EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 732712
Filing Year: 2025
Filename: 732712_10-K_2025_0000732712-25-000006.json

---

ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business
General
Verizon Communications Inc. (the Company) is a holding company that, acting through its subsidiaries (together with the Company, collectively, Verizon), is one of the world’s leading providers of communications, technology, information and streaming products and services to consumers, businesses and government entities. With a presence around the world, we offer data, video and voice services and solutions on our networks and platforms that are designed to meet customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security.
We have two reportable segments that we operate and manage as strategic business units - Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).
Verizon Consumer Group
Our Consumer segment provides consumer-focused wireless and wireline communications services and products. Our wireless services are provided across one of the most extensive wireless networks in the United States (U.S.) under the Verizon family of brands and through wholesale and other arrangements. We also provide fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband through our fifth-generation (5G) or fourth-generation (4G) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks as an alternative to traditional landline internet access. Our wireline services are provided in nine states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S., as well as Washington D.C., over our 100% fiber-optic network through our Verizon Fios product portfolio and over a traditional copper-based network to customers who are not served by Fios.
In 2024, the Consumer segment’s revenues were $102.9 billion, representing approximately 76% of Verizon’s consolidated revenues. As of December 31, 2024, Consumer had approximately 115 million wireless retail connections (including FWA), of which 83% are postpaid connections. In addition, at December 31, 2024, Consumer had approximately 10 million total broadband connections (which includes Fios internet, FWA and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connections), and approximately 3 million Fios video connections.
Verizon Business Group
Our Business segment provides wireless and wireline communications services and products, including FWA broadband, data, video and advanced communication services, corporate networking solutions, security and managed network services, local and long distance voice services and network access to deliver various Internet of Things (IoT) services and products. We provide these products and services to businesses, public sector customers and wireless and wireline carriers across the U.S. and a subset of these products and services to customers around the world.
In 2024, the Business segment's revenues were $29.5 billion, representing approximately 22% of Verizon’s consolidated revenues. As of December 31, 2024, Business had approximately 31 million wireless retail postpaid connections (including FWA) and approximately 2 million total broadband connections (which includes Fios internet, FWA and DSL connections).
Additional discussion of our reportable segments is included in Item 7 under the headings "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Overview" and "- Segment Results of Operations" and in Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.
Service and Product Offerings
Wireless Services and Equipment
We provide a wide variety of wireless services to Consumer and Business customers on different service plan options.
Our Consumer Group offers customizable, personalized phone plans for retail customers, allowing them to design the plan that fits their needs, including access to their preferred content and services (which we call “perks”). We also offer plans for customers who want access to Verizon’s network at a lower price point, as well as discounts and special rate plans for qualifying customers.
Customers can obtain our wireless services on a postpaid or prepaid basis. Retail (non-wholesale) postpaid accounts primarily represent retail customers that are directly served and managed by Verizon and use Verizon branded services. A single account may include monthly wireless services for a variety of connected devices. Our postpaid service is generally billed one month in advance for a monthly access charge in return for access to and usage of network services. Our prepaid service is offered only to Consumer customers and enables individuals to obtain wireless services without credit verification by paying for all services in advance. As of December 31, 2024, we had 95 million postpaid connections and 20 million prepaid connections, representing approximately 83% and 17% of our Consumer wireless retail connections, respectively.
Our Business customers can choose from a variety of plans with different features to meet their specific needs.
We also provide FWA broadband through our 5G or 4G LTE wireless networks to our Consumer and Business customers. FWA enables fixed broadband access using radio frequencies instead of cables and can be used to connect homes and businesses to the internet. As of December 31, 2024, we had nearly 4.6 million FWA broadband connections.
Consumer and Business offer several categories of wireless equipment to customers, including a variety of smartphones and other handsets, wireless-enabled internet devices, such as tablets, and other wireless-enabled connected devices, such as smart watches. Oftentimes, we offer promotional trade in offers to incentivize new customers or existing customer upgrades. Consumer wireless customers can acquire wireless equipment from us using device payment plans, which permit the customer to pay for the device in installments over time. Customers that activate service on devices purchased under the device payment program generally pay lower service fees as compared to those under our fixed-term service plans, and their device payment plan charge is included on their wireless monthly bill. While we no longer offer Consumer customers fixed-term subsidized service plans for devices, we continue to offer subsidized plans to our Business customers. We also continue to service existing plans for customers who have not yet purchased and activated devices under the Verizon device payment program.
Verizon Consumer Group
In addition to wireless services and equipment for retail customers, the Consumer segment sells residential fixed connectivity solutions, including internet, video and voice services, and wireless network access to resellers on a wholesale basis. Consumer also provides non-connectivity services including device protection, content offerings, cloud storage, and other products.
Residential fixed services - We provide residential fixed connectivity solutions to customers over our 100% fiber-optic network through our Verizon Fios product portfolio and over a traditional copper-based network to customers who are not served by Fios. We also provide FWA broadband through both 5G and 4G LTE home internet offerings, which are available in most states across the U.S.
We offer residential fixed services tailored to the needs of our customers with a variety of perk options and the flexibility to change them. Depending on customer needs at a particular time, our services may include features related to, among other things: internet access at different speed tiers using fiber-optic, copper or wireless technology; video services that may feature a variety of content and streaming options, video on demand products, cloud-based services and digital video recording capabilities; over-the-top (OTT) video services; voice services; and other home solutions.
Network access services - We sell network access to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) on a wholesale basis, who in turn resell wireless service under their own brand(s) to consumers.
Verizon Business Group
In addition to the wireless services and equipment discussed above, our Business segment provides a variety of wireless and wireline services and products, which are organized by the primary customer groups for these offerings: Enterprise and Public Sector, Business Markets and Other, and Wholesale.
Enterprise and Public Sector
Enterprise and Public Sector offers wireless products and services as well as wireline connectivity such as broadband and managed services to our large business and public sector customers. Large businesses are identified based on their size and volume of business with Verizon. Public sector customers include U.S. federal, state and local governments and educational institutions. Our offerings to this customer group include plans with features and pricing designed to address their specific needs. In 2024, Enterprise and Public Sector revenues were $14.2 billion, representing approximately 48% of Business’s total revenues.
Enterprise and Public Sector offers a broad portfolio of connectivity, security and professional services designed to enable our customers to optimize their business operations, mitigate business risks and capitalize on data. These services include the following:
•Network services - We offer a portfolio of network connectivity products to help our customers connect with their employees, partners, vendors and customers. These products include internet access services, private networking services, private cloud connectivity services and virtual and software defined networking services.
•Advanced communications services - We offer a suite of services to our customers to help them communicate with their employees, partners, vendors, constituents and customers. These products include Internet Protocol (IP)-based voice and video services, unified communications and collaboration tools and customer contact center solutions.
•Core services - We provide a portfolio of domestic and global voice and data solutions utilizing traditional telecommunications technology, including voice calling, messaging services, conferencing, contact center solutions and private line and data access networks. Core services also include the provision of customer premises equipment, and installation, maintenance and site services.
•Security services - We offer a suite of management and data security services that help our customers protect, detect and respond to security threats to their networks, data, applications and infrastructure.
•IoT services - We provide the network access required to deliver various IoT products and services. We work with companies that purchase network access from us to connect their devices, bundled together with their own solutions, which they sell to end users.
Business Markets and Other
Business Markets and Other offers wireless services (including FWA broadband), wireless equipment, advanced communication services, tailored voice and networking products, Fios services, advanced voice solutions and security services to businesses that ordinarily do not meet the requirements to be categorized as Enterprise and Public Sector, as described above. Business Markets and Other also includes solutions that support mobile resource management. In 2024, Business Markets and Other revenues were $13.1 billion, representing approximately 44% of Business’s total revenues.
Business Markets and Other also provides fixed connectivity solutions comparable to the residential fixed services provided by Consumer, as well as business services and connectivity similar to the products and services offered to Global Enterprise customers, in each case with features and pricing designed to address the needs of small and medium businesses.
Wholesale
Wholesale offers wireline communications services including data, voice, local dial tone and broadband services primarily to local, long distance, and wireless carriers that use our facilities to provide services to their customers. In 2024, Wholesale revenues were $2.2 billion, representing approximately 8% of Business’s total revenues. A portion of Wholesale revenues are generated by a few large telecommunications companies, most of which compete directly with us. Wholesale's services include:
•Data services - We offer a portfolio of data services to enhance our Wholesale customers’ networks and provide connections to their end users and subscribers.
•Voice services - We provide switched access services that allow carriers to complete their end-user calls that originate or terminate within our territory. In addition, we provide originating and terminating voice services throughout the U.S. and globally utilizing our time-division multiplexing and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) networks.
•Local services - We offer an array of local dial tone and broadband services to competitive local exchange carriers, some of which are offered to comply with telecommunications regulations. In addition, we offer services such as colocation, resale and unbundled network elements in compliance with applicable regulations.
Distribution
We use a combination of direct, indirect and alternative distribution channels to market and distribute our products and services to Consumer and Business customers.
Our direct channel, including our company-operated stores, is a core component of our distribution strategy. Our sales and service centers and business direct sales teams also represent significant distribution channels for our services. In addition, we have a robust digital channel and omni-channel as a part of the customer experience in order to offer choice and convenience.
Our indirect channel includes agents that sell our wireless and wireline products and services at retail locations throughout the U.S., as well as through the internet. The majority of these sales are made under exclusive selling arrangements with us. We also have relationships with high-profile national retailers that sell our wireless and wireline products and services, as well as convenience store chains that sell our wireless prepaid products and services.
In addition to our direct channel, our Business segment has additional distribution channels that include business solution fulfillment provided by resellers, non-stocked device fulfillment performed by distributors and integrated mobility services provided by system integrators and resellers.
Global Networks and Technology
Our Networks
We design, build and operate networks to provide connectivity and related services meeting the needs of our diverse customers: consumers, businesses, government organizations and educational institutions.
•Technologies - Our networks leverage advanced technologies, including 5G wireless, fiber-based transport, cloud infrastructures, private networks and IP routing solutions.
•Scale and geography - We operate a national network covering over 146 million wireless retail connections as of December 31, 2024. In addition to our significant U.S. infrastructure, we have a presence globally and relationships with many operators and partners allowing us to service multinational network needs.
•Services and capabilities - We provide connectivity, access to the internet, voice calling, text messaging and both linear and streaming video capabilities. Beyond these basic services, our network solutions include advanced services and capabilities such as E911, first responder solutions and private networking solutions.
•Reliability - We strive to design and deploy reliable networks. We test our networks for reliability and use various methods and procedures to maintain network availability, capability and capacity. To mitigate the impact of power disruptions on our operations, we have battery backup at every switch and every macro cell. We also utilize backup generators at a majority of our macro cells and at every switch location. In addition, we have a fleet of portable backup generators that can be deployed if needed.
Network Evolution
We consider the reliability, speed, capacity, coverage and security of our wireless network to be key factors in our continued success. We are evolving and transforming our networks to ensure our customers receive access to the best network possible. Areas of evolution and transformation include:
•5G Wireless - Verizon has driven the conversion from 4G to 5G through a sequence of network changes involving the radio access network, the core network infrastructure and change to the devices connecting to the network. Over the past several years, we have been leading the development of 5G wireless technology industry standards and the ecosystems for fixed and mobile 5G wireless services. 5G technology enables higher throughput and lower latency than 4G LTE technology and allows our networks to handle more traffic as the number of internet-connected devices and customer usage needs grow. Our evolution to 5G with its new architecture allows us to simplify operations by eliminating legacy network elements.
•Coverage and densification - We continue to improve 5G wireless service coverage by leveraging our breadth of wireless spectrum, including millimeter wave and C-Band spectrum, which we are continuing to deploy across the continental U.S. We are densifying our networks by utilizing macro and small cell technology, in-building solutions and distributed antenna systems. Network densification enables us to increase coverage, improve quality of service and add capacity to accommodate an increasing number of users. It also supports our growing FWA business and growing bandwidth needs for uses such as streaming and video content creation.
•Virtualization - We are leveraging the benefits of cloud computing and storage as we evolve our network infrastructure. Our private cloud infrastructure allows us to use shared compute, storage and networking resources rather than building unique physical instances for our network infrastructure.
•Fiber transport and IP networking - We own and operate one of the largest global fiber-optic networks in the world, providing connectivity to Business customers in more than 180 countries. Our global IP network includes long-haul, metro and submarine assets that enable and support international operations. In response to growing bandwidth demand, we have upgraded and increased our long-haul core fiber-based transport capacity as well as our IP network capacity and efficiency. We continue to build local fiber networks by adding fiber connectivity to premises, venues, cell tower locations and data centers.
•Energy efficiency - We strive to improve the energy efficiency of our networks, facilities and fleet. We are balancing increased energy needs from ongoing expansion and densification of our networks with initiatives to effectively manage energy consumption, including using more energy-efficient equipment, discontinuing or migrating legacy services and pursuing opportunities to use renewable energy sources.
Fios
Residential broadband service has seen significant growth in bandwidth demand over the past several years, and we believe that demand will continue to grow. We expect that the continued emergence of new video services, new data applications and the proliferation of IP devices in the home will continue to drive new network requirements for increased data speeds and throughput. We believe that the Passive Optical Network (PON) technology underpinning Fios positions us well to meet these demands in a cost-effective and efficient manner. We also continue to evolve the in-home broadband router element to bring new capability and improved performance, such as improved Wi-Fi, to our retail customers.
While deployed initially as a consumer broadband network, our Fios infrastructure is also experiencing more widespread application in the Business segment, especially as businesses increasingly migrate to ethernet-based access services.
In September 2024, we entered into an agreement to acquire Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. (Frontier), a U.S. provider of broadband internet and other communication services. Upon closing, this transaction is expected to enhance our fiber broadband footprint and provide opportunities for future Fios growth.
Spectrum
The spectrum licenses we hold can be used for mobile and fixed wireless voice, video and data communications services. We are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide these wireless services on the following low and mid-band spectrum in areas that collectively cover nearly all of the population of the U.S.: (i) the 700 MHz Upper C block, (ii) Cellular spectrum (850 MHz), (iii) Personal Communication Services (PCS) spectrum (1900 MHz), (iv) AWS 1 and AWS 3 bands (1700 MHz uplink and 2100 MHz downlink), and (v) the 3.7 GHz band (C-Band). We also hold spectrum licenses in the 28, Upper 37 and 39 GHz bands, known as millimeter wave spectrum, and utilize both Priority Access Licenses (PALs) and General Authorized Access (GAA) in the 3.5 GHz band (Citizens Broadband Radio Service).
We anticipate that demand for spectrum will continue to increase over time, driven by growth in customer connections and the increased usage of wireless broadband services that use more bandwidth and require faster rates of speed, as well as the wider deployment of 5G mobile and fixed services. We expect to meet the demand for 5G and 4G spectrum needs with our existing spectrum assets. If demand continues to increase or if new spectrum is required for a future generation of technology, we can meet that demand by acquiring licenses or leasing spectrum from other licensees, or by acquiring new spectrum licenses from the FCC, if and when future FCC spectrum auctions occur.
From time to time we have exchanged spectrum licenses with other wireless service providers through secondary market swap transactions. We expect to continue to pursue similar opportunities to trade spectrum licenses in order to meet capacity and expansion needs in the future. We also gain access to spectrum through cross-lease transactions. In certain cases, we have entered into intra-market spectrum swaps designed to increase the amount of contiguous spectrum within frequency bands in a specific market. Contiguous spectrum improves network performance and efficiency. These swaps, as well as any spectrum purchases, require us to obtain governmental approvals.
Information regarding spectrum license transactions, including our pending acquisition of select spectrum licenses of United States Cellular Corporation and certain of its subsidiaries, is presented in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.
Competition and Related Trends
The telecommunications industry is highly competitive. The rapid development of new technologies, services and products has eliminated many of the distinctions among wireless, cable, internet and traditional telephone services and brought new competitors to our markets. We expect competition to remain intense as traditional and non-traditional participants seek increased market share.
Competitive factors within the telecommunications industry include, among others, network reliability, speed, capacity and coverage; pricing and promotional strategies; the quality of customer service; marketing, sales and distribution capabilities; development of new and enhanced products and services; the ability to anticipate and respond to various factors and trends affecting our industry; the availability of capital resources; and regulatory changes.
Competition remains intense as a result of various factors, including aggressive pricing, increased levels of promotions and service plan discounts, and offerings that include additional bundled premium content or other perks, in some cases specifically targeting Verizon customers. Competition may increase as smaller, stand-alone wireless service providers merge or transfer licenses to larger, better capitalized wireless service providers and as MVNOs resell wireless communication services. In addition, aggressive network deployment as well as increasing government incentives related to it may enhance the ability of certain of our competitors to compete with us.
With respect to our wireless connectivity products and services, we compete against other national wireless service providers, including AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile US, Inc., as well as various regional wireless service providers. We also compete for retail activations with resellers that buy bulk wholesale service from wireless service providers, including Verizon, and resell it to their customers. Resellers include cable companies, such as Comcast Corporation and Charter Communications, Inc., and others. Several major cable operators also offer bundles with wireless services through strategic relationships.
We also face competition from other communications and technology companies seeking to increase their brand recognition and capture market share with respect to the provision of wireless products and services, in addition to non-traditional offerings in mobile data. For example, Microsoft Corporation, Alphabet Inc., Apple Inc., Meta Platforms, Inc. and others are offering alternative means for messaging and making wireless voice calls that, in certain cases, can be used in lieu of the wireless providers' voice service, as well as alternative means of accessing video content. In addition, we are seeing increasing competition in the provisioning of internet access by low Earth orbit satellite companies as well in the area of fixed wireless offerings that provide an alternative to traditional landline internet service providers.
With respect to Fios and our other broadband services, we compete against cable companies, wireless service providers, domestic and foreign telecommunications providers, satellite television companies, low Earth orbit satellite companies, internet service providers, OTT providers and other companies that offer network services and managed enterprise solutions. We also
face increasing competition from other internet portal providers. We expect the market will continue to shift from traditional linear video to OTT offerings. We also expect customer migration from traditional voice services to wireless services to continue.
Companies with a global presence are increasingly competing with us in our Business segment. A relatively small number of telecommunications and integrated service providers with global operations serve customers in the global enterprise market and, to a lesser extent, the global wholesale market. We compete with these providers for large contracts to provide integrated solutions to global enterprises and government customers. Many of these companies have strong market presence, brand recognition and existing customer relationships, all of which contribute to intense competition.
In the Enterprise and Public Sector markets, competition levels remain high, primarily as a result of increased industry focus on technology convergence. We compete in this area with system integrators, carriers, and hardware and software providers. In addition, some of the largest information technology services companies are making strategic acquisitions, divesting non-strategic assets and forging new alliances to improve their cost structure. Many new alliances and acquisitions have focused on developing fields, such as cloud computing, software defined networking, communication applications and other computing tasks via networks, rather than by the use of in-house machines.
In the Business Markets and Other category, customer purchasing behaviors and preferences continue to evolve. Solution speed and simplicity are becoming key differentiators for customers who are seeking full life-cycle offers that simplify the process of starting, running and growing their businesses. Mobile network operators and other carriers are aggressively targeting this customer group with a variety of bundles and discounts as it is among the largest and fastest growing categories in the Business segment.
Our Wholesale business competes with traditional carriers for metro/mid/long-haul fiber, voice and IP services. In addition, mobile video and data needs are driving a greater need for wireless backhaul. Network providers, cable companies and specialty firms are competitors for this business opportunity.
Regulatory Trends
Regulatory Landscape
Verizon operates in a regulated and highly competitive market, as described above. Some of our competitors are subject to fewer regulatory constraints than Verizon. For many services offered by Verizon, the FCC is our primary regulator. The FCC has jurisdiction over interstate telecommunications services and other matters under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (Communications Act). Other Verizon services are subject to various state and local regulations.
Federal, State and Local Regulation
Wireless Services
The FCC regulates several aspects of our wireless operations. Generally, the FCC has jurisdiction over the construction, operation, acquisition and transfer of wireless communications systems. All wireless services require use of radio frequency spectrum, the assignment and distribution of which is subject to FCC oversight. If demand continues to increase or if new spectrum is required for a future generation of technology, we can meet our needs for licensed spectrum by purchasing licenses or leasing spectrum from others, or by participating in a competitive bidding process to acquire new spectrum from the FCC. Those processes are subject to certain reviews, approvals and potential conditions.
Today, Verizon holds FCC spectrum licenses that allow it to provide a wide range of mobile and fixed communications services, including both voice and data services. FCC spectrum licenses typically have a term of 10 years, at which time they are subject to renewal. While the FCC has routinely renewed all of Verizon’s wireless licenses, challenges could be raised in the future. If a wireless license was revoked or not renewed, Verizon would not be permitted to provide services on the spectrum covered by that license. Some of our licenses require us to comply with so-called "open access" FCC regulations, which generally require licensees of particular spectrum to allow customers to use devices and applications of their choice, subject to certain technical limitations. The FCC has also imposed certain specific mandates on wireless carriers, including construction and geographic coverage requirements, technical operating standards, provision of enhanced 911 services, roaming obligations and requirements for wireless tower and antenna facilities.
The Communications Act generally preempts regulation by state and local governments of the entry of, or the rates charged by, wireless carriers. It does not prohibit states from regulating the other "terms and conditions" of wireless service. For example, some states impose reporting and consumer protection requirements. Several states also have laws or regulations that address safety issues (for example, use of wireless handsets while driving), universal service funding, and taxation matters. Some states are also considering new network reliability or service quality requirements that may affect how and where we provide services if not preempted by federal law. In addition, wireless tower and antenna facilities are often subject to state and local zoning and land use regulation, and securing approvals for new or modified facilities is often a lengthy and expensive process.
Broadband
Verizon offers many different broadband services. In early January 2025, based on litigation filed by the broadband industry, a federal appeals court overturned the FCC's April 2024 final decision to regulate broadband services via utility-style common carriage regulation under Title II of the Communications Act. Absent further action in the courts, this decision will remain in effect and limit the risk of burdensome FCC broadband regulation. In addition to federal activity, several states have adopted or are considering adopting laws or executive orders that would impose net neutrality and other requirements on some of our broadband services, including a law in New York that requires discounted broadband pricing for low income customers. Some states may also impose pricing or other rules related to broadband built with the assistance of federal or state funding. The FCC also adopted broad rules related to "digital discrimination" that could further increase regulatory oversight of broadband services; industry groups have appealed those rules in court. Our broadband commitment can be found on our website at https://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/verizon-broadband-commitment.
Wireline Voice
Verizon offers many different wireline voice services, including traditional telephone service and other services that rely on technologies such as VoIP. For regulatory purposes, legacy telephone services are generally considered to be "common carrier" services. Common carrier services are subject to heightened regulatory oversight with respect to rates, terms and conditions and other aspects of the services. The FCC has not decided the regulatory classification of VoIP but has said VoIP service providers must comply with certain rules, such as 911 capabilities and law enforcement assistance requirements.
State public utility commissions regulate Verizon’s telephone operations with respect to certain telecommunications intrastate matters. Verizon operates as an "incumbent local exchange carrier" in nine states and the District of Columbia. These incumbent operations are subject to various levels of pricing flexibility and other state oversight and requirements. Verizon also has other wireline operations that are more lightly regulated. Some states, including California, impose reporting requirements and are considering new network reliability or service quality requirements for wireline voice services, including for VoIP.
Video
Verizon offers a multichannel video service that is regulated like traditional cable service. The FCC has a body of rules that apply to cable operators, and these rules also generally apply to Verizon. In areas where Verizon offers its facilities-based multichannel video services, Verizon has been required to obtain a cable franchise from local government entities, or in some cases a state-wide franchise, and comply with certain one-time and ongoing obligations as a result.
Privacy, Data Protection, and Artificial Intelligence
We are subject to local, state, federal, and international laws and regulations relating to privacy and data protection that impact all parts of our business, including wireline, wireless, broadband and the development and roll out of new products. At the federal level, our business is governed by the FCC or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), depending on the product or service. The California Consumer Privacy Act, Europe's General Data Protection Regulation and a number of other privacy laws more recently adopted by other states and countries include significant penalties for non-compliance. Generally, attention to privacy and data security requirements is increasing at all levels of government globally, and privacy-related legislation has been introduced or is under consideration in many locations. These regulations could have a significant impact on our businesses. Policymakers at the local, state, federal and international levels are also considering imposing laws and regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI). This is a nascent area of regulatory focus; therefore, it is unclear how such regulation could impact our business.
Public Safety and Cybersecurity
The FCC plays a role in addressing public safety concerns by regulating emergency communications services and mandating widespread availability of both media (broadcast/cable) and wireless emergency alerting services. In addition, federal and state agencies have mandated and may impose additional regulations to ensure continuity of service during disasters. For example, the FCC adopted rules requiring wireless providers to support roaming on each other’s networks during disasters, and the California Public Utilities Commission has imposed regulations relating to back-up power for communications facilities. In response to prior cyberattacks and increasing risks from cybersecurity threats, the FCC and other regulators are attempting to increase regulation of the cybersecurity practices of providers. The FCC is also addressing the use by American companies of equipment produced by certain companies deemed to cause potential national security risks. Verizon does not currently use equipment in its networks from vendors under such restrictions.
Intercarrier Compensation and Network Access
The FCC regulates some of the rates that carriers pay each other for the exchange of voice traffic (particularly traditional wireline traffic) over different networks and other aspects of interconnection for some voice services. The FCC also regulates some of the rates and terms and conditions for certain wireline "business data services" and other services and network facilities. Verizon is both a seller and a buyer of these services, and both makes and receives interconnection payments.
Human Capital Resources
With approximately 99,600 employees on a full-time equivalent basis as of December 31, 2024, 88% of whom are based in the U.S., we know that our people are one of our most valuable investments. In order to realize our core business strategy, we have developed human capital programs and practices that support, develop and care for our employees throughout their careers with Verizon. Our strategy to build a workforce with talent, skills and motivation to give the company a competitive edge now and into the future rests on three pillars:
•Attract and maintain a diverse workforce with the necessary skills and talent to execute on our business priorities.
•Develop our employees' potential by offering educational opportunities that keep pace with changes occurring across our industry.
•Inspire individuals to build a career at Verizon by providing meaningful work and opportunities for career advancement in a collaborative and inclusive environment.
Verizon strives to be an employer of choice by offering our employees competitive compensation and benefits packages. We seek to recruit and retain employees with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to best meet the needs of the diverse customers and communities we serve. We provide extensive on-the-job training opportunities, tuition reimbursement programs and career development support to enable our employees to maximize their potential and thrive professionally. As of December 31, 2024, Verizon's global workforce was approximately 68.6% male, 31.1% female and 0.3% unknown or undeclared, and the race/ethnicity of our U.S. workforce was 52.5% White, 18.4% Black, 14.0% Hispanic, 8.8% Asian, 0.4% American Indian / Alaskan Native, 0.3% Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, 2.6% two or more races, and 3.0% unknown or undeclared. Women represented 36.2% of U.S. senior leadership (vice president level and above). People of color represented 34.0% of U.S. senior leadership.
Verizon respects our employees' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining in compliance with applicable laws, including the right to join or not join labor unions. We have a long history of working with the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - the two unions that in total represent approximately 25% of our employees as of December 31, 2024. The current collective bargaining agreements covering our union-represented employees who serve customers in our Mid-Atlantic and Northeast service areas extend through August 1, 2026. Other collective bargaining agreements covering smaller groups of employees extend through various dates between 2025 and 2028. In addition, where applicable outside of the U.S., we engage with employee representative bodies such as works council. Verizon meets with U.S. national and local union leaders, as well as works council leaders outside the U.S., to talk about key business topics, including safety, customer service, plans to improve operational processes, our business performance and the impacts that changing technology and competition are having on our customers, employees and business strategy.
For a discussion of Verizon's Board oversight of risks related to our human capital resources, see the section entitled "Governance - Our governance framework - Oversight of business risks" in our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and delivered to shareholders in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Patents, Trademarks and Licenses
We own or have licenses to various patents, copyrights, trademarks, domain names and other intellectual property rights necessary to conduct our business. We actively pursue the filing and registration of patents, copyrights, trademarks and domain names to protect our intellectual property rights within the United States and abroad. We also actively grant licenses, in exchange for appropriate fees or other consideration and subject to appropriate safeguards and restrictions, to other companies that enable them to utilize certain of our intellectual property rights and proprietary technology as part of their products and services. Such licenses enable the licensees to take advantage of Verizon's brands and the results of Verizon’s research and development efforts. While these licenses result in valuable consideration for Verizon, we do not believe that the loss of such consideration, or the expiration of any of our intellectual property rights, would have a material effect on our results of operations.
We periodically receive offers from third parties to purchase or obtain licenses for patents and other intellectual property rights in exchange for royalties or other payments. We also periodically receive notices alleging that our products or services infringe on third-party patents or other intellectual property rights. These claims, whether against us directly or against third-party suppliers of products or services that we sell to our customers, if successful, could require us to pay damages or royalties, rebrand, or cease offering the relevant products or services.
Information About Our Executive Officers
See Part III, Item 10. "Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance" of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information about our executive officers.
Information on Our Internet Website
We make available, free of charge on our website, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, at https://www.verizon.com/about/investors as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports and other information are also available on the SEC's website at https://www.sec.gov. We periodically provide other information for investors on our website, including news and announcements regarding our financial performance, information on environmental, social and corporate governance matters, and details related to our annual meeting of shareholders. We encourage investors, the media, our customers, business partners and other stakeholders to review the information we post on this channel. Website references in this report are provided as a convenience and do not constitute, and should not be viewed as, incorporation by reference of the information contained on, or available through, the websites. Therefore, such information should not be considered part of this report.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
In this report we have made forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include the information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations. Forward-looking statements also include those preceded or followed by the words "anticipates," "assumes," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "hopes," "intends," "plans," "targets" or similar expressions. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.
The following important factors, along with those discussed elsewhere in this report and in other filings with the SEC, could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements:
•the effects of competition in the markets in which we operate, including the inability to successfully respond to competitive factors such as prices, promotional incentives and evolving consumer preferences;
•failure to take advantage of, or respond to competitors' use of, developments in technology, including artificial intelligence, and address changes in consumer demand;
•performance issues or delays in the deployment of our 5G network resulting in significant costs or a reduction in the anticipated benefits of the enhancement to our networks;
•the inability to implement our business strategy;
•adverse conditions in the U.S. and international economies, including inflation and changing interest rates in the markets in which we operate;
•cyberattacks impacting our networks or systems and any resulting financial or reputational impact;
•damage to our infrastructure or disruption of our operations from natural disasters, extreme weather conditions, acts of war, terrorist attacks or other hostile acts and any resulting financial or reputational impact;
•disruption of our key suppliers’ or vendors' provisioning of products or services, including as a result of geopolitical factors or the potential impacts of global climate change;
•material adverse changes in labor matters and any resulting financial or operational impact;
•damage to our reputation or brands;
•the impact of public health crises on our business, operations, employees and customers;
•changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate, including any increase in restrictions on our ability to operate our networks or businesses;
•allegations regarding the release of hazardous materials or pollutants into the environment from our, or our predecessors', network assets and any related government investigations, regulatory developments, litigation, penalties and other liability, remediation and compliance costs, operational impacts or reputational damage;
•our high level of indebtedness;
•significant litigation and any resulting material expenses incurred in defending against lawsuits or paying awards or settlements;
•an adverse change in the ratings afforded our debt securities by nationally accredited ratings organizations or adverse conditions in the credit markets affecting the cost, including interest rates, and/or availability of further financing;
•significant increases in benefit plan costs or lower investment returns on plan assets;
•changes in tax laws or regulations, or in their interpretation, or challenges to our tax positions, resulting in additional tax expense or liabilities;
•changes in accounting assumptions that regulatory agencies, including the SEC, may require or that result from changes in the accounting rules or their application, which could result in an impact on earnings; and
•risks associated with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions, including our ability to consummate the proposed acquisition of Frontier and obtain cost savings, synergies and other anticipated benefits within the expected time period or at all.

---

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following discussion of "Risk Factors" identifies factors that may adversely affect our business, operations, financial condition or future performance. This information should be read in conjunction with "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations" and the consolidated financial statements and related notes. The following discussion of risks is not all-inclusive but is designed to highlight what we believe are the material factors to consider when evaluating our business and expectations. These factors could cause our future results to differ materially from our historical results and from expectations reflected in forward-looking statements.
Economic and Strategic Risks
We face significant competition that may negatively affect our operating results.
We face significant competition in our industries. The rapid development of new technologies, services and products has eliminated many of the traditional distinctions among wireless, cable, internet and other communication services and brought new competitors to our markets, including other telecommunications companies, cable companies, wireless service providers, satellite providers, technology companies and application and device providers. While these changes have enabled us to offer new types of products and services, they have also allowed other providers to broaden the scope of their own competitive offerings. If we are unable to successfully differentiate our services and products from our competitors, it could adversely affect our competitive position and market share.
Our competitors commonly offer aggressive pricing, promotions, premium content options and other incentives - in some cases specifically targeting our customers and putting pressure on our pricing and margins. In addition, we expect the wireless industry’s customer growth rate to moderate over time in comparison to historical growth rates, leading to increased competition for customers. Our ability to compete effectively will depend on, among other things, our network reliability, speed, capacity and coverage, the pricing of our products and services, our and our competitors' promotional strategies, the quality of our customer service, our development of new and enhanced products and services, the reach and quality of our sales and distribution channels, our ability to market our products and services effectively and our capital resources. It will also depend on how successfully we anticipate and respond to various factors affecting our industries, including regulatory changes, new technologies and business models, such as the increasing use of AI and machine learning technologies, changes in consumer preferences and demand for existing services, demographic trends and evolving geopolitical and economic conditions, including inflation. If we are not able to respond successfully to these competitive challenges, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely impacted. In addition, a sustained decline in a reporting unit's revenues and earnings has resulted in the past, and may again result in the future, in a significant negative impact on its fair value requiring us to record an impairment charge, which could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.
If we are not able to take advantage of developments in technology and address changing consumer demand on a timely basis, or if the ongoing deployment of our 5G network is delayed or hindered for any reason, we may experience a decline in the demand for our services, be unable to implement our business strategy and experience reduced profits.
Our industries are rapidly changing as new technologies are developed that offer consumers an array of choices for their communications needs and allow new entrants into the markets we serve. In order to grow and remain competitive, we will need to adapt to future changes in technology, enhance our existing offerings and introduce new offerings to address our customers’ changing demands. If we are unable to meet future challenges from competing technologies on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost, we could lose customers to our competitors. We may not be able to accurately predict technological trends or the success of new services in the market. If our new services fail to gain acceptance in the marketplace, or if costs associated
with the implementation and introduction of these services materially increase, our ability to retain and attract customers could be adversely affected.
The deployment of our 5G network is subject to a variety of risks, including those related to equipment availability, unexpected costs, and regulatory matters that could cause deployment delays or network performance issues. In addition, certain advanced use cases for 5G technologies and related ecosystems are still in the early phases of adoption and their ultimate adoption or success is uncertain. These issues could result in significant costs, put us at a competitive disadvantage, or reduce the anticipated benefits of the enhancements to our networks.
As we introduce new offerings and technologies, we expect to phase out outdated and unprofitable technologies and services. If we are unable to do so on a cost-effective basis, we could experience reduced profits. In addition, there could be legal or regulatory restraints on our ability to phase out current services.
Finally, we are using AI in our network deployment and maintenance as well as our customer and employee support services. There are technological, regulatory, ethical and other risks involved in deploying and using AI, particularly generative AI models. There can be no assurance that the usage of AI will meaningfully enhance our products or services or be beneficial to our business, including our efficiency or profitability. Our investments in AI and related technologies may not result in the benefits we anticipate or enable us to obtain or maintain a competitive advantage.
Adverse conditions in the U.S. and international economies could impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Unfavorable economic conditions, such as a recession or economic slowdown in the U.S. or elsewhere, or inflation in the markets in which we operate, could negatively affect the affordability of and demand for some of our products and services and our cost of doing business. In difficult economic conditions, consumers may seek to reduce discretionary spending by forgoing purchases of our products, electing to use fewer higher margin services, dropping down in price plans or obtaining lower-cost products and services offered by other companies. Similarly, under these conditions, business customers may delay purchasing decisions, or full implementation of our service offerings, reduce their use of our services or choose lower-cost offerings from our competitors. In addition, adverse economic conditions may lead to an increased number of our consumer and business customers that are unable to pay for services. Unfavorable economic conditions could also amplify other risks discussed in this report, including, but not limited to, those related to our competitive position and margins. Furthermore, our initiatives designed to reduce costs and improve operating efficiencies may be ineffective or insufficient.
Over the last several years, as a result of the inflationary environment in the U.S., we experienced increases in our direct costs, including electricity and other energy-related costs for our network operations, and transportation and labor costs, as well as increased interest expense related to changing interest rates. In 2022, these factors, along with impacts of the intense competition in our industries, resulted in lower earnings per share and caused us to lower our growth expectations and related financial guidance for that year. Similarly, unfavorable economic conditions in the future could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Operational Risks
Cyberattacks impacting our networks or systems could have an adverse effect on our business.
Cyberattacks, including through the use of ransomware and other forms of malware, distributed denial of services attacks, credential harvesting, social engineering and other means for obtaining unauthorized access to or disrupting the operation of our networks and systems and those of our suppliers, vendors and other service providers, could have an adverse effect on our business. Cyberattacks against companies, including Verizon, have increased in frequency, scope and potential harm in recent years. Cyberattacks may be perpetrated by a variety of groups or persons, including nation-state and state-sponsored actors, malicious actors, employees, contractors, or other unrelated third parties. Nation-state and state-sponsored actors can sustain malicious activities for extended periods and deploy significant resources to plan and carry out attacks. For example, in September 2024, we became aware that we were one of several telecommunications companies that were the subject of a cyberattack by a highly sophisticated nation-state actor known as Salt Typhoon. In that case, the threat actor was able to access portions of our network as part of what we determined to be a narrowly focused effort to obtain information about a limited number of individuals primarily involved in government or political activity. While we were able to contain the Salt Typhoon attack, we may be unable to contain or mitigate the impacts of a significant cyberattack in the future.
Cyberattacks may cause equipment failures, loss of information, including sensitive personal information of customers or employees or valuable technical, financial and marketing information. Such attacks may also result in disruptions to our customers’ operations or our own business operations, including our ability to operate our networks and systems, activate customers or take payments. Cyberattacks may occur alone or in conjunction with physical attacks, especially where disruption of service is an objective of the attacker. Further, the use of AI and machine learning by threat actors may increase the frequency and severity of cyberattacks against us or other companies. The inability to operate or use our networks and systems or those of our suppliers, vendors and other service providers as a result of cyberattacks, even for a limited period of time, may result in significant expenses to Verizon, a loss of current or future customers and/or a loss of market share to our competitors. The costs associated with a cyberattack on Verizon could include expensive incentives offered to existing customers and business partners
to retain their business, increased expenditures on cybersecurity measures and the use of alternate resources, lost revenues from business interruption and the costs of investigations and litigation, including potential damages. Further, certain of Verizon’s businesses, such as those offering security solutions and infrastructure and cloud services to business customers, could be negatively affected if our ability to protect our own networks and systems is called into question as a result of a cyberattack. Our presence in the IoT industry, which includes offerings of telematics products and services, could also increase our exposure to potential costs and expenses and reputational harm in the event of cyberattacks impacting these products or services. Any of these occurrences could damage our reputation, adversely impact customer and investor confidence and result in a material adverse effect on Verizon’s results of operation or financial condition.
The development and maintenance of systems to prevent and detect cyberattacks is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating to address the increasing prevalence and sophistication of cyberattacks. In addition, due to the sophistication of threat actors, an attack may persist for an extended period of time before it is detected, and it may be difficult and time consuming to ascertain the extent of an attack once detected.
While none of the cyberattacks to which we have been subject to date have been material to Verizon's operations or financial condition, there can be no guarantee that we will not experience a material cyberattack in the future. The actions we take to reduce the risks associated with cyberattacks, including protecting our systems and networks, may be insufficient to repel or mitigate the effects of a cyberattack in the future.
Natural disasters, extreme weather conditions, acts of war, terrorist or other hostile acts could cause damage to our infrastructure and result in significant disruptions to our operations.
Our business operations are subject to interruption by power outages, acts of war, terrorist or other hostile acts, natural disasters or the potential impacts of climate change, including the increasing prevalence and intensity of hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, hail and storms. Such events could cause significant damage to our infrastructure upon which our business operations rely, resulting in degradation or disruption of service to our customers, as well as significant recovery time and expenditures to resume operations. Our system redundancy may be ineffective or inadequate to sustain our operations through all such events. We are implementing, and will continue to implement, measures to protect our infrastructure and operations from the impacts of these events in the future, but these measures and our overall disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all eventualities. These events could also damage the infrastructure of the suppliers that provide us with the equipment and services that we need to operate our business and provide products to our customers. These occurrences could result in lost revenues from business interruption, damage to our reputation and reduced profits.
We depend on key suppliers and vendors to provide services and equipment that we need to operate our business.
We depend on various key suppliers and vendors to provide us, directly or through other suppliers, with equipment and services, such as fiber, switch and network equipment, smartphones and other wireless devices, customer service support and other services that we need in order to operate our business. For example, our smartphone and other device suppliers often rely on one vendor for the manufacture and supply of critical components, such as chipsets, used in their devices, and there are a limited number of companies capable of supplying the network infrastructure equipment on which we depend.
Our suppliers or vendors could fail to provide equipment or service on a timely basis, or fail to meet our performance expectations, for a number of reasons, including, for example, disruption to the global supply chain as a result of geopolitical factors, public health crises, natural disasters or the potential impacts of global climate change. If such failures occur, we may be unable to provide products and services as and when requested by our customers, or we may be unable to continue to maintain or upgrade our networks. Due to the cost and time lag that can be associated with transitioning from one supplier to another, our business could be substantially disrupted if we were required to, or chose to, replace the products or services of one or more major suppliers with products or services from another source, especially if the replacement became necessary on short notice. Any such disruption could increase our costs, decrease our operating efficiencies and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
A significant number of our suppliers and vendors are located or rely on operations outside of the U.S., which carries additional risks and regulatory obligations, including those related to cybersecurity, data privacy and compliance. Certain business practices in foreign countries may not align with U.S. laws and regulations. In addition, international operations increase our exposure to other risks, such as economic and geopolitical instability, fluctuations in exchange rates, and labor-related risks.
The suppliers and vendors on which we rely are and may in the future be subject to litigation with respect to technology on which we depend, including litigation involving claims of patent infringement. Such claims are frequently made in the communications industry. We are unable to predict whether our business will be affected by any such litigation. We expect our dependence on key suppliers to continue as we develop and introduce more advanced generations of technology.
A significant portion of our workforce is represented by labor unions, and we could incur additional costs or experience work stoppages as a result of the renegotiation of our labor contracts.
As of December 31, 2024, approximately 25% of our workforce is represented by the Communications Workers of America or the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. While we have labor contracts in place with these unions, with subsequent negotiations we could incur additional costs and/or experience work stoppages, which could adversely affect our business operations. In addition, while a small percentage of the workforce outside of our traditional wireline operations is represented by unions for bargaining, we cannot predict what impact increased union density in this workforce could have on our operations.
Damage to our reputation or brands could adversely affect our business.
We believe that our reputation and brands significantly contribute to the success of our business and our relationships with our customers, employees and other stakeholders.
Our reputation and brands could be negatively affected by a number of factors, including actual or alleged quality or reliability issues related to our services and products; cybersecurity incidents and data breaches; allegations of legal noncompliance; litigation or regulatory activity; incidents involving unethical behavior or misconduct; material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting; safety, human rights, workplace or labor issues; environmental incidents or impacts; allegations related to the safety of our products, services and equipment; governance issues; our sustainability goals and practices; our actual or perceived position or lack of position on social and other sensitive matters; the conduct of our employees, representatives or partners; activists’ campaigns; negative sentiment about us shared over social media or the press; and other issues, incidents, or statements that, whether based on actual or perceived circumstances, result in adverse publicity. In addition, changes to the content standards of social media platforms could impact our marketing and advertising initiatives on such platforms and increase risks related to our brand.
Damage to our reputation and brands could undermine our customers’ confidence in us and reduce demand for our products and services, which could result in decreased revenue and adversely affect our business and financial results. If our reputation or brands are damaged, it could also attract regulatory scrutiny, increase litigation risks, affect our ability to attract and retain top talent, and reduce investor confidence in us.
Public health crises could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to risks related to public health crises, which have in the past, and may in the future, have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. For example, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting policies, initiatives and impacts, along with the related global slowdown in economic activity, resulted in our decreased revenues, increased costs and lower earnings per share. Negative effects of a public health crisis may include, but are not limited to, closure of our retail stores, impacts on customers' use of our networks, products and services and their ability to pay for them, employees' health and safety concerns, limitation of customer-focused field operations, and vendor and supply chain disruptions. In addition, such a crisis could significantly increase the probability or consequences of the risks our business faces in ordinary circumstances, such as risks associated with our supplier and vendor relationships, risks of an economic slowdown, regulatory risks, and the costs and availability of financing.
Regulatory and Legal Risks
Changes in the regulatory framework under which we operate could adversely affect our business prospects or results of operations.
Our domestic operations are subject to regulation by the FCC and other federal, state, and local agencies, and our international operations are regulated by various foreign governments and international bodies. These regulatory regimes frequently restrict or impose conditions on our ability to operate in designated areas and provide specified products or services. We are frequently required to maintain licenses for our operations and conduct our operations in accordance with prescribed standards. We are often involved in regulatory and other governmental proceedings or inquiries related to the application of these requirements. It is impossible to predict with any certainty the outcome of pending federal and state regulatory proceedings relating to our operations, or the reviews by federal or state courts of regulatory rulings. Without relief, existing laws and regulations may inhibit our ability to expand our business and introduce new products and services. Similarly, we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in obtaining the licenses needed to carry out our business plan or in maintaining our existing licenses. For example, the FCC grants wireless licenses for terms generally lasting 10 years, subject to renewal. The loss of, or a material limitation on, certain of our licenses could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
New laws or regulations or changes to the existing regulatory framework at the federal, state, and local, or international level, such as those described below, those that incentivize business models or technologies different from ours or requirements limiting our ability to continue or discontinue service to customers could restrict the ways in which we manage our wireline and wireless networks and operate our businesses, impose additional costs, diminish revenue opportunities, and potentially impede our ability to provide services in a manner that would be attractive to us and our customers.
•Privacy and data protection - We are subject to local, state, federal and international laws and regulations related to privacy and data protection. In particular, the California Consumer Privacy Act, Europe's General Data Protection Regulation and a number of other privacy laws more recently adopted by other states and countries include significant penalties for non-compliance. Generally, attention to privacy and data security requirements is increasing at all levels of government globally, and privacy-related legislation has been introduced or is under consideration in many locations. These regulations could have a significant impact on our businesses.
•Regulation of broadband internet access services - Verizon offers many different broadband services. In early January 2025, based on litigation filed by the broadband industry, a federal appeals court overturned the FCC's April 2024 final decision to regulate broadband services via utility-style common carriage regulation under Title II of the Communications Act. Absent further action in the courts, this decision will remain in effect and limit the risk of burdensome FCC broadband regulation. In addition to federal activity, several states have adopted or are considering adopting laws or executive orders that would impose net neutrality and other requirements on some of our broadband services, including a law in New York that requires discounted broadband pricing for low income customers. Some states may also impose pricing or other rules related to broadband built with the assistance of federal or state funding. The FCC also adopted broad rules related to "digital discrimination" that could further increase regulatory oversight of broadband services; industry groups have appealed those rules in court.
•"Open access" - We hold certain wireless licenses that require us to comply with so-called "open access" FCC regulations, which generally require licensees of particular spectrum to allow customers to use devices and applications of their choice. Moreover, certain services could be subject to conflicting regulation by the FCC and/or various state and local authorities, which could significantly increase the cost of implementing and introducing new services.
•Climate-related regulation and policy - Due to the nature of our operations, we have been, and expect to continue to be impacted by regulatory developments related to climate change, including, for example, the direct regulation of greenhouse gas emissions or carbon policies that could result in a tax on such emissions. In addition, policy-driven changes in the prices of fuel or energy in geographies in which we operate could make it more expensive for us to purchase energy to power our networks and data centers, and any increase in taxes on fuel could increase our costs associated with operating those vehicles in our fleet that are dependent on traditional fuels.
These developments and the further regulation of broadband, wireless, and our other activities and any related court decisions could result in significant increases in costs for us or restrict our ability to compete in the marketplace and limit the return we can expect to achieve on past and future investments in our networks.
Our business may be impacted by changes in tax laws and regulations, or their interpretations, and challenges to our tax positions.
Tax laws and regulations are complex, dynamic, and subject to change and varying interpretations, especially when evaluated against new technologies and telecommunications services. In addition, tax legislation has been introduced or is being considered in various jurisdictions that could significantly impact our tax rate, tax liabilities, and the carrying value of deferred tax assets or deferred tax liabilities. Any of these changes could materially impact our financial performance and our tax provision, net income and cash flows.
We are also subject to ongoing audits, examinations and other tax controversies in various jurisdictions. Although we regularly assess the likelihood of an adverse outcome resulting from these controversies to determine the adequacy of provisions for taxes, the final outcome of any such controversy may be materially different from our expectations. In the event that we have not accurately or fully described, disclosed or determined, calculated or remitted amounts that were due to taxing authorities or if the ultimate determination of our taxes owed is for an amount in excess of amounts previously accrued, we could be subject to additional taxes, penalties and interest, which could materially impact our business, financial condition and operating results.
We are subject to a substantial amount of litigation, which could require us to pay significant damages or settlements.
We are subject to a substantial amount of litigation and claims in arbitration, including, but not limited to, shareholder lawsuits, patent and copyright infringement lawsuits, wage and hour class actions, contract and commercial claims, personal injury claims, property claims, environmental claims, and lawsuits relating to our advertising, sales, billing and collection practices. We may incur significant expenses in defending these lawsuits. In addition, we may be required to pay significant awards of damages or settlements. We also could be subject to court-ordered injunctions and other remedies that could negatively impact our business operations. Our wireless business is also subject to lawsuits relating to alleged adverse health effects of wireless phones and radio frequency transmitters. Any of these allegations or changes in government agencies’ assessment of the risks associated with using wireless devices could result in significant legal and regulatory liability and other remedies, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Allegations related to lead sheathed copper cables in our copper network infrastructure could expose us to regulatory scrutiny, litigation, penalties, removal and compliance costs, operational impact or reputational damage.
There have been media reports alleging that certain lead sheathed copper cables that are part of our copper-based network infrastructure may present health or environmental risks in areas where those facilities are deployed. These allegations have resulted in government investigations, regulatory inquiries and litigation, and could further result in legislative or regulatory actions, penalties and other liability, remediation and compliance costs or negative operational impacts. Additional legal proceedings and other contingencies may arise in the future. Our insurance policies may not cover or may not be sufficient to fully cover the costs of these claims. Accordingly, we may incur substantial expenses as a result of these allegations, which cannot be reasonably estimated at this time but could be material.
In addition, negative assertions about the health or environmental impact of our lead sheathed cables may harm our reputation, which could adversely affect our business and our relationship with various stakeholders, even if such allegations ultimately prove to be inaccurate.
Financial Risks
Verizon has significant debt, which could increase further if we incur additional debt in the future and do not retire existing debt.
As of December 31, 2024, Verizon had approximately $117.9 billion of outstanding unsecured indebtedness, $12.0 billion of unused borrowing capacity under our existing revolving credit facility and $26.1 billion of outstanding secured indebtedness. Our debt level and related debt service obligations could have negative consequences, including:
•requiring us to dedicate significant cash flow from operations to the payment of principal, interest and other amounts payable on our debt, which would reduce the funds we have available for other purposes, such as working capital, capital expenditures, dividend payments and acquisitions;
•making it more difficult or expensive for us to obtain any necessary future financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, debt refinancing, acquisitions or other purposes and limiting our ability to repurchase common stock;
•reducing our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our industries and market conditions;
•making us more vulnerable in the event of a downturn in our business; and
•exposing us to increased interest rate risk to the extent that (i) our debt obligations are subject to variable interest rates or (ii) we need to refinance existing debt that bears interest at a rate lower than current market rates.
Our initiatives aimed at reducing our indebtedness and achieving any target leverage ratio may be unsuccessful due to macroeconomic, business and other factors.
Adverse changes in the financial markets and other factors could increase our borrowing costs and reduce the availability of financing.
We require a significant amount of capital to operate and grow our business. We fund our capital needs in part through borrowings in the public and private credit markets. Adverse changes in the financial markets, including increases in interest rates or changes in exchange rates, could increase our cost of borrowing, require us to post a significant amount of collateral, and/or make it more difficult for us to obtain financing for our operations or refinance existing indebtedness. In addition, our ability to obtain funding under asset-backed debt transactions is subject to our ability to continue to originate a sufficient amount of assets eligible to be securitized. Our borrowing costs also can be affected by short- and long-term debt ratings assigned by independent rating agencies, which are based, in significant part, on our performance as measured by customary credit metrics. A decrease in these ratings would likely increase our cost of borrowing and/or make it more difficult for us to obtain financing. A severe disruption in the global financial markets could impact some of the financial institutions with which we do business, and such instability could also affect our access to financing.
Increases in costs for pension benefits and active and retiree healthcare benefits may reduce our profitability and increase our funding commitments.
With approximately 99,600 employees and approximately 179,700 retirees as of December 31, 2024 eligible to participate in Verizon’s benefit plans, the costs of pension benefits and active and retiree healthcare benefits have a significant impact on our profitability. Our costs of maintaining these plans, and the future funding requirements for these plans, are affected by several factors, including increases in healthcare costs, decreases in investment returns on funds held by our pension and other benefit plan trusts and changes in the discount rate and mortality assumptions used to calculate pension and other postretirement
expenses. If we are unable to limit future increases in the costs of our benefit plans, those costs could reduce our profitability and increase our funding commitments.
We are subject to risks associated with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions.
From time to time, we pursue mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, assets transfers and other strategic transactions that we believe may expand our business or are consistent with our strategy. We may also occasionally divest assets and businesses. Any such transaction entails certain risks and could present financial, managerial and operational challenges. If we are unable to consummate planned strategic transactions and successfully integrate acquired businesses into our existing operations, or if we are not able to achieve cost savings, synergies and other anticipated benefits of any such transaction, our business could be negatively affected. Divestitures may result in asset impairment and disposition charges, and loss of income from divested assets and businesses, or require continued financial involvement in the divested business for a period following the transaction, including through indemnification arrangements. In addition, strategic transactions may involve significant expenses, require additional financing or expose us to liabilities not discovered in the due diligence process or as a result of transaction-related litigation. These and other risks related to our mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions, including our pending acquisition of Frontier, may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.

---

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.

---

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Properties
Our principal properties do not lend themselves to simple description by character and location. Our total gross investment in property, plant and equipment was approximately $331 billion at December 31, 2024 and $320 billion at December 31, 2023, including the effect of retirements, but before deducting accumulated depreciation. Our gross investment in property, plant and equipment consisted of the following:
At December 31, 2024 2023
Network equipment 78.3 % 77.6 %
Land, buildings and building equipment 12.0 % 11.8 %
Furniture and other 9.7 % 10.6 %
100.0 % 100.0 %
Network equipment consists primarily of cable (aerial, buried, underground or undersea) and the related support structures of conduit, poles and towers, wireless plant, switching equipment, network software, transmission equipment and related facilities. Land, buildings and building equipment consists of land and land improvements, central office buildings or any other buildings that house network equipment, and buildings that are used for administrative and other purposes. Substantially all the switching centers are located on land and in buildings we own due to their critical role in the networks and high set-up and relocation costs. We also maintain facilities throughout the U.S. comprised of administrative and sales offices, customer care centers, retail sales locations, garage work centers, switching centers, cell sites and data centers. Furniture and other consists of telephone equipment, furniture, data processing equipment, office equipment, motor vehicles, construction in process, and leasehold improvements.

---

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
In the ordinary course of business, Verizon is involved in various litigation and regulatory proceedings at the state and federal level. As of the date of this report, we do not believe that any pending legal proceedings to which we or our subsidiaries are subject are required to be disclosed as material legal proceedings pursuant to this item. Verizon is not subject to any administrative or judicial proceeding arising under any federal, state or local provisions that have been enacted or adopted regulating the discharge of materials into the environment or primarily for the purpose of protecting the environment that is likely to result in monetary sanctions of $1 million or more. For a discussion of our litigation risks, refer to Item 1A Risk Factors.

---

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II

---

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The principal market for trading in the common stock of the Company is the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "VZ."
As of December 31, 2024, there were 397,636 shareholders of record. In addition, a significant number of holders of the Company's common stock are "street name" or beneficial holders, whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers, and other financial institutions.
Stock Repurchases
In February 2020, the Board of Directors of the Company authorized a share buyback program to repurchase up to 100 million shares of our common stock. The program will terminate when the aggregate number of shares purchased reaches 100 million, or a new share repurchase plan superseding the current plan is authorized, whichever is sooner. Under the program, shares may be repurchased in privately negotiated transactions, on the open market, or otherwise, including through plans complying with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act. The timing and number of shares purchased under the program, if any, will depend on market conditions and our capital allocation priorities.
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, Verizon did not repurchase any shares of the Company's common stock under our authorized share buyback program. At December 31, 2024, the maximum number of shares that could be purchased by or on behalf of Verizon under our share buyback program was 100 million.
Stock Performance Graph
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Verizon $ 100.0 $ 99.9 $ 92.4 $ 73.9 $ 75.9 $ 85.9
S&P 500 100.0 118.4 152.3 124.7 157.5 196.8
S&P 500 Communication Services
100.0 123.6 150.3 90.3 140.8 197.4
The graph compares the cumulative total returns of Verizon, the S&P 500 Stock Index and the S&P 500 Communication Services Index over a five-year period. It assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2019 with dividends being reinvested.

---

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. [Reserved]

---

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Overview
Verizon Communications Inc. is a holding company that, acting through its subsidiaries, is one of the world’s leading providers of communications, technology, information and streaming products and services to consumers, businesses and government entities. With a presence around the world, we offer data, video and voice services and solutions on our networks and platforms that are designed to meet customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security.
To compete effectively in today’s dynamic marketplace, we are focused on the capabilities of our high-performing networks to drive growth based on delivering what customers want and need in the digital world. We are consistently deploying new network architecture and technologies to secure our leadership in both 5G and 4G wireless networks. Our network quality is the hallmark of our brand and the foundation for the connectivity, platforms and solutions upon which we build our competitive advantage. In 2024, we focused on enhancing and driving the monetization of our networks, platforms and solutions, retaining and growing our high-quality customer base and further improving our financial and operating performance.
Our strategy requires significant capital investments primarily to acquire wireless spectrum, put the spectrum into service, provide additional capacity for growth in our networks, invest in the fiber that supports our businesses, evolve and maintain our networks and develop and maintain significant advanced information technology systems and data system capabilities. We believe that our C-Band spectrum, together with our industry leading millimeter wave spectrum holdings and our 4G LTE network and fiber infrastructure, will drive innovative products and services and fuel our growth.
Highlights of Our 2024 Financial Results
(dollars in millions)
Business Overview
We have two reportable segments that we operate and manage as strategic business units - Consumer and Business.
Revenue by Segment
---
Note: Excludes eliminations.
Verizon Consumer Group
Our Consumer segment provides consumer-focused wireless and wireline communications services and products. Our wireless services are provided across one of the most extensive wireless networks in the U.S. under the Verizon family of brands and through wholesale and other arrangements. We also provide FWA broadband through our 5G or 4G LTE networks as an alternative to traditional landline internet access. Our wireline services are provided in nine states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S., as well as Washington D.C., over our 100% fiber-optic network through our Verizon Fios product portfolio and over a traditional copper-based network to customers who are not served by Fios.
Customers can obtain our wireless services on a postpaid or prepaid basis. Our postpaid service is generally billed one month in advance for a monthly access charge in return for access to and usage of network services. Our prepaid service is offered only to Consumer customers and enables individuals to obtain wireless services without credit verification by paying for all services in advance. The Consumer segment also offers several categories of wireless equipment to customers, including a variety of smartphones and other handsets, wireless-enabled internet devices, such as tablets, and other wireless-enabled connected devices, such as smart watches.
In addition to wireless services and equipment for retail customers, the Consumer segment sells residential fixed connectivity solutions, including internet, video and voice services, and wireless network access to resellers on a wholesale basis.
The Consumer segment's operating revenues for the year ended December 31, 2024 totaled $102.9 billion, an increase of $1.3 billion, or 1.3%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. See "Segment Results of Operations" for additional information regarding our Consumer segment’s operating performance and selected operating statistics.
Verizon Business Group
Our Business segment provides wireless and wireline communications services and products, including FWA broadband, data, video and advanced communication services, corporate networking solutions, security and managed network services, local and long distance voice services and network access to deliver various IoT services and products. We provide these products and services to businesses, public sector customers and wireless and wireline carriers across the U.S. and a subset of these products and services to customers around the world.
The Business segment's operating revenues for the year ended December 31, 2024 totaled $29.5 billion, a decrease of $591 million, or 2.0%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. See "Segment Results of Operations" for additional information regarding our Business segment's operating performance and selected operating statistics.
Corporate and Other
Corporate and other primarily includes device insurance programs, investments in unconsolidated businesses and development stage businesses that support our strategic initiatives, as well as unallocated corporate expenses, certain pension and other employee benefit related costs and interest and financing expenses. Corporate and other also includes the historical results of divested businesses and other adjustments and gains and losses that are not allocated or used in assessing segment performance due to their nature. Although such transactions are excluded from the business segment results, they are included in reported consolidated earnings. Gains and losses from these transactions that are not individually significant are included in segment results and therefore are included in the chief operating decision maker's assessment of segment performance. See "Consolidated Results of Operations" for additional information regarding Corporate and other results.
Capital Expenditures and Investments
We continue to invest in our wireless networks, high-speed fiber and other advanced technologies to position ourselves at the center of growth trends for the future. During the year ended December 31, 2024, these investments included $17.1 billion for capital expenditures. See "Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities" and "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for additional information.
Global Networks and Technology
We consider the reliability, speed, capacity, coverage and security of our wireless network to be key factors in our continued success. We are evolving and transforming our networks to ensure our customers receive access to the best network possible. Over the past several years, we have been leading the development of 5G wireless technology industry standards and the ecosystems for fixed and mobile 5G wireless services. Our evolution to 5G with its new architecture allows us to simplify operations by eliminating legacy network elements.
While we continue to improve our 5G wireless service coverage, we are also adding capacity and density to our networks. Network densification enables us to increase coverage, improve quality of service and add capacity to accommodate an increasing number of users.
In addition to enhancing our wireless service, our wireless mobility investments provide the foundation for our growing FWA broadband business. We are also continuing to expand our fiber-based networks, as customers increasingly value the ability to obtain wireless and wireline broadband services from the same provider. In September 2024, we entered into an agreement to acquire Frontier as part of our fiber expansion strategy, and we expect to increase the capital expenditures we devote to our fiber networks in 2025.
Consolidated Results of Operations
In this section, we discuss our overall results of operations and highlight special items that are not included in our segment results. In "Segment Results of Operations," we review the performance of our two reportable segments in more detail. A detailed discussion of our 2022 results and year-over-year comparisons between 2023 and 2022 that are not included in this Form 10-K can be found in the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Consolidated Operating Revenues
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase/(Decrease)
Consumer $ 102,904 $ 101,626 $ 1,278 1.3 %
Business 29,531 30,122 (591) (2.0)
Corporate and other 2,609 2,479 130 5.2
Eliminations (256) (253) (3) 1.2
Consolidated Operating Revenues $ 134,788 $ 133,974 $ 814 0.6
Consolidated operating revenues increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to revenue increases in our Consumer segment, partially offset by revenue decreases in our Business segment.
Revenues for our segments are discussed separately below under the heading "Segment Results of Operations."
Consolidated Operating Expenses
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase/(Decrease)
Cost of services $ 27,997 $ 28,100 $ (103) (0.4) %
Cost of wireless equipment 26,100 26,787 (687) (2.6)
Selling, general and administrative expense 34,113 32,745 1,368 4.2
Depreciation and amortization expense 17,892 17,624 268 1.5
Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment - 5,841 (5,841) nm
Consolidated Operating Expenses $ 106,102 $ 111,097 $ (4,995) (4.5)
nm - not meaningful
Operating expenses for our segments are discussed separately below under the heading "Segment Results of Operations."
Cost of Services
Cost of services includes the following costs directly attributable to a service: salaries and wages, benefits, materials and supplies, content costs, contracted services, network access and transport costs, customer provisioning costs, computer systems support and costs to support our outsourcing contracts and technical facilities. Aggregate customer service costs, which include billing and service provisioning, are allocated between Cost of services and Selling, general and administrative expense.
Cost of services decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•a decrease of $259 million in access costs primarily as a result of decreases in prepaid subscribers, changes in usage and net circuit access prices;
•a decrease of $147 million in personnel costs primarily related to the impact of workforce changes;
•an increase of $167 million related to an asset and business rationalization charge taken in 2024 compared to an asset rationalization charge taken in 2023; and
•an increase of $152 million in digital content costs primarily associated with an increase in subscriptions through MyPlan offerings, partially offset by a decrease in traditional linear content costs due to a decline in Fios video subscribers.
Cost of Wireless Equipment
Cost of wireless equipment decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•a decrease of $2.1 billion driven by a lower volume of wireless devices sold primarily related to a decrease of 10% in upgrades; and
•an increase of $1.4 billion due to a shift to higher priced equipment in the mix of wireless devices sold.
Selling, General and Administrative Expense
Selling, general and administrative expense includes salaries and wages and benefits not directly attributable to a service or product, the provision for credit losses, taxes other than income taxes, advertising and sales commission costs, call center and information technology costs, regulatory fees, professional service fees and rent and utilities for administrative space. Also included is a portion of the aggregate customer care costs as discussed above in "Cost of Services."
Selling, general and administrative expense increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•an increase of $1.2 billion due to severance charges in 2024 primarily related to our voluntary separation program compared to 2023;
•an increase of $240 million in personnel costs related to an increase in costs associated with the transition to third-party contracted resources along with the impacts of a prior year compensation plan assumption change that did not reoccur and increased sales commission expense;
•an increase of $124 million in the provision for credit losses resulting from an increase in postpaid phone gross additions and additional bad debt reserves;
•an increase of $124 million in advertising costs related to Value Brand marketing campaigns and the refresh of the Verizon brand in 2024 compared to 2023;
•a decrease of $273 million related to an asset and business rationalization charge taken in 2024 compared to an asset rationalization charge taken in 2023; and
•a decrease of $161 million related to business transformation costs in 2023 that did not reoccur.
See "Special Items" for additional information on the severance charges, the asset and business rationalization charges and the business transformation costs.
Depreciation and Amortization Expense
Depreciation and amortization expense increased during 2024 compared to 2023, primarily due to the change in the mix of net depreciable and amortizable assets, including the amortization period of certain acquisition-related intangible assets, and the continued deployment of C-Band network assets.
Verizon Business Group Goodwill Impairment
During 2023, we recorded a pre-tax charge of $5.8 billion as a result of the annual goodwill impairment test performed in the fourth quarter. See "Critical Accounting Estimates" for additional information.
Other Consolidated Results
Other Income (Expense), Net
Additional information relating to Other income (expense), net is as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase/(Decrease)
Interest income $ 336 $ 354 $ (18) (5.1) %
Other components of net periodic benefit income (cost) 300 (938) 1,238 nm
Net debt extinguishment gains
385 308 77 25.0
Other, net (26) (37) 11 (29.7)
Other Income (Expense), Net $ 995 $ (313) $ 1,308 nm
nm - not meaningful
Other income (expense), net reflects certain items not directly related to our core operations, including interest income, debt extinguishment gains and losses, components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit income and cost and certain foreign exchange gains and losses.
Other income (expense), net increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to a net pension and postretirement benefits remeasurement gain of $657 million recorded during 2024, compared with a loss of $992 million recorded during 2023. The increase was partially offset by a decrease of $396 million due to lower plan assets on which to earn expected returns in our pension and postretirement plans compared to 2023.
See Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements for more information on the other components of net periodic benefit income (cost).
Interest Expense
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase/(Decrease)
Total interest costs on debt balances $ 7,612 $ 7,342 $ 270 3.7 %
Less capitalized interest costs 963 1,818 (855) (47.0)
Interest Expense $ 6,649 $ 5,524 $ 1,125 20.4
Average debt outstanding(1)(3)
$ 150,361 $ 151,062
Effective interest rate(2)(3)
5.1 % 4.9 %
(1)The average debt outstanding is a financial measure and is calculated by applying a simple average of prior thirteen-month end balances of total short-term and long-term debt, net of discounts, premiums and unamortized debt issuance costs.
(2)The effective interest rate is the rate of actual interest incurred on debt. It is calculated by dividing the total interest costs on debt balances by the average debt outstanding.
(3)We believe that this measure is useful to management, investors and other users of our financial information in evaluating our debt financing cost and trends in our debt leverage management.
Total interest expense increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of a decrease in capitalized interest due to additional C-Band spectrum licenses being placed into service and an increase in interest costs due to a higher average interest rate partially offset by lower average debt balances.
Provision for Income Taxes
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase
Provision for income taxes $ 5,030 $ 4,892 $ 138 2.8 %
Effective income tax rate 21.9 % 28.8 %
The effective income tax rate is calculated by dividing the provision for income taxes by income before the provision for income taxes. The decrease in the effective income tax rate was primarily due to the Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment charge of $5.8 billion in 2023 that substantially decreased income before income taxes and was not deductible. The increase in the provision for income taxes was primarily due to the increase in 2024 in income before income taxes.
A reconciliation of the statutory federal income tax rate to the effective income tax rate for each period is included in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements.
Consolidated Net Income, Consolidated EBITDA and Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA
Consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization expense (Consolidated EBITDA) and Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, which are presented below, are non-GAAP financial measures that we believe are useful to management, investors and other users of our financial information in evaluating operating profitability on a more variable cost basis as they exclude the depreciation and amortization expense related primarily to capital expenditures and acquisitions that occurred in prior years, as well as in evaluating operating performance in relation to Verizon’s competitors. Consolidated EBITDA is calculated by adding back interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization expense to net income.
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA is calculated by excluding from Consolidated EBITDA the effect of the following non-operational items: equity in earnings and losses of unconsolidated businesses and other income and expense, net, as well as the effect of certain special items. We believe that this measure is useful to management, investors and other users of our financial information in evaluating the effectiveness of our operations and underlying business trends. We believe that Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA is widely used by investors to compare a company’s operating performance to its competitors by minimizing impacts caused by differences in capital structure, taxes, and depreciation and amortization policies. Further, the exclusion of non-operational items and special items enables comparability to prior period performance and trend analysis. See "Special Items" for additional information.
It is management’s intent to provide non-GAAP financial information to enhance the understanding of Verizon’s GAAP financial information, and it should be considered by the reader in addition to, but not instead of, the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Each non-GAAP financial measure is presented along with the corresponding GAAP measure so as not to imply that more emphasis should be placed on the non-GAAP measure. We believe that providing these non-GAAP measures in addition to the GAAP measures allows management, investors and other users of our financial information to more fully and accurately assess both consolidated and segment performance. The non-GAAP financial information presented may be determined or calculated differently by other companies and may not be directly comparable to that of other companies.
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023
Consolidated Net Income $ 17,949 $ 12,095
Add:
Provision for income taxes 5,030 4,892
Interest expense 6,649 5,524
Depreciation and amortization expense(1)
17,892 17,624
Consolidated EBITDA $ 47,520 $ 40,135
Add (Less):
Other (income) expense, net(2)
$ (995) $ 313
Equity in losses of unconsolidated businesses
53 53
Severance charges
1,733 533
Asset and business rationalization
374 480
Legacy legal matter
106 -
Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment - 5,841
Legal settlement - 100
Business transformation costs - 176
Non-strategic business shutdown - 158
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA $ 48,791 $ 47,789
(1) Includes Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, which were $817 million and $865 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The results for the year ended December 31, 2023 also include a portion of the charges associated with the Non-strategic business shutdown. See "Special Items" for additional information.
(2) Includes Pension and benefits mark-to-market credits of $532 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 and charges of $992 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. See "Special Items" for additional information.
The changes in Consolidated Net Income, Consolidated EBITDA and Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA in the table above during 2024 compared to 2023 were primarily a result of the factors described above in connection with consolidated operating revenues and consolidated operating expenses.
Segment Results of Operations
We have two reportable segments that we operate and manage as strategic business units - Consumer and Business. We measure and evaluate our segments based on segment operating income. The use of segment operating income is consistent with the chief operating decision maker’s assessment of segment performance.
To aid in the understanding of segment performance as it relates to segment operating income, management uses the following operating statistics to evaluate the overall effectiveness of our segments. We believe these operating statistics are useful to investors and other users of our financial information because they provide additional insight into drivers of our segments’ operating results, key trends and performance relative to our peers. These operating statistics may be determined or calculated differently by other companies and may not be directly comparable to those statistics of other companies.
Wireless retail connections are retail customer device postpaid and prepaid connections as of the end of the period. Retail connections under an account may include those from smartphones and basic phones (collectively, phones), postpaid and prepaid FWA, as well as tablets and other internet devices, wearables and retail IoT devices. Wireless retail connections are calculated by adding total retail postpaid and prepaid new connections in the period to prior period retail connections, and subtracting total retail postpaid and prepaid disconnects in the period.
Wireless retail postpaid connections are retail postpaid customer device connections as of the end of the period. Retail postpaid connections under an account may include those from phones, postpaid FWA, as well as tablets and other internet devices, wearables and retail IoT devices. Wireless retail postpaid connections are calculated by adding retail postpaid new connections in the period to prior period retail postpaid connections, and subtracting retail postpaid disconnects in the period.
Wireless retail prepaid connections are retail prepaid customer device connections as of the end of the period. Retail prepaid connections may include those from phones, prepaid FWA, as well as tablets and other internet devices, and wearables. Wireless retail prepaid connections are calculated by adding retail prepaid new connections in the period to prior period retail prepaid connections, and subtracting retail prepaid disconnects in the period.
Fios internet connections are the total number of connections to the internet using Fios internet services as of the end of the period. Fios internet connections are calculated by adding Fios internet new connections in the period to prior period Fios internet connections, and subtracting Fios internet disconnects in the period.
Fios video connections are the total number of connections to traditional linear video programming using Fios video services as of the end of the period. Fios video connections are calculated by adding Fios video net additions in the period to prior period Fios video connections. Fios video net additions are calculated by subtracting the Fios video disconnects from the Fios video new connections.
Total broadband connections are the total number of connections to the internet using Fios internet services, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and postpaid, prepaid and IoT FWA as of the end of the period. Total broadband connections are calculated by adding total broadband connections, net additions in the period to prior period total broadband connections.
FWA broadband connections are the total number of postpaid and prepaid connections to the internet through our 5G or 4G LTE wireless networks as of the end of the period. FWA broadband connections are calculated by adding FWA broadband connections, net additions in the period to prior period FWA broadband connections.
Wireline broadband connections are the total number of connections to the internet using DSL and Fios internet services as of the end of the period. Wireline broadband connections are calculated by adding wireline broadband connections, net additions in the period to prior period wireline broadband connections.
Wireless retail connections, net additions are the total number of additional retail customer device postpaid and prepaid connections, less the number of device disconnects in the period. Wireless retail connections, net additions in each period presented are calculated by subtracting the total retail postpaid and prepaid disconnects, net of certain adjustments, from the total retail postpaid and prepaid new connections in the period.
Wireless retail postpaid connections, net additions are the total number of additional retail customer device postpaid connections, less the number of device disconnects in the period. Wireless retail postpaid connections, net additions in each period presented are calculated by subtracting the retail postpaid disconnects, net of certain adjustments, from the retail postpaid new connections in the period.
Wireless retail prepaid connections, net additions are the total number of additional retail customer device prepaid connections, less the number of device disconnects in the period. Wireless retail prepaid connections, net additions in each period presented are calculated by subtracting the retail prepaid disconnects, net of certain adjustments, from the retail prepaid new connections in the period.
Wireless retail postpaid phone connections, net additions are the total number of additional retail customer postpaid phone connections, less the number of phone disconnects in the period. Wireless retail postpaid phone connections, net additions in each period presented are calculated by subtracting the retail postpaid phone disconnects, net of certain adjustments, from the retail postpaid phone new connections in the period.
Total broadband connections, net additions are the total number of additional total broadband connections, less the number of total broadband disconnects in the period. Total broadband connections, net additions in each period presented are calculated by subtracting the total broadband disconnects, net of certain adjustments, from the total broadband new connections in the period.
FWA broadband connections, net additions are the total number of additional FWA broadband connections, less the number of FWA broadband disconnects in the period. FWA broadband connections, net additions in each period presented are calculated by subtracting the FWA broadband disconnects, net of certain adjustments, from the FWA broadband new connections in the period.
Wireline broadband connections, net additions are the total number of additional wireline broadband connections, less the number of wireline broadband disconnects in the period. Wireline broadband connections, net additions in each period presented are calculated by subtracting the wireline broadband disconnects, net of certain adjustments, from the wireline broadband new connections in the period.
Wireless churn is the rate at which service to retail, retail postpaid, or retail postpaid phone connections is terminated on average in the period. The churn rate in each period presented is calculated by dividing retail disconnects, retail postpaid disconnects, or retail postpaid phone disconnects by the average retail connections, average retail postpaid connections, or average retail postpaid phone connections, respectively, in the period.
