DEBT - Senior Secured Credit Facility (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 21, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding debt	$ 20.0
Debt interest rate	4.51%
Line of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitment potential aggregate increase amount		$ 50.0
Revolving Credit Facility \| Line of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitments from lender		100.0
Fronting fee percentage	0.125%
Default rate percentage	2.00%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Line of Credit \| Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitment fee percentage	0.25%
Letter of credit, fee multiplier	1.50%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Line of Credit \| Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	2.00%
Commitment fee percentage	0.40%
Letter of credit, fee multiplier	2.00%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Line of Credit \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) \| Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	2.50%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Line of Credit \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) \| Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	3.00%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Line of Credit \| Base Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	0.50%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Line of Credit \| Additional Applicable Margin \| Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.50%
Letter of Credit \| Line of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitments from lender		15.0
Outstanding debt	$ 2.9
Debt interest rate	2.00%
Swingline loan \| Line of Credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitments from lender		$ 15.0

Letter Of Credit, Fee Multiplier

No definition available.

Name:	sons_LetterOfCreditFeeMultiplier
Namespace Prefix:	sons_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line Of Credit Facility, Potential Aggregate Increase Amount

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	sons_LineOfCreditFacilityPotentialAggregateIncreaseAmount
Namespace Prefix:	sons_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line of Credit Facility, Default Rate, Percentage

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	sons_LineofCreditFacilityDefaultRatePercentage
Namespace Prefix:	sons_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line of Credit Facility, Fronting Fee Percentage

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	sons_LineofCreditFacilityFrontingFeePercentage
Namespace Prefix:	sons_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage points added to the reference rate to compute the variable rate on the debt instrument.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentBasisSpreadOnVariableRate1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Weighted average interest rate of debt outstanding.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtWeightedAverageInterestRate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The fee, expressed as a percentage of the line of credit facility, for the line of credit facility regardless of whether the facility has been used.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityCommitmentFeePercentage
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Maximum borrowing capacity under the credit facility without consideration of any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed or the amounts currently outstanding under the facility.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.19(b),22(b))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount, after unamortized (discount) premium and debt issuance costs, of long-term debt. Includes, but not limited to, notes payable, bonds payable, debentures, mortgage loans and commercial paper. Excludes capital lease obligations.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03(a)(16))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03(16))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6876686&loc=d3e534808-122878

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(22))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongTermDebt
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=us-gaap_LineOfCreditMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis=us-gaap_RevolvingCreditFacilityMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RangeAxis=us-gaap_MinimumMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RangeAxis=us-gaap_MaximumMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_VariableRateAxis=us-gaap_LondonInterbankOfferedRateLIBORMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_VariableRateAxis=us-gaap_BaseRateMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_VariableRateAxis=sons_AdditionalApplicableMarginMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis=us-gaap_LetterOfCreditMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis=us-gaap_BridgeLoanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: