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Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	1 Months Ended						3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	Oct. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($) offering	Aug. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($) offering	May 31, 2018 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($) offering	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($) Agreement	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Jul. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt repurchased principal amount		$ 800,000,000					$ 800,000,000	$ 800,000,000
Borrowing capacity		9,500,000,000.0				$ 9,000,000,000	9,500,000,000.0	9,500,000,000.0		$ 9,500,000,000
Amount of unused borrowing capacity under credit facility		9,400,000,000					9,400,000,000	9,400,000,000
Early debt redemption costs							500,000,000	700,000,000
Principal amount outstanding in connection with the guarantee of debt obligations		$ 112,942,000,000					112,942,000,000	$ 112,942,000,000			$ 117,095,000,000
5.320% Notes Due 2053
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument					5.32%
Aggregate principal amount					$ 700,000,000
Cash proceeds, net of issuance costs					700,000,000
Floating Rate Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount					2,500,000,000
Repayments of debt							$ 400,000,000
Floating Rate Notes Due 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount					1,800,000,000
Cash proceeds, net of issuance costs					1,800,000,000
Debt repurchased principal amount					$ 2,500,000,000
Percentage of principal amount redeemed					100.00%
2.550% note due 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		2.55%					2.55%	2.55%
Asset-Backed Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
ABS financing facilities outstanding balance		$ 9,200,000,000					$ 9,200,000,000	$ 9,200,000,000
Guarantee of Debentures of Operating Telephone Company Subsidiaries
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount outstanding in connection with the guarantee of debt obligations		800,000,000					800,000,000	800,000,000
Guarantee of Debt Obligations of GTE Corporation
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount outstanding in connection with the guarantee of debt obligations		400,000,000					400,000,000	400,000,000
2016 ABS Financing Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of debt		700,000,000		$ 2,000,000,000
ABS financing facilities outstanding balance		1,200,000,000					1,200,000,000	$ 1,200,000,000
Debt revolving period								2 years
Amount drawn down			$ 1,500,000,000
Number of loan agreements \| Agreement								2
2018 ABS Financing Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
ABS financing facilities outstanding balance		500,000,000					500,000,000	$ 500,000,000
Debt revolving period								1 year
Amount drawn down					$ 500,000,000
Commercial paper
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding		0					0	$ 0
Senior and junior asset-backed notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount						$ 1,200,000,000
Repayments of debt							200,000,000
Debt revolving period								2 years
Class A-1a Senior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument						2.82%
Debt instrument maturity period						2 years 5 months 26 days
Class A-1b Senior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument maturity period						2 years 5 months 26 days
Class B Junior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument						3.05%
Debt instrument maturity period						3 years 1 month 20 days
Class C Junior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument						3.20%
Debt instrument maturity period						3 years 4 months 10 days
Network Equipment \| Vendor Financing Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Value of purchase assets financed								$ 1,000,000,000	$ 400,000,000
Financing arrangements outstanding		1,100,000,000					1,100,000,000	1,100,000,000
Equipment Credit Facilities
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding		2,900,000,000					2,900,000,000	2,900,000,000
Amount drawn down							1,300,000,000	3,000,000,000
Borrowing capacity												$ 4,000,000,000
Equipment Credit Facilities \| Network Equipment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity													$ 1,000,000,000
Credit facility outstanding balance		800,000,000					800,000,000	800,000,000
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) \| Floating Rate Notes Due 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, percentage points added to the reference rate					1.10%
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) \| Floating Rate Notes Due 2025 \| May 2018 Redemption
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, percentage points added to the reference rate					1.372%
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) \| Class A-1b Senior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, percentage points added to the reference rate						0.26%
Verizon Communications Inc \| June 2018 Exchange Offers
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of separate private exchange offers \| offering				13
Debt exchange offer, principal amount purchased				$ 500,000,000
Payments for debt exchange offers				$ 500,000,000
Verizon Communications Inc \| 4.329% Notes Due 2028
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument				4.329%
Aggregate principal amount				$ 4,300,000,000
Verizon Communications Inc \| Old Notes In Exchange New Notes \| June 2018 Exchange Offers
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt exchange offer, principal amount purchased				$ 4,100,000,000
Verizon Communications Inc \| Old Notes In Exchange New Notes \| Maximum \| June 2018 Exchange Offers
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument				5.15%
Verizon Communications Inc \| Old Notes In Exchange New Notes \| Minimum \| June 2018 Exchange Offers
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument				1.75%
March 2018 Tender Offers
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt tender offer, consideration paid						$ 2,800,000,000
March 2018 Tender Offers \| Verizon Communications Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt tender offer, principal amount purchased						$ 2,900,000,000
March 2018 Tender Offers \| Verizon Communications Inc
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of separate private tender offers \| offering						13
March 2018 Tender Offers \| Verizon Communications Inc \| Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument						5.012%
March 2018 Tender Offers \| Verizon Communications Inc \| Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument						1.75%
September 2018 Tender Offers
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt tender offer, consideration paid		1,800,000,000
September 2018 Tender Offers \| Verizon Communications Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt tender offer, principal amount purchased		1,900,000,000					1,900,000,000	1,900,000,000
Debt outstanding		$ 1,500,000,000					$ 1,500,000,000	$ 1,500,000,000
September 2018 Tender Offers \| Verizon Communications Inc
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of separate private tender offers \| offering		8
September 2018 Tender Offers \| Verizon Communications Inc \| Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		5.012%					5.012%	5.012%
September 2018 Tender Offers \| Verizon Communications Inc \| Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument		3.85%					3.85%	3.85%
Subsequent Event \| 2.550% note due 2019 \| November 2018 Redemption
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount	$ 200,000,000
Subsequent Event \| Senior and junior asset-backed notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount	$ 1,600,000,000
Subsequent Event \| Class A-1a Senior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	3.23%
Debt instrument maturity period	2 years 6 months 4 days
Subsequent Event \| Class A-1b Senior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument maturity period	2 years 6 months 4 days
Subsequent Event \| Class B Junior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	3.38%
Debt instrument maturity period	3 years 2 months 26 days
Subsequent Event \| Class C Junior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate on debt instrument	3.55%
Debt instrument maturity period	3 years 4 months 28 days
Subsequent Event \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) \| Class A-1b Senior Secured Notes \| Asset Backed Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, percentage points added to the reference rate	0.24%