Wireless retail postpaid ARPA is the calculated average retail postpaid service revenue per account (ARPA) from retail postpaid accounts in the period. Wireless retail postpaid service revenue does not include recurring device payment plan billings related to the Verizon device payment program, plan billings related to device warranty and insurance or regulatory fees. Wireless retail postpaid ARPA in each period presented is calculated by dividing retail postpaid service revenue by the average retail postpaid accounts in the period.
Wireless retail postpaid accounts are wireless retail customers that are directly served and managed under the Verizon brand and use its services as of the end of the period. Accounts include unlimited plans, shared data plans and corporate accounts, as well as legacy single connection plans and multi-connection family plans. A single account may include monthly wireless services for a variety of connected devices. Wireless retail postpaid accounts are calculated by adding retail postpaid new accounts to the prior period retail postpaid accounts.
Wireless retail postpaid connections per account is the calculated average number of retail postpaid connections per retail postpaid account as of the end of the period. Wireless retail postpaid connections per account is calculated by dividing the total number of retail postpaid connections by the number of retail postpaid accounts as of the end of the period.
Segment operating income margin reflects the profitability of the segment as a percentage of revenue. Segment operating income margin is calculated by dividing total segment operating income by total segment operating revenues.
Segment earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Segment EBITDA), which is presented below, is a non-GAAP measure and does not purport to be an alternative to operating income (loss) as a measure of operating performance. We believe this measure is useful to management, investors and other users of our financial information in evaluating operating profitability on a more variable cost basis as it excludes the depreciation and amortization expense related primarily to capital expenditures and acquisitions that occurred in prior years, as well as in evaluating operating performance in relation to our competitors. Segment EBITDA is calculated by adding back depreciation and amortization expense to segment operating income (loss). Segment EBITDA margin is calculated by dividing Segment EBITDA by total segment operating revenues. See Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Verizon Consumer Group
Our Consumer segment provides consumer-focused wireless and wireline communications services and products. Our wireless services are provided across one of the most extensive wireless networks in the U.S. under the Verizon family of brands and through wholesale and other arrangements. We also provide FWA broadband through our 5G or 4G LTE networks as an alternative to traditional landline internet access. Our wireline services are provided in nine states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S., as well as Washington D.C., over our 100% fiber-optic network through our Verizon Fios product portfolio and over a traditional copper-based network to customers who are not served by Fios.
Operating Revenues and Selected Operating Statistics
(dollars in millions, except ARPA)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase/(Decrease)
Service
$ 76,880 $ 74,874 $ 2,006 2.7 %
Wireless equipment 19,598 20,645 (1,047) (5.1)
Other 6,426 6,107 319 5.2
Total Operating Revenues $ 102,904 $ 101,626 $ 1,278 1.3
Revenue Statistics:
Wireless service revenue
$ 65,374 $ 63,358 $ 2,016 3.2
Fios revenue
$ 11,647 $ 11,614 $ 33 0.3
Connections (‘000):(1)
Wireless retail postpaid 95,118 93,850 1,268 1.4
Wireless retail prepaid 20,138 21,122 (984) (4.7)
Total wireless retail 115,256 114,972 284 0.2
Fios internet 7,135 6,976 159 2.3
Fios video 2,684 2,951 (267) (9.0)
FWA broadband
2,714 1,866 848 45.4
Wireline broadband
7,300 7,190 110 1.5
Total broadband 10,014 9,056 958 10.6
Net Additions in Period (‘000):
Wireless retail postpaid 1,345 2,044 (699) (34.2)
Wireless retail prepaid (975) (1,151) 176 15.3
Total wireless retail 370 893 (523) (58.6)
Wireless retail postpaid phones 341 (132) 473 nm
FWA broadband
846 989 (143) (14.5)
Wireline broadband
110 174 (64) (36.8)
Total broadband 956 1,163 (207) (17.8)
Churn Rate:
Wireless retail 1.62 % 1.67 %
Wireless retail postpaid 1.06 % 1.03 %
Wireless retail postpaid phones 0.84 % 0.83 %
Account Statistics:
Wireless retail postpaid ARPA $ 138.25 $ 132.36 $ 5.89 4.4
Wireless retail postpaid accounts (‘000)(1)
32,794 32,990 (196) (0.6)
Wireless retail postpaid connections per account(1)
2.90 2.84 0.06 2.1
(1) As of end of period
Where applicable, the operating results reflect certain adjustments, including those related to the 3G network shutdowns, migration activity among different types of devices and plans, customer profile changes, and adjustments in connection with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.
nm - not meaningful
Consumer's total operating revenues increased during 2024 compared to 2023 as a result of increases in Service and Other revenues, partially offset by a decrease in Wireless equipment revenue.
Service Revenue
Service revenue increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily driven by an increase in Wireless service revenue.
Wireless service revenue increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•an increase of $1.5 billion in access revenues related to our postpaid plans primarily due to pricing actions, an increase in subscriptions through MyPlan offerings and a 45% increase in our FWA subscriber base. These increases were partially offset by the amortization of wireless equipment sales promotions;
•an increase of $638 million related to growth in non-retail service revenue;
•an increase of $318 million in TravelPass revenue due to increased customer international travel; and
•a decrease of $625 million in prepaid revenue primarily due to a decrease in the prepaid subscriber base partially driven by the termination of the Affordable Connectivity Program in the second quarter of 2024.
Wireless Equipment Revenue
Wireless equipment revenue decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•a decrease of $1.5 billion driven by a lower volume of wireless devices sold primarily related to a decrease of 10% in upgrades; and
•an increase of $474 million due to a shift to higher priced equipment in the mix of wireless devices sold, partially offset by the impact of related promotions.
Other Revenue
Other revenue includes fees that partially recover the direct and indirect costs of complying with regulatory and industry obligations and programs, revenues associated with certain products included in our device protection offerings, leasing and interest recognized when equipment is sold to the customer by an authorized agent under a device payment plan agreement.
Other revenue increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to:
•an increase of $193 million driven by regulatory surcharges primarily related to a higher net Federal Universal Service Fund rate, along with an increase in other regulatory surcharges; and
•an increase of $116 million related to device protection offerings primarily due to changes in the products offered and pricing actions.
Operating Expenses
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase/(Decrease)
Cost of services $ 18,072 $ 17,580 $ 492 2.8 %
Cost of wireless equipment 21,259 21,827 (568) (2.6)
Selling, general and administrative expense 20,537 20,131 406 2.0
Depreciation and amortization expense 13,552 13,077 475 3.6
Total Operating Expenses $ 73,420 $ 72,615 $ 805 1.1
Cost of Services
Cost of services increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•an increase of $270 million in rent and lease expense primarily driven by new leases and lease modifications related to the continued deployment of the C-Band spectrum and Consumer's proportionate usage of shared leased assets;
•an increase of $195 million in personnel costs mainly driven by certain other post-employment benefit credits in 2023 that did not reoccur in 2024;
•an increase of $154 million in digital content costs primarily associated with an increase in subscriptions through MyPlan offerings, partially offset by a decrease in traditional linear content costs due to a decline in Fios video subscribers; and
•a decrease of $169 million in access costs primarily as a result of decreases in prepaid subscribers, changes in usage and net circuit access prices.
Cost of Wireless Equipment
Cost of wireless equipment decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•a decrease of $1.7 billion driven by a lower volume of wireless devices sold primarily related to a decrease of 10% in upgrades; and
•an increase of $1.2 billion due to a shift to higher priced equipment in the mix of wireless devices sold.
Selling, General and Administrative Expense
Selling, general and administrative expense increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to:
•an increase of $176 million in the provision for credit losses resulting from an increase in postpaid phone gross additions and additional bad debt reserves; and
•an increase of $105 million in advertising costs related to Value Brand marketing campaigns in 2024 compared to 2023.
Depreciation and Amortization Expense
Depreciation and amortization expense increased during 2024 compared to 2023 driven by the change in the mix of total Verizon depreciable and amortizable assets and Consumer's usage of those assets.
Segment Operating Income and EBITDA
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase
Segment Operating Income $ 29,484 $ 29,011 $ 473 1.6 %
Add Depreciation and amortization expense 13,552 13,077 475 3.6
Segment EBITDA $ 43,036 $ 42,088 $ 948 2.3
Segment operating income margin 28.7 % 28.5 %
Segment EBITDA margin 41.8 % 41.4 %
The changes in the table above during the periods presented were primarily a result of the factors described above in connection with Consumer operating revenues and operating expenses.
Verizon Business Group
Our Business segment provides wireless and wireline communications services and products, including FWA broadband, data, video and advanced communication services, corporate networking solutions, security and managed network services, local and long distance voice services and network access to deliver various IoT services and products. We provide these products and services to businesses, public sector customers and wireless and wireline carriers across the U.S. and a subset of these products and services to customers around the world. The Business segment is organized in three customer groups: Enterprise and Public Sector, Business Markets and Other, and Wholesale.
Operating Revenues and Selected Operating Statistics
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase/(Decrease)
Enterprise and Public Sector $ 14,218 $ 15,076 $ (858) (5.7) %
Business Markets and Other 13,099 12,715 384 3.0
Wholesale 2,214 2,331 (117) (5.0)
Total Operating Revenues(1)
$ 29,531 $ 30,122 $ (591) (2.0)
Revenue Statistics:
Wireless service revenue
$ 13,753 $ 13,372 $ 381 2.8
Fios revenue
$ 1,252 $ 1,235 $ 17 1.4
Connections (‘000):(2)
Wireless retail postpaid 30,819 29,779 1,040 3.5
Fios internet 401 385 16 4.2
Fios video 54 61 (7) (11.5)
FWA broadband
1,854 1,201 653 54.4
Wireline broadband
459 460 (1) (0.2)
Total broadband 2,313 1,661 652 39.3
Net Additions in Period ('000):
Wireless retail postpaid 1,010 1,242 (232) (18.7)
Wireless retail postpaid phones 546 562 (16) (2.8)
FWA broadband
622 547 75 13.7
Wireline broadband
(1) (8) 7 87.5
Total broadband 621 539 82 15.2
Churn Rate:
Wireless retail postpaid 1.47 % 1.48 %
Wireless retail postpaid phones 1.11 % 1.13 %
(1)Service and other revenues included in our Business segment were approximately $25.9 billion and $26.4 billion for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Wireless equipment revenues included in our Business segment were approximately $3.6 billion and $3.7 billion for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(2) As of end of period
Where applicable, the operating results reflect certain adjustments, including those related to the 3G network shutdowns, migration activity among different types of devices and plans, customer profile changes, and adjustments in connection with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.
Business's total operating revenues decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 as a result of decreases in Enterprise and Public Sector and Wholesale revenues, partially offset by an increase in Business Markets and Other revenue.
Enterprise and Public Sector
Enterprise and Public Sector offers wireless products and services as well as wireline connectivity such as broadband and managed services to our large business and public sector customers. Large businesses are identified based on their size and volume of business with Verizon. Public sector customers include U.S. federal, state and local governments and educational institutions. Our offerings to this customer group include plans with features and pricing designed to address their specific needs.
Enterprise and Public Sector revenues decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to a decrease of $702 million in wireline revenue primarily driven by declines in networking, traditional data and voice communication services along with related professional services. These declines were due to secular market pressure and technology shifts, coupled with lower customer premise equipment sales volumes.
Business Markets and Other
Business Markets and Other offers wireless services (including FWA broadband), wireless equipment, advanced communication services, tailored voice and networking products, Fios services, advanced voice solutions and security services to businesses
that ordinarily do not meet the requirements to be categorized as Enterprise and Public Sector, as described above. Business Markets and Other also includes solutions that support mobile resource management.
Business Markets and Other revenue increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•an increase of $486 million in Wireless service revenue primarily due to pricing actions and an increase in our FWA subscriber base; and
•a decrease of $89 million in connection with the shutdown of our BlueJeans business offering in 2023 and a decline in traditional voice communication revenues.
Wholesale
Wholesale offers wireline communications services including data, voice, local dial tone and broadband services primarily to local, long distance, and wireless carriers that use our facilities to provide services to their customers.
Wholesale revenues decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to a decrease of $117 million related to declines in traditional voice communication and network connectivity as a result of technology substitution, as well as a decrease in core data.
Operating Expenses
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Increase/(Decrease)
Cost of services $ 9,742 $ 10,180 $ (438) (4.3) %
Cost of wireless equipment 4,841 4,959 (118) (2.4)
Selling, general and administrative expense 8,583 8,429 154 1.8
Depreciation and amortization expense 4,307 4,488 (181) (4.0)
Total Operating Expenses $ 27,473 $ 28,056 $ (583) (2.1)
Cost of Services
Cost of services decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to:
•a decrease of $99 million in rent and lease expense primarily driven by a change in Business's proportionate usage of shared leased assets;
•a decrease of $87 million in access costs primarily related to changes in usage and net circuit access prices;
•a decrease of $82 million in customer premise equipment costs due to lower volumes sold; and
•a decrease of $63 million in personnel costs related to the impact of workforce changes, partially offset by certain other post-employment benefit credits in 2023 that did not reoccur in 2024.
Cost of Wireless Equipment
Cost of wireless equipment decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•a decrease of $385 million driven by a lower volume of wireless devices sold; and
•an increase of $267 million due to a shift to higher priced equipment in the mix of wireless devices sold.
Selling, General and Administrative Expense
Selling, general and administrative expense increased during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily as a result of:
•an increase of $221 million in personnel costs primarily related to an increase in costs associated with the transition to third-party contracted resources along with the impacts of a prior year compensation plan assumption change that did not reoccur; and
•a decrease of $63 million in the provision for credit losses resulting from a reduction in bad debt reserves.
Depreciation and Amortization Expense
Depreciation and amortization expense decreased during 2024 compared to 2023 driven by the change in the mix of total Verizon depreciable and amortizable assets and Business's usage of those assets.
Segment Operating Income and EBITDA
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Decrease
Segment Operating Income $ 2,058 $ 2,066 $ (8) (0.4) %
Add Depreciation and amortization expense 4,307 4,488 (181) (4.0)
Segment EBITDA $ 6,365 $ 6,554 $ (189) (2.9)
Segment operating income margin 7.0 % 6.9 %
Segment EBITDA margin 21.6 % 21.8 %
The changes in the table above during the periods presented were primarily a result of the factors described above in connection with Business operating revenues and operating expenses.
Special Items
Special items included in Income Before Provision For Income Taxes were as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets(1)
Depreciation and amortization expense $ 817 $ 865
Severance, pension and benefits charges (credits)
Selling, general and administrative expense 1,733 533
Other (income) expense, net (532) 992
Asset and business rationalization
Cost of services 189 22
Selling, general and administrative expense 185 458
Legacy legal matter
Selling, general and administrative expense 106 -
Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment
Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment
- 5,841
Legal settlement
Selling, general and administrative expense - 100
Business transformation costs
Cost of services - 15
Selling, general and administrative expense - 161
Non-strategic business shutdown
Depreciation and amortization expense - 21
Cost of services - 45
Selling, general and administrative expense - 113
Total $ 2,498 $ 9,166
(1) Amounts are included in segment results of operations.
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure discussed in the section titled "Consolidated Net Income, Consolidated EBITDA and Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA" as part of Consolidated Results of Operations, excludes all of the amounts included above.
The income and expenses related to special items included in our consolidated results of operations were as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023
Within Total Operating Expenses $ 3,030 $ 8,174
Within Other (income) expense, net (532) 992
Total $ 2,498 $ 9,166
Amortization of Acquisition-Related Intangible Assets
During 2024 and 2023, we recorded pre-tax amortization expense of $817 million and $865 million, respectively, related to acquired intangible assets.
Severance, Pension and Benefits Charges (Credits)
During 2024, we recorded pre-tax severance charges of $1.7 billion, related to separations under our voluntary separation program for select U.S.-based management employees as well as other headcount reduction initiatives. The severance charges were recorded in Selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statement of income.
During 2024, in accordance with our accounting policy to recognize actuarial gains and losses in the period in which they occur, we recorded a net pre-tax pension and benefits credit of $532 million in our pension and postretirement benefit plans. The net gain was recorded in Other income (expense), net in our consolidated statement of income and was primarily driven by:
•a credit of $1.3 billion ($635 million for pension plans and $656 million for postretirement benefit plans) due to an increase in our discount rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our plans from a weighted-average of 5.0% for both our pension and post retirement plans at December 31, 2023 to a weighted-average of 5.8% for our pension plans and 5.6% for our postretirement benefit plans at December 31, 2024;
•a charge of $711 million due to the difference between our estimated and actual return on assets; and
•a net charge of $48 million primarily due to other actuarial assumption adjustments.
During 2023, we recorded net pre-tax severance charges of $533 million, primarily related to involuntary separations under our existing plans, in Selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statement of income.
During 2023, in accordance with our accounting policy to recognize actuarial gains and losses in the period in which they occur, we recorded net pre-tax pension and benefits charges of $992 million in our pension and postretirement benefit plans. The charges were recorded in Other income (expense), net in our consolidated statement of income and were primarily driven by:
•a charge of $534 million due to an increase in our healthcare cost trend rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our postretirement benefit plans from a weighted-average of 6.6% at December 31, 2022 to a weighted-average of 7.3% at December 31, 2023;
•a charge of $503 million ($288 million for pension plans and $215 million for postretirement benefit plans) due to a decrease in our discount rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our plans from a weighted-average of 5.2% at December 31, 2022 to a weighted-average of 5.0% at December 31, 2023; and
•a net credit of $45 million primarily due to other actuarial assumption adjustments, which includes the difference between our estimated and our actual return on plan assets.
Due to the presentation of the other components of net periodic benefit cost, we recognize a portion of the pension and benefits charges (credits) in Other income (expense), net in our consolidated statements of income.
See Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to severance, pension and benefits charges (credits).
Asset and Business Rationalization
During 2024, we recorded a pre-tax asset and business rationalization charge of $374 million predominately related to the decision to cease use of certain real estate assets and exit non-strategic portions of certain businesses as part of our continued transformation initiatives.
During 2023, we recorded pre-tax asset rationalization charges of $480 million. Asset rationalization charges of $155 million recorded during the second quarter of 2023 related to certain real estate and non-strategic assets that we made a decision to cease use of as part of our transformation initiatives. Asset rationalization charges of $325 million recorded during the fourth quarter of 2023 primarily related to Business network assets that we made a decision to cease use of as part of our continued transformation initiatives.
Legacy Legal Matter
During 2024, we recorded a pre-tax charge of $106 million associated with a litigation matter related to a legacy contract for the production of telephone directories in Costa Rica by a subsidiary of the Company.
Verizon Business Group Goodwill Impairment
During 2023, we recorded a pre-tax charge of $5.8 billion as a result of the annual goodwill impairment test performed in the fourth quarter. See "Critical Accounting Estimates" for additional information.
Legal Settlement
During 2023, we recorded a pre-tax charge of $100 million related to the settlement of a litigation matter regarding certain administrative fees.
Business Transformation Costs
During 2023, we recorded pre-tax charges of $176 million primarily related to costs incurred in connection with strategic partnership initiatives in our managed network support services for certain Business customers.
Non-Strategic Business Shutdown
During 2023, we recorded pre-tax charges of $179 million related to the shutdown of our BlueJeans business offering.
Operating Environment and Trends
The telecommunications industry is highly competitive, and we expect competition to remain intense as traditional and non-traditional participants seek increased market share. We believe that our high-quality networks and customer base in addition to our attractive offerings and value proposition differentiate us from our competitors and give us the ability to plan and manage through changing market conditions. We remain focused on executing on the fundamentals of the business: enhancing our networks, offering innovative services and products, growing and maintaining a high-quality customer base, and delivering strong financial and operating results. We also continue to focus on cost efficiencies in order to have flexibility to adjust to changes in the competitive and economic environments and increase shareholder value.
The U.S. wireless market has achieved a high penetration of smartphones, which reduces the opportunity for new phone connection growth for the industry. We expect the wireless industry's customer growth rate to moderate over time in comparison to historical growth rates, furthering competition for customers. Future revenue growth in the industry is expected to be driven by expanding existing customer relationships, increasing the number of ways customers can connect with wireless networks and services and increasing the penetration of FWA and connected devices including wearables, tablets and IoT devices. Although certain advanced use cases for 5G technologies and related ecosystems are in the early phases of adoption, we believe that they will provide an opportunity for growth in the coming years.
We expect future service revenue growth opportunities to arise from increased access revenue as customer demand for mobile and FWA 5G connectivity continues to expand and customers shift to higher access plans. Additionally, we expect service revenue to benefit from targeted pricing actions and increased connections per account. Future service revenue growth opportunities will be dependent on expanding the penetration of our services, increasing the number of ways that our customers can connect with our networks and services and the development of new 5G use cases and ecosystems.
Pricing plays an increasingly important role in the wireless competitive landscape. As the demand for wireless services continues to grow, wireless service providers are offering a range of service plans and bundled services at competitive prices. In addition, aggressive device promotions have become more common in recent years in an effort to encourage customers to switch carriers, as well as retain existing customers. We compete in this area by offering our customers services and devices, with a variety of content options and other perks, that we believe provide significant value for the price. We and other wireless service providers, as well as equipment manufacturers, offer device payment options, which provide customers with the ability to pay for their device over a period of time, and some providers offer device leasing arrangements.
For further details on competitive environment and trends, refer to "Business - Competition and Related Trends" in Part I, Item 1 and "Risk Factors - Economic and Strategic Risks - We face significant competition that may negatively affect our operating results" in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Connection Trends
