Supplementary Financial Information (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012
Other current assets:
Accounts receivable, net of allowances for bad debt of $1.3 million and $1.3 million, respectively	$ 102,702	[1]	$ 86,467	[1]
Prepaid expenses	32,762		40,237
Other	24,117		12,538
Other current assets	159,581		139,242
Property and equipment, net:
Network equipment	3,333,173	[2]	3,348,122	[2]
Computer hardware and software	571,646	[2]	526,348	[2]
Construction-in-progress	14,339	[2],[3]	54,945	[2],[3]
Other	97,054	[2]	109,400	[2]
Property and equipment, gross	4,016,212	[2]	4,038,815	[2]
Accumulated depreciation	(2,749,839)	[2]	(2,276,725)	[2]
Property and equipment, net	1,266,373	[2]	1,762,090	[2]
Intangible assets, net:
Customer relationships	50,435		50,435
Trademarks	37,000		37,000
Intangible assets, gross	87,435		87,435
Intangible assets, net	14,043		24,663
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities:
Trade accounts payable	192,947		143,931
Accrued payroll and related benefits	59,762		67,539
Other accrued liabilities	112,770		184,640
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	365,479		396,110
Other current liabilities:
Accrued sales, telecommunications, property and other taxes payable	15,889		4,267
Accrued interest	31,567		44,653
Other	44,389		31,213
Other current liabilities	209,068		216,880
Assets Held under Capital Leases [Member]
Property and equipment, net:
Property and equipment, gross	48,700		45,800
Accumulated depreciation	(28,100)		(22,900)
Nonsoftware Service, Support and Maintenance Arrangement [Member]
Other current liabilities:
Deferred revenue	93,347	[4]	100,276	[4]
Distributor Arrangement [Member]
Other current liabilities:
Deferred revenue	23,876	[5]	36,471	[5]
Customer Relationships [Member]
Intangible assets, net:
Accumulated amortization of intangible assets	(48,505)		(40,528)
Trademarks [Member]
Intangible assets, net:
Accumulated amortization of intangible assets	$ (24,887)		$ (22,244)

[1] Accounts receivable, net, consists primarily of (i) amounts billed to third-party dealers for devices and accessories, (ii) amounts due from the federal government in connection with the Lifeline program and other regulatory programs, and (iii) amounts due from service providers related to interconnect and roaming agreements.

[2] As of December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, approximately $48.7 million and $45.8 million of assets were held by the Company under capital lease arrangements, respectively. Accumulated amortization relating to these assets totaled $28.1 million and $22.9 million as of December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively.

[3] See "Note 11. Impairments and Other Charges" for information regarding the impairment of certain amounts accumulated in construction-in-progress.

[4] Deferred service revenue consists primarily of cash received from customers in advance of their service period.

[5] Deferred equipment revenue relates to devices sold to third-party dealers and nationwide retailers, which have not yet been purchased and activated by customers.