and its subsidiaries were merged with and into Cricket, with Cricket as the surviving entity.

Cricket, Savary Island and Savary Island's wholly-owned subsidiaries were party to an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of December 27, 2010 (the "Savary Island Credit Agreement") pursuant to which Savary Island had assumed approximately $211.6 million of the outstanding loans owed to Cricket by a subsidiary of Denali Spectrum, LLC (“Denali”) in connection with the contribution of certain wireless spectrum by a subsidiary of Denali to Savary Island. Under the Savary Island Credit Agreement, Cricket had also agreed to loan Savary Island up to $5.0 million to fund its working capital needs. Immediately prior to Cricket’s acquisition of Ring Island’s controlling membership interest in Savary Island, the outstanding borrowings under the Savary Island Credit Agreement (including accrued interest), after giving effect to various repayments and debt cancellations made in connection with the closing of spectrum transactions involving Savary Island, totaled approximately $12.5 million. In connection with Cricket’s acquisition of Ring Island’s controlling membership interest, all remaining indebtedness under the Savary Island Credit Agreement was converted into equity in Savary Island and the Savary Island Credit Agreement and all related loan and security documents were terminated.