In our Consumer segment, we are focused on attracting new customers and maintaining our high-quality retail postpaid customer base by capitalizing on demand for reliable high-speed connectivity and customizable, personalized offerings and solutions. We believe the combination of our wireless network quality and service and product offerings represents an attractive value proposition and provides a compelling customer experience, supporting increased penetration of data services. While our Consumer segment experienced diminished wireless connection growth in recent years, we expect that future connection growth opportunities will be driven by the comparative value we provide to our customers, as well as our FWA broadband service. In our prepaid business, while we expect to continue to operate in a highly competitive environment, we are making improvements to achieve long-term growth.
We expect to continue to grow our Fios internet connections as we seek to expand availability of Fios, increase our penetration rates within our Fios service areas, and experience continued strong demand for higher speed internet connections. Our pending acquisition of Frontier is expected to enhance our fiber broadband footprint and provide opportunities for future growth. At the same time, we expect continued growth of FWA connections to complement strong Fios results as demand for broadband services continues to grow.
In Fios video, the business continues to face ongoing pressure as observed throughout the linear television market. We have experienced continuing access line and DSL losses as customers have switched to alternative technologies such as wireless, VoIP, and cable for voice and data services, and we expect this trend to continue.
In our Business segment, we offer wireless products and services to business and public sector customers across the U.S. We continue to grow our connections while operating in a highly competitive environment. We expect that this connection growth, combined with our industry-leading network assets, will provide additional opportunities to sell solutions, such as those around security, private networking and other network connectivity services, advanced communications and professional services.
In addition, in both our Consumer and our Business segments, we expect to support connection growth in part by adding capacity and further expanding our wireless coverage, and by continuing the build-out and densification of our 5G network.
Service Revenue Trends
In our Consumer segment, we expect continued growth in our wireless service revenue, driven by targeted pricing actions, migrations to higher priced plans, increased offering of perks, and increases in FWA connections and revenue, offset in part by higher promotion amortization impacts in 2025. Our efforts to maintain and grow our customer base and make improvements to our prepaid business, if successful, are also expected to benefit our wireless service revenue. We expect Fios revenue to benefit from growth in our Fios customer base and an ongoing demand for higher speed internet connections, which offsets the impact of the shift from bundled wireline services to standalone internet service.
In our Business segment, we expect wireless service revenue to expand, driven by growth from an increase in wireless volumes and strong FWA revenue. We expect that Fios, through increased penetration, will also contribute to revenue growth and that legacy traditional wireline services will continue to face secular pressures.
Other Trends
We are focused on achieving profitable growth as we continue to deliver strong revenues and undertake initiatives to reduce costs and improve efficiencies, including through AI-driven technologies.
We expect that our ability to generate cash flows will benefit from our expected service revenue growth, despite the moderate expected increase in our 2025 capital program compared to 2024. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for additional information on our capital program.
In the course of business, we make promotional equipment offers to attract and retain customers. In 2024, the growth of our wireless service revenue was unfavorably impacted by the amortization of wireless equipment sales and promotions. We expect these pressures to continue and increase in 2025. In addition, in 2023 and 2024, we had fewer phone upgrades compared to prior years. To the extent upgrade volumes increase in 2025, the expenses associated with those device sales are expected to contribute to higher costs.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We use the net cash generated from our operations to invest in new businesses and spectrum, fund expansion and modernization of our networks, pay dividends, service and repay external financing and, when appropriate, buy back shares of our outstanding common stock. Our sources of funds, primarily from operations and, to the extent necessary, from external financing arrangements, are sufficient to meet ongoing operating and investing requirements over the next 12 months and beyond.
Our cash and cash equivalents balance is $4.2 billion as of December 31, 2024. Our cash and cash equivalents are held both domestically and internationally, and are invested to maintain principal and provide liquidity. See "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" for additional information regarding our foreign currency risk management strategies.
We expect that our capital spending requirements will continue to be financed primarily through internally generated funds. Debt or equity financing may be needed to fund additional investments or development activities, including, for example, to complete our acquisition of Frontier, or to maintain an appropriate capital structure to ensure our financial flexibility. Our external financing arrangements include credit facilities and other bank lines of credit, an active commercial paper program, vendor financing arrangements, issuances of registered debt or equity securities, U.S. retail medium-term notes and other securities that are privately-placed or offered overseas. In addition, we monetize certain receivables through asset-backed debt transactions.
Capital Expenditures
Our 2025 capital program includes capital to fund advanced networks and services, including expanding and adding capacity and density to our core networks, the ongoing deployment of C-Band spectrum, and advancing our network architecture. It will also support our broadband expansion plans including the launch of our fixed wireless access solution for multi-dwelling units. We anticipate cash requirements for our 2025 capital program to be between $17.5 billion and $18.5 billion.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
We have various contractual obligations and commitments. The following represent our anticipated material cash requirements from known contractual and other obligations as of December 31, 2024:
•Long-term debt, including current maturities, commitments of $142.2 billion, of which $21.7 billion (including $3.3 billion of unsecured debt) are expected to be due within the next twelve months. Related interest payments are $66.3 billion, of which $5.8 billion, are expected to be due within the next twelve months. Items included in long-term debt with variable coupon rates exclude unamortized debt issuance costs, and are described in Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements.
•Operating lease obligations of $29.1 billion and Finance lease obligations of $2.5 billion, of which $5.0 billion and $954 million, respectively, are expected to be due within the next twelve months. In addition, Verizon has an obligation of $3.7 billion representing future minimum payments under the leaseback and sublease arrangements for our cell towers, of which $447 million is expected to be due within the next twelve months. See Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
•Unconditional purchase obligations, with terms in excess of one year, amount to $16.7 billion, of which $6.2 billion is expected to be due within the next twelve months. Items included in unconditional purchase obligations are primarily commitments to purchase content, network equipment, software and services, marketing services and other items which will be used or sold in the ordinary course of business. These amounts do not represent our entire anticipated purchases in the future, but represent only those items that are the subject of contractual obligations. We also purchase products and services as needed with no firm commitment. See Note 16 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
•Other long-term liabilities, including current maturities, of $3.9 billion, of which approximately $726 million is expected to be due within the next twelve months. Other long-term liabilities represent estimated postretirement benefit and qualified pension plan contributions. Qualified pension plan contributions include estimated minimum funding contributions. We expect that there will be no required pension funding through the end of 2025, subject to changes in market conditions. Postretirement benefit payments include future postretirement benefit payments. These estimated amounts: (1) are subject to change based on changes to assumptions and future plan performance, which could impact the timing and/or amounts of these payments; and (2) exclude expectations beyond 5 years due to uncertainty of the timing and amounts.
•We are not able to make a reasonable estimate of when the unrecognized tax benefits balance of $2.6 billion and related interest and penalties will be settled with the respective taxing authorities until the related tax audits are further developed or resolved.
Consolidated Financial Condition
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023
Cash Flows Provided By (Used In)
Operating activities
$ 36,912 $ 37,475
Investing activities
(18,674) (23,432)
Financing activities
(17,100) (14,657)
Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 1,138 $ (614)
Cash Flows Provided By Operating Activities
Our primary source of funds continues to be cash generated from operations. Net cash provided by operating activities decreased $563 million during 2024 compared to 2023 primarily due to changes in working capital, partially offset by an increase in earnings and an increase in Other, net cash flow from operating activities.
Changes in current assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisition/disposition of businesses
The change in working capital was primarily driven by higher cash income taxes paid in the current period as well as higher interest expense and severance payments primarily related to separations under our voluntary separation program.
Other, Net
Other, net cash flow from operating activities during 2024 includes $2.0 billion of proceeds related to the transaction with Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC (Vertical Bridge). These proceeds were partially offset by discretionary contributions made in March 2024 in the aggregate amount of $365 million to our qualified pension plans. We expect that there will be no required pension funding through the end of 2025, subject to changes in market conditions.
Cash Flows Used In Investing Activities
Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures continue to relate primarily to the use of capital resources to enhance the operating efficiency and productivity of our networks, maintain our existing infrastructure, facilitate the introduction of new products and services and enhance responsiveness to competitive challenges.
Capital expenditures, including capitalized software, were $17.1 billion and $18.8 billion for 2024 and 2023, respectively. Capital expenditures decreased approximately $1.7 billion during 2024, compared to 2023, primarily due to the completion of our accelerated $10 billion C-Band deployment program in 2023.
Acquisitions of Wireless Licenses
During 2024 and 2023, we made payments of $269 million and $4.3 billion, respectively, for obligations related to clearing costs and accelerated clearing incentives associated with Auction 107.
During 2024 and 2023, we recorded capitalized interest related to wireless licenses of $616 million and $1.4 billion, respectively.
Collateral Receipts (Payments) Related to Derivative Contracts, Net
During 2024, we made collateral payments of $712 million related to derivative contracts, net of receipts. During 2023, we received return of collateral posted of $880 million related to derivative contracts, net of payments. See Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Cash Flows Used In Financing Activities
We seek to maintain a mix of fixed and variable rate debt to lower borrowing costs within reasonable risk parameters and to protect against earnings and cash flow volatility resulting from changes in market conditions. During 2024 and 2023, net cash used in financing activities was $17.1 billion and $14.7 billion, respectively.
During 2024, our net cash used in financing activities of $17.1 billion was primarily driven by $20.3 billion used for repayments and repurchases of long-term borrowings (secured and unsecured) as well as finance lease obligations, $11.2 billion used for dividend payments, and $1.1 billion used for other financing activities. These cash flows used in financing activities were partially offset by $15.6 billion provided by proceeds from long-term borrowings, which included $12.4 billion of proceeds from our asset-backed debt transactions.
Proceeds from and Repayments and Repurchases of Long-Term Borrowings
At December 31, 2024, our total debt decreased to $144.0 billion compared to $150.7 billion at December 31, 2023. Our effective interest rate was 5.1% and 4.9% during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We have entered into interest rate swaps to achieve a targeted mix of fixed and variable rate debt, managing our exposure to changes in interest rates. See "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" and Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
At December 31, 2024, approximately $30.5 billion, or 20.6%, of the aggregate principal amount of our total debt portfolio consisted of foreign denominated debt, primarily Euro and British Pound Sterling. We have entered into cross currency swaps on our foreign denominated debt in order to fix our future interest and principal payments in U.S. dollars and mitigate the impact of foreign currency transaction gains or losses. See "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" for additional information.
Verizon may acquire debt securities issued by Verizon and its affiliates through open market purchases, redemptions, privately negotiated transactions, tender offers, exchange offers, or otherwise, upon such terms and at such prices as Verizon may from time to time determine, for cash or other consideration.
Other, Net
Other, net cash flow from financing activities during 2024 includes $830 million in proceeds related to financing obligations for the cell towers transaction with Vertical Bridge. These proceeds were partially offset by $431 million in payments related to vendor financing arrangements, $425 million in equity distribution payments made for controlled entities, $313 million in payments made under the sublease arrangement for our cell towers, $280 million in cash consideration payments to acquire additional interest in certain controlled entities and $243 million in payments for settlement of cross currency swaps. See Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on the Vertical Bridge transaction. See Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on noncontrolling interests.
Dividends
The Board of Directors of the Company assesses the level of our dividend payments on a periodic basis taking into account such factors as long-term growth opportunities, internal cash requirements and the expectations of our shareholders. During the third quarter of 2024, our Board of Directors increased our quarterly dividend payment by 1.9% to $0.6775 from $0.6650 per share in the preceding quarter. This is the eighteenth consecutive year that Company’s Board of Directors has approved a quarterly dividend increase.
As in prior periods, dividend payments were a significant use of capital resources. During 2024, we paid $11.2 billion in dividends.
During 2023, our net cash used in financing activities of $14.7 billion was primarily driven by $11.0 billion used for dividend payments, $10.6 billion used for repayments and repurchases of long-term borrowings (secured and unsecured) as well as finance lease obligations and $1.5 billion used for other financing activities. These cash flows used in financing activities were
partially offset by $8.6 billion provided by proceeds from long-term borrowings, which included $6.6 billion of proceeds from our asset-backed debt transactions.
Proceeds from and Repayments and Repurchases of Long-Term Borrowings
At December 31, 2023, our total debt was $150.7 billion. During the year ended December 31, 2023, our effective interest rate was 4.9%. We have entered into interest rate swaps to achieve a targeted mix of fixed and variable rate debt, managing our exposure to changes in interest rates. See "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" and Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
At December 31, 2023, approximately $33.7 billion, or 21.7%, of the aggregate principal amount of our total debt portfolio consisted of foreign denominated debt, primarily Euro and British Pound Sterling. We have entered into cross currency swaps on our foreign denominated debt in order to fix our future interest and principal payments in U.S. dollars and mitigate the impact of foreign currency transaction gains or losses. See "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" for additional information.
Other, Net
Other, net cash flow from financing activities during 2023 includes $302 million in payments made under the sublease arrangement for our cell towers, $257 million in payments for contingent consideration related to the acquisition of TracFone Wireless, Inc. (TracFone) and $252 million in payments related to vendor financing arrangements. See Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on the TracFone contingent considerations.
Dividends
During the third quarter of 2023, our Board of Directors increased our quarterly dividend payment by 1.9% to $0.6650 per share.
During 2023, we paid $11.0 billion in dividends.
Asset-Backed Debt
Cash collections on the receivables and on the underlying receivables related to the participation interest collateralizing our asset-backed debt securities are required at certain specified times to be placed into segregated accounts. Deposits to the segregated accounts are considered restricted cash and are included in Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets.
Proceeds from our asset-backed debt transactions are reflected in Cash flows from financing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows. The asset-backed debt issued is included in Debt maturing within one year and Long-term debt in our consolidated balance sheets.
See Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Long-Term Credit Facilities
At December 31, 2024
(dollars in millions) Maturities Facility Capacity Unused Capacity Principal Amount Outstanding
Verizon revolving credit facility(1)
2028 $ 12,000 $ 11,963 $ -
Various export credit facilities(2)
2025 - 2031 10,000 -
5,441
Total $ 22,000 $ 11,963 $ 5,441
(1) The revolving credit facility does not require us to comply with financial covenants or maintain specified credit ratings, and it permits us to borrow even if our business has incurred a material adverse change. The revolving credit facility provides for the issuance of letters of credit. As of December 31, 2024, there have been no drawings against the revolving credit facility since its inception.
(2) During 2024, there were no drawings from these facilities. During 2023, we drew down $1.0 billion from these facilities. Borrowings under certain of these facilities are amortized semi-annually in equal installments up to the applicable maturity dates. Maturities reflect maturity dates of principal amounts outstanding. Any amounts borrowed under these facilities and subsequently repaid cannot be reborrowed.
In March 2024, we amended our $9.5 billion revolving credit facility to increase the capacity to $12.0 billion and extended its maturity to 2028.
Common Stock
Common stock has been used from time to time to satisfy some of the funding requirements of employee and shareholder plans. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we issued 5.4 million and 4.4 million shares of common stock from treasury stock, which had aggregate values of $238 million and $192 million, respectively.
In February 2020, the Board of Directors of the Company authorized a share buyback program to repurchase up to 100 million shares of our common stock. The program will terminate when the aggregate number of shares purchased reaches 100 million, or a new share repurchase plan superseding the current plan is authorized, whichever is sooner. The program permits Verizon to repurchase shares over time, with the amount and timing of repurchases depending on market conditions and corporate needs. There were no repurchases of common stock during 2024 and 2023 under our authorized share buyback program.
Credit Ratings
Verizon’s credit ratings did not change in 2024 or 2023.
Securities ratings assigned by rating organizations are expressions of opinion and are not recommendations to buy, sell or hold securities. A securities rating is subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating organization. Each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating.
Covenants
Our credit agreements contain covenants that are typical for large, investment grade companies. These covenants include requirements to pay interest and principal in a timely fashion, pay taxes, maintain insurance with responsible and reputable insurance companies, preserve our corporate existence, keep appropriate books and records of financial transactions, maintain our properties, provide financial and other reports to our lenders, limit pledging and disposition of assets and mergers and consolidations, and other similar covenants.
We and our consolidated subsidiaries are in compliance with all of our restrictive covenants in our debt agreements.
Change In Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
Our Cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2024 totaled $4.2 billion, a $2.1 billion increase compared to December 31, 2023, primarily as a result of the factors discussed above.
Restricted cash at December 31, 2024 totaled $441 million, a $991 million decrease compared to restricted cash at December 31, 2023, primarily related to cash collections on certain receivables and on the underlying receivables related to the participation interest that are required at certain specified times to be placed into segregated accounts. The decrease of $991 million in restricted cash was primarily due to a change in the timing on when cash collections on certain receivables collateralizing our asset-backed debt securities are required to be placed into segregated accounts.
Free Cash Flow
Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that reflects an additional way of viewing our liquidity that, we believe, when viewed with our GAAP results, provides management, investors and other users of our financial information with a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our cash flows. Free cash flow is calculated by subtracting capital expenditures (including capitalized software) from net cash provided by operating activities. We believe it is a more conservative measure of cash flow since capital expenditures are necessary for ongoing operations. Free cash flow has limitations due to the fact that it does not represent the residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures. For example, free cash flow does not incorporate payments made on finance lease obligations or cash payments for business acquisitions or wireless licenses. Therefore, we believe it is important to view free cash flow as a complement to our entire consolidated statements of cash flows.
The following table reconciles net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023
Net cash provided by operating activities $ 36,912 $ 37,475
Less Capital expenditures (including capitalized software) 17,090 18,767
Free cash flow $ 19,822 $ 18,708
The increase in free cash flow during 2024 is a reflection of the decrease in capital expenditures, partially offset by the decrease in operating cash flows, both of which are discussed above.
Employee Benefit Plans Funded Status and Contributions
Employer Contributions
We operate numerous qualified and nonqualified pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans. These plans primarily relate to our domestic business units. During 2024, we made discretionary contributions in the aggregate amount of $365 million to our qualified pension plans. During 2023, we made a discretionary contribution of $200 million to one of our qualified pension plans. During 2024 and 2023, we made contributions of $56 million and $52 million to our nonqualified pension plans, respectively.
Our overall investment strategy is to achieve a mix of assets that allows us to meet projected benefit payments while taking into consideration risk and return. In an effort to reduce the risk of our portfolio strategy and better align assets with liabilities, we have adopted a liability driven pension strategy that seeks to better match the interest rate sensitivity of the liability hedging assets with the interest rate sensitivity of the liability. We expect that the strategy will reduce the likelihood that assets will decline at a time when liabilities increase (referred to as liability hedging), with the goal to reduce the risk of underfunding to the plan and its participants and beneficiaries. Over time, as the asset allocation shifts to more liability hedging assets, this strategy will generally result in lower expected asset returns. For 2025, we expect no required qualified pension plan contributions and insignificant nonqualified pension plan contributions.
Contributions to our other postretirement benefit plans generally relate to payments for benefits on an as-incurred basis since these other postretirement benefit plans do not have funding requirements similar to the pension plans. We contributed $935 million and $936 million to our other postretirement benefit plans in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Contributions to our other postretirement benefit plans are estimated to be approximately $726 million in 2025.
Leasing Arrangements
See Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to leasing arrangements.
Guarantees
We guarantee the debentures of our operating telephone company subsidiaries. See Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
In connection with the execution of agreements for the sale of businesses and investments, Verizon ordinarily provides representations and warranties to the purchasers pertaining to a variety of nonfinancial matters, such as ownership of the securities being sold, as well as financial losses. See Note 16 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
As of December 31, 2024, letters of credit totaling approximately $816 million, which were executed in the normal course of business and support several financing arrangements and payment obligations to third parties, were outstanding. See Note 16 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Other Future Obligations
As of December 31, 2024, Verizon had 28 renewable energy purchase agreements with third parties for a total of approximately 3.7 gigawatts of anticipated renewable energy capacity across multiple states. See Note 16 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Critical Accounting Estimates
A summary of the critical accounting estimates used in preparing our financial statements are as follows:
Wireless Licenses and Goodwill
Wireless licenses and goodwill are a significant component of our consolidated assets. Both our wireless licenses and goodwill are treated as indefinite-lived intangible assets and, therefore are not amortized, but rather are tested for impairment annually in the fourth fiscal quarter, unless there are events requiring an earlier assessment or changes in circumstances during an interim period suggesting impairment indicators are present. We believe our estimates and assumptions are reasonable and represent appropriate marketplace considerations as of the valuation date. Although we use consistent methodologies in developing the assumptions and estimates underlying the fair value calculations used in our impairment tests, these estimates and assumptions are uncertain by nature, may change over time and can vary from actual results. It is possible that in the future there may be changes in our estimates and assumptions, including the timing and amount of future cash flows, margins, growth rates, market participant assumptions, comparable benchmark companies and related multiples and discount rates, which could result in different fair value estimates. Significant and adverse changes to any one or more of the above-noted estimates and assumptions could result in an impairment to our wireless licenses and goodwill impairment for one or more of our reporting units.
Wireless Licenses
The carrying value of our wireless licenses was approximately $156.6 billion as of December 31, 2024. We aggregate our wireless licenses into one single unit of accounting, as we utilize our wireless licenses on an integrated basis as part of our nationwide wireless network. Our wireless licenses provide us with the exclusive right to utilize certain radio frequency spectrum to provide wireless communication services. There are currently no legal, regulatory, contractual, competitive, economic or other factors that limit the useful life of our wireless licenses.
We test our wireless licenses for potential impairment annually or more frequently if impairment indicators are present. We have the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test. However, we may elect to bypass the qualitative assessment in any period and proceed directly to performing the quantitative impairment test. It is our policy to perform quantitative impairment assessment at least every three years.
Our quantitative impairment assessment consisted of comparing the estimated fair value of our aggregate wireless licenses to the aggregated carrying amount as of the test date. Under our quantitative assessment, we estimated the fair value of our wireless licenses using the Greenfield approach. The Greenfield approach is an income based valuation approach that values the wireless licenses by calculating the cash flow generating potential of a hypothetical start-up company that goes into business with no assets except the wireless licenses to be valued. A discounted cash flow analysis is used to estimate what a marketplace participant would be willing to pay to purchase the aggregated wireless licenses as of the valuation date. As a result, we were required to make significant estimates about future cash flows and profitability specifically associated with our wireless licenses, an appropriate discount rate based on the risk associated with those estimated cash flows and assumed terminal value and growth rates. We considered current and expected future economic conditions, current and expected availability of wireless network technology and infrastructure and related equipment and the costs thereof as well as other relevant factors in estimating future cash flows and profitability. The discount rate represented our estimate of the weighted-average cost of capital (WACC), or expected return, that a marketplace participant would have required as of the valuation date and includes a risk premium associated with the current and expected economic conditions as of the valuation date. We developed the discount rate based on our consideration of the cost of debt and equity of a group of guideline companies as of the valuation date. The terminal value growth rate represented our estimate of the marketplace's long-term growth rate.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, we performed a qualitative impairment assessment as our annual impairment test to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of our wireless licenses was less than the carrying amount. As part of our qualitative assessment we considered several factors including the enterprise value of our combined wireless business, macroeconomic conditions (including changes in interest rates and discount rates), industry and market considerations (including industry revenue and EBITDA margin results, projections and recent merger and acquisition activity), the recent and projected financial performance of our combined wireless business as a whole, as well as other factors including the result of our last quantitative assessment performed in 2021. Our annual impairment test in 2023 indicated that it is more likely than not that the fair value of our wireless licenses remained above their carrying value and, therefore, did not result in an impairment.
During the fourth quarter of 2024, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment in accordance with our policy. The quantitative impairment assessment we performed during the fourth quarter of 2024 indicated that the fair value of our wireless licenses is substantially in excess of their carrying value and, therefore, did not result in an impairment. In the event of a 10% decline in the fair value of our wireless licenses, the fair value would have still exceeded their carrying value. We do not believe reasonable changes in significant estimates would change the outcome to this quantitative assessment. For instance, if either the terminal value growth rate declined by 50 basis points (bps) or if the WACC increased by 50 bps, the fair value of wireless licenses would still exceed their carrying value.
Goodwill
At both December 31, 2024 and 2023, the balance of our goodwill was approximately $22.8 billion, of which $21.2 billion was in our Consumer reporting unit and $1.7 billion was in our Business reporting unit.
To determine if goodwill is potentially impaired, we have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If we elect not to conduct the qualitative assessment or if indications of a potential impairment exist, the determination of whether an impairment has occurred requires the fair value of each reporting unit to be assessed. It is our policy to perform quantitative impairment assessments at least every three years.
Under the qualitative assessment, we consider several factors, including the enterprise value of the reporting unit from the last quantitative test and the excess of fair value over carrying value from this test, macroeconomic conditions (including changes in interest rates and discount rates), industry and market considerations (including industry revenue and EBITDA margin results, projections and recent merger and acquisition activity), the recent and projected financial performance of the reporting unit, as well as other factors.
Under the quantitative assessment, the fair value of the reporting unit is calculated using an average of the market approach and a discounted cash flow method, as a form of the income approach. The market approach includes the use of comparative multiples to complement discounted cash flow results. The discounted cash flow method is based on the present value of two
components-projected cash flows and a terminal value. The terminal value represents the expected normalized future cash flows of the reporting unit beyond the cash flows from the discrete projection period. The fair value of the reporting unit using the income approach is calculated based on the sum of the present value of the cash flows from the discrete period and the present value of the terminal value. The discount rate represents our estimate of the WACC, or expected return, that a marketplace participant would have required as of the valuation date. The application of our goodwill impairment test requires key assumptions underlying our valuation model. The discounted cash flow analysis factors in assumptions on discount rates and terminal growth rates to reflect risk profiles of key strategic revenue and cost initiatives, as well as revenue and EBITDA growth relative to history and market trends and expectations. The market multiples approach reflects significant judgment involved in the selection of comparable public company multiples and benchmarks. The selection of companies and multiples is influenced by differences in growth and profitability, and volatility in market prices of peer companies. These valuation inputs are inherently judgmental, and an adverse change in one or a combination of these inputs could result in a goodwill impairment.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, we performed a qualitative impairment assessment for our Consumer reporting unit. Our qualitative assessment indicated that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our Consumer reporting unit exceeded its carrying value and, therefore, did not result in an impairment.
During the fourth quarter of 2024, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment for our Consumer reporting unit in accordance with our policy. We applied a combination of a market approach and a discounted cash flow method reflecting current assumptions and inputs, including our revised projections, discount rate and expected growth rates. Our assessment indicated that the fair value of our Consumer reporting unit substantially exceeded its carrying value and, therefore, did not result in an impairment. In the event of a 10% decline in the fair value of our Consumer reporting unit, the fair value of the Consumer reporting unit would have still exceeded its book value. We do not believe reasonable changes in significant assumptions would change the outcome to this quantitative assessment. For instance, if either the terminal value growth rate declined by 50 bps or if the discount rate increased by 50 bps, the fair value of our Consumer reporting unit would still exceed its carrying value.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment for our Business reporting unit given the low excess of fair value over carrying value identified in our 2022 annual impairment assessment and increased competitive and market pressures experienced throughout 2023. These pressures resulted in lower projected cash flows primarily driven by secular declines in wireline services and products across our Business customer groups. In connection with Verizon’s annual budget process in the fourth quarter of 2023, leadership completed a comprehensive five-year strategic planning review of our Business reporting unit resulting in declines in financial projections driven by market dynamics as compared to the prior year five-year strategic planning cycle. The revised projections were used as a key input into the Business reporting unit’s annual goodwill impairment test performed in the fourth quarter of 2023. In addition, changes in the macroeconomic environment, including interest rate and inflationary pressures also impacted the fair value of the reporting unit. We applied a combination of a market approach and a discounted cash flow method reflecting current assumptions and inputs, including our revised projections, discount rate and expected growth rates, which resulted in the determination that the fair value of our Business reporting unit was less than its carrying amount. As a result, in the fourth quarter of 2023, we recorded a noncash goodwill impairment charge of approximately $5.8 billion ($5.8 billion after-tax) in our consolidated statement of income. The goodwill balance of the Business reporting unit was approximately $7.5 billion prior to the occurrence of this impairment charge.
During the fourth quarter of 2024, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment for our Business reporting unit given the impairment of the Business reporting unit's goodwill in the prior year. In addition, the Business reporting unit has continued to experience competitive and market pressures throughout 2024, that may persist over the near term. We applied a combination of a market approach and a discounted cash flow method reflecting current assumptions and inputs, including our revised projections, discount rate and expected growth rates, which indicated that the fair value of our Business reporting unit exceeded its carrying value and, therefore, did not result in an impairment. At the goodwill impairment measurement date of October 31, 2024, our Business reporting unit had a fair value that exceeded its carrying amount by approximately 8% and remains susceptible to future impairment risk. We do not anticipate reasonable changes in significant assumptions to change the outcome of the quantitative impairment assessment. For instance, if either the terminal value growth rate declined by 50 bps, or if the discount rate increased by 50 bps, or if the EBITDA margin decreased by 100 basis points, the fair value of our Business reporting unit would still exceed its carrying value. However, management believes there is a continued risk that our Business reporting unit may be required to recognize an impairment charge in the future. As of December 31, 2024, $1.7 billion of goodwill was allocated to our Business reporting unit. See Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
A projected sustained decline in the reporting unit's revenues and earnings could have a significant negative impact on its fair value and could result in future impairment charges. Such a decline could be driven by, among other things: (1) decreases in sales volumes or long-term growth rate as a result of competitive pressures or other factors; or (2) the reporting unit's inability to achieve or delays in achieving its goals or strategic initiatives. Adverse changes to macroeconomic factors, such as increases in long-term interest rates, would also negatively impact the fair value of the reporting unit.
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans
We maintain benefit plans for most of our employees, including, for certain employees, pension and other postretirement benefit plans. Benefit plan assumptions, including the discount rate used, the long-term rate of return on plan assets, the determination of the substantive plan and health care trend rates are periodically updated and impact the amount of benefit plan income,
expense, assets and obligations. Changes to one or more of these assumptions could significantly impact our accounting for pension and other postretirement benefits.
In determining pension and other postretirement obligations, the weighted-average discount rate was selected to approximate the composite interest rates available on a selection of high-quality bonds available in the market at December 31, 2024. The bonds selected had maturities that coincided with the time periods during which benefit payments are expected to occur, were non-callable (or callable with certain selection criteria met) and available in sufficient quantities to ensure marketability (at least $300 million par outstanding). Bond yields are subject to uncertainty for a number of reasons including corporate performance, credit rating downgrades and upgrades, government fiscal policy decisions, and general market volatility. The expected long-term rates of return on plan assets used in determining Verizon’s pension and other postretirement obligations are based on expectations for future investment returns for the plans’ asset allocation. The rates are subject to uncertainty for a number of reasons including corporate performance, credit ratings, monetary policy, inflation, exchange rates, investor behavior and general market volatility.
A sensitivity analysis of the impact of changes in the discount rate and the long-term rate of return on plan assets on the benefit obligations and expense (income) recorded, as well as an increase or a decrease in the actual versus expected return on plan assets as of December 31, 2024 and for the year then ended pertaining to Verizon’s pension and postretirement benefit plans, is provided in the table below. The amounts in the table below related to discount rate changes are gross impacts on benefit obligations and expense, and do not reflect changes in asset values as a result of interest rate changes, for which our pension plan is highly hedged.
(dollars in millions) Percentage point
change Increase/(Decrease) at December 31, 2024
Pension plans discount rate +0.50 $ (410)
-0.50 451
Rate of return on pension plan assets +1.00 (78)
-1.00 78
Postretirement plans discount rate +0.50 (450)
-0.50 486
Rate of return on postretirement plan assets +1.00 (4)
-1.00 4
In addition to our liability hedging assets, we also employ an interest rate hedging strategy to further minimize the impact of discount rate changes on the funded ratio of the pension plan. While the target hedge ratio varies depending on the funded status of the plan and the level of interest rates, the target hedge ratio was 60% at December 31, 2024, limiting volatility.
The annual measurement date for both our pension and other postretirement benefits is December 31. We use the full yield curve approach to estimate the interest cost component of net periodic benefit cost for pension and other postretirement benefits. The full yield curve approach refines our estimate of interest cost by applying the individual spot rates from a yield curve composed of the rates of return on several hundred high-quality fixed income corporate bonds available at the measurement date. These individual spot rates align with the timing of each future cash outflow for benefit payments and therefore provide a more precise estimate of interest cost.
See Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Income Taxes
Our current and deferred income taxes and associated valuation allowances are impacted by events and transactions arising in the normal course of business as well as in connection with the adoption of new accounting standards, changes in tax laws and rates, acquisitions and dispositions of businesses and non-recurring items. As a global commercial enterprise, our income tax rate and the classification of income taxes can be affected by many factors, including estimates of the timing and realization of deferred income tax assets and the timing and amount of income tax payments. We account for tax benefits taken or expected to be taken in our tax returns in accordance with the accounting standard relating to the uncertainty in income taxes, which requires the use of a two-step approach for recognizing and measuring tax benefits taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. We review and adjust our liability for unrecognized tax benefits based on our best judgment given the facts, circumstances and information available at each reporting date. To the extent that the final outcome of these tax positions is different than the amounts recorded, such differences may impact income tax expense and actual tax payments. We recognize any interest and penalties accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Actual tax payments may materially differ from estimated liabilities as a result of changes in tax laws as well as unanticipated transactions impacting related income tax balances. See Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Property, Plant and Equipment
Our Property, plant and equipment balance represents a significant component of our consolidated assets. We record property, plant and equipment at cost. We depreciate property, plant and equipment on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the assets. The estimated useful life is subject to change due to a variety of factors such as change in asset capacity or
performance, technical obsolescence, market expectations and competitive impacts. In connection with our ongoing review of the estimated useful lives of property, plant and equipment during 2024, we determined that the estimated useful life of our property, plant and equipment would remain unchanged. We expect that a one year increase in estimated useful lives of our property, plant and equipment would result in a decrease to our 2024 depreciation expense of $2.4 billion and that a one year decrease would result in an increase of approximately $3.6 billion in our 2024 depreciation expense.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable are recorded at amortized cost less an allowance for credit losses that are not expected to be recovered. The gross amount of accounts receivable and corresponding allowance for credit losses are presented separately in the consolidated balance sheets. We maintain allowances for credit losses resulting from the expected failure or inability of our customers to make required payments. We recognize the allowance for credit losses at inception and reassess quarterly based on management’s expectation of the asset’s collectability. The allowance is based on multiple factors including historical experience with bad debts, the credit quality of the customer base, the aging of such receivables and current macroeconomic conditions, as well as management’s expectations of conditions in the future, as applicable. The impact of these factors on the allowance involves significant level of estimation and is subject to uncertainty. Our allowance for credit losses is based on management’s assessment of the collectability of assets pooled together with similar risk characteristics.
We record an allowance to reduce the receivables to the amount that is expected to be collectible. For device payment plan agreement receivables, we record bad debt expense based on a default and loss calculation using our proprietary loss model. The expected loss rate is determined based on customer credit scores and other qualitative factors as noted above. The loss rate is assigned individually on a customer by customer basis and the custom credit scores are then aggregated by vintage and used in our proprietary loss model to calculate the weighted-average loss rate used for determining the allowance balance. The weighted-average expected loss rate increased 0.75% at December 31, 2024 as compared to the rate at December 31, 2023. We expect that an increase or decrease of 0.25% in the weighted-average loss rate would result in a change of $160 million in bad debt expense.
We monitor the collectability of our wireless service receivables as one overall pool. Wireline service receivables are disaggregated and pooled by the following types of customers and related contracts: consumer, small and medium business, enterprise, public sector and wholesale. For wireless service receivables and wireline consumer and small and medium business receivables, the allowance is calculated based on a 12 month rolling average write-off balance multiplied by the average life-cycle of an account from billing to write-off. The risk of loss is assessed over the contractual life of the receivables and is adjusted based on the historical loss amounts for current and future conditions based on management’s qualitative considerations. For enterprise, public sector and wholesale wireline receivables, the allowance for credit losses is based on historical write-off experience and individual customer credit risk, if applicable. We consider multiple factors in determining the allowance as discussed above.
If there is a deterioration of our customers’ financial condition or if future actual default rates on receivables in general differ from those currently anticipated, we may have to adjust our allowance for credit losses, which would affect earnings in the period the adjustments are made. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Acquisitions and Divestitures
Spectrum License Transactions
From time to time we enter into agreements to buy, sell or exchange spectrum licenses. We believe these spectrum license transactions have allowed us to continue to enhance the reliability of our wireless network while also resulting in a more efficient use of spectrum.
In February 2021, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concluded Auction 107 for C-Band wireless spectrum. In accordance with the rules applicable to the auction, Verizon is required to make payments for our allocable share of clearing costs incurred by, and incentive payments due to, the incumbent license holders associated with the auction, which are estimated to be $7.5 billion. During 2024, 2023 and 2022, we made payments of $269 million, $4.3 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively, for obligations related to clearing costs and accelerated clearing incentives. The carrying value of the wireless spectrum won in Auction 107 consists of all payments required to participate and purchase licenses in the auction, including Verizon’s allocable share of clearing costs incurred by, and incentive payments due to, the incumbent license holders associated with the auction that we are obligated to pay in order to acquire the licenses, as well as capitalized interest to the extent qualifying activities have occurred.
In March 2022, Verizon signed agreements with satellite operators in which operators agreed to clear C-Band spectrum in certain markets and frequencies ahead of the previously expected timeframe. During 2022, Verizon incurred costs associated with these agreements of approximately $340 million, of which $310 million was paid as of December 31, 2022 and the remainder was paid in 2023. This early clearance accelerated Verizon's access to more spectrum in a number of key markets to support its 5G network initiatives.
On October 17, 2024, Verizon entered into a license purchase agreement to acquire select spectrum licenses of United States Cellular Corporation and certain of its subsidiaries (UScellular) for total consideration of $1.0 billion, subject to certain potential adjustments. The closing of this transaction is subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, including the consummation of UScellular's proposed sale of its wireless operations and select spectrum assets to T-Mobile US, Inc., and the termination of certain post-closing arrangements with respect to that sale.
See Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding our spectrum license transactions.
TracFone Wireless, Inc.
On November 23, 2021 (the Acquisition Date), we completed the acquisition of TracFone. Verizon acquired all of TracFone's outstanding stock in exchange for approximately $3.5 billion in cash, net of cash acquired and working capital and other adjustments, 57,596,544 shares of common stock of the Company valued at approximately $3.0 billion, and up to an additional $650 million in future cash contingent consideration related to the achievement of certain performance measures and other commercial arrangements. The fair value of the common stock was determined on the basis of its closing market price on the Acquisition Date. The estimated fair value of the contingent consideration as of the Acquisition Date was approximately $560 million and represented a Level 3 measurement. The contingent consideration payable was based on the achievement of certain revenue and operational targets, measured over a two year earn out period. Contingent consideration payments were completed in January of 2024.
During 2024 and 2023, Verizon made payments of $52 million and $257 million, respectively, related to the contingent consideration, which are reflected in Cash flows from financing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows. See Note 3 and Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Frontier Communications Parent, Inc.
On September 4, 2024, Verizon entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the Merger Agreement) to acquire Frontier, a U.S. provider of broadband internet and other communication services. The transaction is structured as a merger of the Company's subsidiary with and into Frontier, as a result of which Frontier will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and shares of Frontier common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of merger (subject to certain limited exceptions) will be cancelled and converted into the right to receive a per share merger consideration of $38.50, in cash. In November 2024, Frontier shareholders approved the transaction. Consummation of the transaction is subject to the receipt of certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Under certain circumstances, if the Merger Agreement is terminated, Frontier may be required to pay Verizon a termination fee of $320 million. Under certain other specified circumstances, Verizon may be required to pay Frontier a termination fee of $590 million.

---

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are exposed to various types of market risk in the normal course of business, including the impact of interest rate changes, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, changes in investment, equity and commodity prices and changes in corporate tax rates. We employ risk management strategies, which may include the use of a variety of derivatives including cross currency swaps, forward starting interest rate swaps, interest rate swaps, interest rate caps, treasury rate locks and foreign exchange forwards. We do not hold derivatives for trading purposes.
It is our general policy to enter into interest rate, foreign currency and other derivative transactions only to the extent necessary to achieve our desired objectives in optimizing exposure to various market risks. Our objectives include maintaining a mix of fixed and variable rate debt to lower borrowing costs within reasonable risk parameters and to protect against earnings and cash flow volatility resulting from changes in market conditions. We do not hedge our market risk exposure in a manner that would completely eliminate the effect of changes in interest rates and foreign exchange rates on our earnings.
Counterparties to our derivative contracts are major financial institutions with whom we have negotiated derivatives agreements (ISDA master agreements) and credit support annex (CSA) agreements which provide rules for collateral exchange. The CSA agreements contain fixed cap amounts or rating based thresholds such that we or our counterparties may be required to hold or post collateral based upon changes in outstanding positions as compared to established thresholds or caps and changes in credit ratings. We do not offset fair value amounts recognized for derivative instruments and fair value amounts recognized for the right to reclaim cash collateral or the obligation to return cash collateral arising from derivative instruments recognized at fair value. At both December 31, 2024 and 2023, we did not hold any collateral. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, we posted $2.1 billion and $1.4 billion, respectively, of collateral related to derivative contracts under collateral exchange agreements, which were recorded as Prepaid expenses and other in our consolidated balance sheets. While we may be exposed to credit losses due to the nonperformance of our counterparties, we consider the risk remote and do not expect that any such nonperformance would result in a significant effect on our results of operations or financial condition due to our diversified pool of counterparties. See Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding the derivative portfolio.
Interest Rate Risk
We are exposed to changes in interest rates, primarily on our short-term debt and the portion of long-term debt that carries floating interest rates. As of December 31, 2024, approximately 76% of the aggregate principal amount of our total debt portfolio consisted of fixed-rate indebtedness, including the effect of interest rate swap agreements designated as hedges. The impact of a 100-basis-point change in interest rates affecting our floating rate debt would result in a change in annual interest expense, including our interest rate swap agreements that are designated as hedges, of approximately $362 million. The interest rates on our existing long-term debt obligations are unaffected by changes to our credit ratings.
The table that follows summarizes the fair values of our long-term debt, including current maturities, and interest rate swap derivatives as of December 31, 2024 and 2023. The table also provides a sensitivity analysis of the estimated fair values of these financial instruments assuming 100-basis-point upward and downward shifts in the yield curve. Our sensitivity analysis does not include the fair values of our commercial paper and bank loans, if any, because they are not significantly affected by changes in market interest rates.
(dollars in millions)
Long-term debt and related derivatives Fair Value Fair Value assuming
+ 100 basis point shift Fair Value assuming
- 100 basis point shift
At December 31, 2024 $ 142,201 $ 135,521 $ 149,956
At December 31, 2023 150,058 142,551 158,912
Interest Rate Swaps
We enter into interest rate swaps to achieve a targeted mix of fixed and variable rate debt. We principally receive fixed rates and pay variable rates, resulting in a net increase or decrease to Interest expense. These swaps are designated as fair value hedges and hedge against interest rate risk exposure of designated debt issuances. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, the fair value of the liability of these contracts was $5.3 billion and $4.5 billion, respectively. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, the total notional amount of the interest rate swaps was $24.0 billion and $26.1 billion, respectively.
Foreign Currency Risk
The functional currency for our foreign operations is primarily the local currency. The translation of income statement and balance sheet amounts of our foreign operations into U.S. dollars is recorded as cumulative translation adjustments, which are included in Accumulated other comprehensive loss in our consolidated balance sheets. Gains and losses on foreign currency transactions are recorded in the consolidated statements of income. At December 31, 2024, our primary translation exposure was to the British Pound Sterling, Euro, Australian Dollar and Swedish Krona.
Cross Currency Swaps
We have entered into cross currency swaps to exchange our British Pound Sterling, Euro, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar-denominated cash flows into U.S. dollars and to fix our cash payments in U.S. dollars, as well as to mitigate the impact of foreign currency transaction gains or losses. The fair value of the asset of these contracts was $500 million and $762 million at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, the fair value of the liability of these contracts was $2.7 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, the total notional amount of the cross currency swaps was $32.1 billion and $33.5 billion, respectively.
Foreign Exchange Forwards
We also have foreign exchange forwards which we use as an economic hedge but for which we have elected not to apply hedge accounting. We entered into British Pound Sterling and Euro foreign exchange forwards to mitigate our foreign exchange rate risk related to non-functional currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities of international subsidiaries.
At both December 31, 2024 and 2023, the fair value of the asset and liability of these contracts was insignificant. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, the total notional amount of the foreign exchange forwards was $620 million and $1.1 billion, respectively.

---

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Verizon Communications Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We have audited Verizon Communications Inc. and subsidiaries’ (Verizon) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Verizon maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of Verizon as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows, and changes in equity for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2024, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) and our report dated February 12, 2025 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
Verizon’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on Verizon’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to Verizon in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Ernst & Young LLP
New York, New York
February 12, 2025
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Verizon Communications Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Verizon Communications Inc. and subsidiaries (Verizon or the Company) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows, and changes in equity for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2024, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Verizon at December 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2024, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), Verizon’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated February 12, 2025 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of Verizon’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on Verizon’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to Verizon in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Valuation of Employee Benefit Obligations
Description of the Matter The Company sponsors several pension plans and other post-employment benefit plans. At December 31, 2024, the Company’s aggregate defined benefit pension obligation was $7.9 billion and exceeded the fair value of pension plan assets of $6.8 billion, resulting in an unfunded defined benefit pension obligation of $1.1 billion. Also, at December 31, 2024, the other postretirement benefits obligation was approximately $10.5 billion. As explained in Note 11 of the consolidated financial statements, the Company updates the estimates used to measure employee benefit obligations and plan assets in the fourth quarter and upon a remeasurement event to reflect the actual return on plan assets and updated actuarial assumptions.
Auditing the employee benefit obligations was complex due to the highly judgmental nature of the actuarial assumption relating to the discount rates used in the measurement process. This assumption had a significant effect on the projected benefit obligations.
How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit We obtained an understanding, evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of controls over the employee benefits obligation valuation process. For example, we tested controls over management’s review of the employee benefit obligation calculations, the actuarial assumption relating to the discount rates and the data inputs provided to the actuary.
To test the employee benefit obligations, our audit procedures included, among others, evaluating the methodologies used, the actuarial assumption relating to the discount rates and the underlying data used by the Company. We compared the actuarial assumption used by management to historical trends, current economic factors and evaluated the change in the employee benefit obligations from prior year due to the change in service cost, interest cost, actuarial gains and losses, benefit payments, contributions and other activities. In addition, we involved an actuarial specialist to assist in evaluating management’s methodology for determining the discount rates that reflect the maturity and duration of the benefit payments and are used to measure the employee benefit obligations. As part of this assessment, we compared the projected cash flows to prior year projections and compared the current year benefits paid to the prior year projected cash flows. We also tested the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as Verizon's auditor since 2000.
New York, New York
February 12, 2025
Consolidated Statements of Income
Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries
(dollars in millions, except per share amounts)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Operating Revenues
Service revenues and other
$ 111,571 $ 109,652 $ 109,625
Wireless equipment revenues
23,217 24,322 27,210
Total Operating Revenues 134,788 133,974 136,835
Operating Expenses
Cost of services (exclusive of items shown below)
27,997 28,100 28,637
Cost of wireless equipment
26,100 26,787 30,496
Selling, general and administrative expense 34,113 32,745 30,136
Depreciation and amortization expense
17,892 17,624 17,099
Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment - 5,841 -
Total Operating Expenses 106,102 111,097 106,368
Operating Income 28,686 22,877 30,467
Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated businesses (53) (53) 44
Other income (expense), net 995 (313) 1,373
Interest expense (6,649) (5,524) (3,613)
Income Before Provision For Income Taxes 22,979 16,987 28,271
Provision for income taxes (5,030) (4,892) (6,523)
Net Income $ 17,949 $ 12,095 $ 21,748
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests $ 443 $ 481 $ 492
Net income attributable to Verizon 17,506 11,614 21,256
Net Income $ 17,949 $ 12,095 $ 21,748
Basic Earnings Per Common Share
Net income attributable to Verizon $ 4.15 $ 2.76 $ 5.06
Weighted-average shares outstanding (in millions) 4,218 4,211 4,202
Diluted Earnings Per Common Share
Net income attributable to Verizon $ 4.14 $ 2.75 $ 5.06
Weighted-average shares outstanding (in millions) 4,223 4,215 4,204
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Net Income $ 17,949 $ 12,095 $ 21,748
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax (Expense) Benefit
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $(13), $6 and $(13)
(97) 62 (153)
Unrealized gain on cash flow hedges, net of tax of $(27), $(30) and $(111)
81 88 322
Unrealized gain (loss) on fair value hedges, net of tax of $(162), $(181) and $148
484 536 (431)
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities, net of tax of $1, $(2) and $8
(3) 7 (25)
Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans, net of tax of $4, $68 and $221
(8) (208) (651)
Other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Verizon 457 485 (938)
Total Comprehensive Income $ 18,406 $ 12,580 $ 20,810
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests $ 443 $ 481 $ 492
Comprehensive income attributable to Verizon 17,963 12,099 20,318
Total Comprehensive Income $ 18,406 $ 12,580 $ 20,810
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries
(dollars in millions, except per share amounts)
At December 31, 2024 2023
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 4,194 $ 2,065
Accounts receivable 27,261 26,102
Less Allowance for credit losses
1,152 1,017
Accounts receivable, net 26,109 25,085
Inventories 2,247 2,057
Prepaid expenses and other 7,973 7,607
Total current assets 40,523 36,814
Property, plant and equipment 331,406 320,108
Less Accumulated depreciation 222,884 211,798
Property, plant and equipment, net 108,522 108,310
Investments in unconsolidated businesses 842 953
Wireless licenses 156,613 155,667
Goodwill 22,841 22,843
Other intangible assets, net 11,129 11,057
Operating lease right-of-use assets 24,472 24,726
Other assets 19,769 19,885
Total assets $ 384,711 $ 380,255
Liabilities and Equity
Current liabilities
Debt maturing within one year $ 22,633 $ 12,973
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 23,374 23,453
Current operating lease liabilities 4,415 4,266
Other current liabilities 14,349 12,531
Total current liabilities 64,771 53,223
Long-term debt 121,381 137,701
Employee benefit obligations 11,997 13,189
Deferred income taxes 46,732 45,781
Non-current operating lease liabilities 19,928 20,002
Other liabilities 19,327 16,560
Total long-term liabilities 219,365 233,233
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 16)
Equity
Series preferred stock ($0.10 par value; 250,000,000 shares authorized; none issued)
- -
Common stock ($0.10 par value; 6,250,000,000 shares authorized in each period; 4,291,433,646 shares issued in each period)
429 429
Additional paid in capital 13,466 13,631
Retained earnings 89,110 82,915
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (923) (1,380)
Common stock in treasury, at cost (81,753,488 and 87,172,997 shares outstanding)
(3,583) (3,821)
Deferred compensation - employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and other 738 656
Noncontrolling interests 1,338 1,369
Total equity 100,575 93,799
Total liabilities and equity $ 384,711 $ 380,255
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net Income $ 17,949 $ 12,095 $ 21,748
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense 17,892 17,624 17,099
Employee retirement benefits (52) 1,206 (2,046)
Deferred income taxes 815 2,388 2,973
Provision for expected credit losses 2,338 2,214 1,611
Equity in losses (earnings) of unconsolidated businesses, net of dividends received 75 84 (10)
Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment - 5,841 -
Changes in current assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisition/disposition of businesses:
Accounts receivable (2,565) (2,198) (1,978)
Inventories (196) 287 627
Prepaid expenses and other (626) (435) 928
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities and Other current liabilities 1,109 2,079 (33)
Other, net 173 (3,710) (3,778)
Net cash provided by operating activities 36,912 37,475 37,141
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Capital expenditures (including capitalized software) (17,090) (18,767) (23,087)
Cash received (paid) related to acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired - (30) 248
Acquisitions of wireless licenses (900) (5,796) (3,653)
Collateral receipts (payments) related to derivative contracts, net (712) 880 (2,265)
Proceeds from disposition of business - - 33
Other, net 28 281 62
Net cash used in investing activities (18,674) (23,432) (28,662)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Proceeds from long-term borrowings 3,146 2,018 7,074
Proceeds from asset-backed long-term borrowings 12,422 6,594 10,732
Net proceeds from (repayments of) short-term commercial paper - (150) 106
Repayments of long-term borrowings and finance lease obligations (11,854) (6,181) (8,616)
Repayments of asset-backed long-term borrowings (8,490) (4,443) (4,948)
Dividends paid (11,249) (11,025) (10,805)
Other, net (1,075) (1,470) (2,072)
Net cash used in financing activities (17,100) (14,657) (8,529)
Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 1,138 (614) (50)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period 3,497 4,111 4,161
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period (Note 1) $ 4,635 $ 3,497 $ 4,111
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries
(dollars in millions, except per share amounts, and shares in thousands)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Shares Amount Shares Amount Shares Amount
Common Stock
Balance at beginning of year 4,291,434 $ 429 4,291,434 $ 429 4,291,434 $ 429
Balance at end of year 4,291,434 429 4,291,434 429 4,291,434 429
Additional Paid In Capital
Balance at beginning of year 13,631 13,420 13,861
Other (Note 14)
(165) 211 (441)
Balance at end of year 13,466 13,631 13,420
Retained Earnings
Balance at beginning of year 82,915 82,380 71,993
Net income attributable to Verizon 17,506 11,614 21,256
Dividends declared ($2.685, $2.635, $2.585 per share)
(11,306) (11,082) (10,860)
Other (5) 3 (9)
Balance at end of year 89,110 82,915 82,380
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Balance at beginning of year attributable to Verizon
(1,380) (1,865) (927)
Foreign currency translation adjustments (97) 62 (153)
Unrealized gain on cash flow hedges 81 88 322
Unrealized gain (loss) on fair value hedges 484 536 (431)
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities (3) 7 (25)
Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans (8) (208) (651)
Other comprehensive income (loss) 457 485 (938)
Balance at end of year attributable to Verizon
(923) (1,380) (1,865)
Treasury Stock
Balance at beginning of year (87,173) (3,821) (91,572) (4,013) (93,635) (4,104)
Employee plans (Note 14) 5,407 237 4,380 191 2,048 90
Shareholder plans (Note 14) 13 1 19 1 15 1
Balance at end of year (81,753) (3,583) (87,173) (3,821) (91,572) (4,013)
Deferred Compensation-ESOPs and Other
Balance at beginning of year 656 793 538
Restricted stock equity grant 447 296 423
Amortization (365) (433) (168)
Balance at end of year 738 656 793
Noncontrolling Interests
Balance at beginning of year 1,369 1,319 1,410
Total comprehensive income 443 481 492
Distributions and other (Note 14)
(474) (431) (583)
Balance at end of year 1,338 1,369 1,319
Total Equity $ 100,575 $ 93,799 $ 92,463
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries
Note 1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Description of Business
Verizon Communications Inc. (the Company) is a holding company that, acting through its subsidiaries (together with the Company, collectively, Verizon), is one of the world’s leading providers of communications, technology, information and streaming products and services to consumers, businesses and government entities. With a presence around the world, we offer data, video and voice services and solutions on our networks and platforms that are designed to meet customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security.
We have two reportable segments that we operate and manage as strategic business units - Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).
Our Consumer segment provides consumer-focused wireless and wireline communications services and products. Our wireless services are provided across one of the most extensive wireless networks in the United States (U.S.) under the Verizon family of brands and through wholesale and other arrangements. We also provide fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband through our fifth-generation (5G) or fourth-generation (4G) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks as an alternative to traditional landline internet access. Our wireline services are provided in nine states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S., as well as Washington D.C., over our 100% fiber-optic network through our Verizon Fios product portfolio and over a traditional copper-based network to customers who are not served by Fios.
Our Business segment provides wireless and wireline communications services and products, including FWA broadband, data, video and advanced communication services, corporate networking solutions, security and managed network services, local and long distance voice services and network access to deliver various Internet of Things (IoT) services and products. We provide these products and services to businesses, public sector customers and wireless and wireline carriers across the U.S. and a subset of these products and services to customers around the world.
Consolidation
The method of accounting applied to investments, whether consolidated or equity, involves an evaluation of all significant terms of the investments that explicitly grant or suggest evidence of control or influence over the operations of the investee. The consolidated financial statements include our controlled subsidiaries, as well as variable interest entities (VIE) where we are deemed to be the primary beneficiary. For controlled subsidiaries that are not wholly-owned, the noncontrolling interests are included in Net income and Total equity. Investments in businesses that we do not control, but have the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies, are accounted for using the equity method. Equity method investments are included in Investments in unconsolidated businesses in our consolidated balance sheets. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
Basis of Presentation
We have reclassified certain prior year amounts to conform to the current year presentation.
Use of Estimates
We prepare our financial statements using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts and disclosures. These estimates and assumptions take into account historical and forward-looking factors that the Company believes are reasonable. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Examples of significant estimates include the allowance for credit losses, the recoverability of property, plant and equipment and other long-lived assets, the incremental borrowing rate for the lease liability, fair value measurements, including those related to financial instruments, goodwill, spectrum licenses and intangible assets, unrecognized tax benefits, valuation allowances on tax assets, pension and postretirement benefit obligations, contingencies and the identification and valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with business combinations.
Revenue Recognition
We earn revenue from contracts with customers, primarily through the provision of telecommunications and other services and through the sale of wireless equipment. These services include a variety of communication and connectivity services for our Consumer and Business customers including other carriers that use our facilities to provide services to their customers, as well as professional and integrated managed services for our large enterprise and government customers. We account for these revenues under Topic 606.
We also earn revenues that are not accounted for under Topic 606 from leasing arrangements (such as those for towers and equipment), captive reinsurance arrangements primarily related to wireless device insurance and the interest recognized when equipment is sold to the customer by an authorized agent under a device payment plan agreement.
Nature of Products and Services
Telecommunications
Service
We offer wireless services through a variety of plans on a postpaid or prepaid basis. For wireless service, we recognize revenue using an output method, either as the service allowance units are used or as time elapses, because it reflects the pattern by which we satisfy our performance obligation through the transfer of service to the customer. Monthly service is generally billed in advance, which results in a contract liability. See Note 2 for additional information. For postpaid plans, where monthly usage exceeds the allowance, the overage usage represents options held by the customer for incremental services and the usage-based fee is recognized when the customer exercises the option (typically on a month-to-month basis).
For our contracts related to wireline communication and connectivity services, in general, fixed monthly fees for service are billed one month in advance, which results in a contract liability, and service revenue is recognized over the enforceable contract term as the service is rendered, as the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits of the services through network access and usage. While substantially all of our wireline service revenue contracts are the result of providing access to our networks, revenue from services that are not fixed in amount and, instead, are based on usage are generally billed in arrears and recognized as the usage occurs.
Equipment
We sell wireless devices and accessories under the Verizon brand and other brands. Equipment revenue is generally recognized when the products are delivered to and accepted by the customer, as this is when control passes to the customer. In addition to offering the sale of equipment on a standalone basis, we have two primary offerings through which customers pay for a wireless device, in connection with a service contract: fixed-term plans (for our Business customers) and device payment plans.
Under a fixed-term plan, the customer is sold the wireless device without any upfront charge or at a discounted price in exchange for entering into a fixed-term service contract (typically for a term of 36 months or less).
Under a device payment plan, the customer is sold the wireless device in exchange for a non-interest-bearing installment note, which is repaid by the customer, typically over a 36-month term, and concurrently enters into a month-to-month contract for wireless service. We may offer certain promotions that provide billing credits applied over a specified term, contingent upon the customer maintaining service. The credits are included in the transaction price, which are allocated to the performance obligations based on their relative selling price and are recognized when earned.
A financing component exists in both our fixed-term plans and device payment plans because the timing of the payment for the device, which occurs over the contract term, differs from the satisfaction of the performance obligation, which occurs at contract inception upon transfer of the device to the customer. We periodically assess, at the contract level, the significance of the financing component inherent in our fixed-term and device payment plan receivable based on qualitative and quantitative considerations related to our customer classes. These considerations include assessing the commercial objective of our plans, the term and duration of financing provided, interest rates prevailing in the marketplace, and credit risks of our customer classes, all of which impact our selection of appropriate discount rates. Based on current facts and circumstances, we determined that the financing component in our existing wireless device payments and fixed-term contracts sold through the direct channel is not significant and therefore is not accounted for separately. See Note 8 for additional information on the interest on equipment financed on a device payment plan agreement when sold to the customer by an authorized agent in our indirect channel.
Wireless Contracts
For our wireless contracts, total contract revenue, which represents the transaction price for wireless service and wireless equipment, is allocated between service and equipment revenue based on their estimated standalone selling prices. We estimate the standalone selling price of the device or accessory to be its retail price excluding subsidies or conditional purchase discounts. We estimate the standalone selling price of wireless service to be the price that we offer to customers on month-to-month contracts that can be cancelled at any time without penalty (i.e., when there is no fixed-term for service) or when service is procured without the concurrent purchase of a wireless device. In addition, we also assess whether the service term is impacted by certain legally enforceable rights and obligations in our contract with customers, such as penalties that a customer would have to pay to early terminate a fixed-term contract or billing credits that would cease if the month-to-month wireless service is canceled. The assessment of these legally enforceable rights and obligations involves judgment and impacts our determination of the transaction price and related disclosures.
From time to time, we may offer certain promotions that provide our customers on device payment plans with the right to upgrade to a new device after paying a specified portion of their device payment plan agreement amount and trading in their device in good working order. We account for this trade-in right as a guarantee obligation. The full amount of the trade-in right's fair value is recognized as a guarantee liability and results in a reduction to the revenue recognized upon the sale of the device. The total
transaction price is reduced by the guarantee, which is accounted for outside the scope of Topic 606, and the remaining transaction price is allocated between the performance obligations within the contract.
Our fixed-term plans generally include the sale of a wireless device at subsidized prices. This results in the creation of a contract asset at the time of sale, which represents the recognition of equipment revenue in excess of amounts billed.
For our device payment plans, billing credits are accounted for as consideration payable to a customer and are included in the determination of total transaction price, resulting in a contract liability.
We may provide a right of return on our products and services for a short time period after a sale. These rights are accounted for as variable consideration when determining the transaction price, and accordingly we recognize revenue based on the estimated amount to which we expect to be entitled after considering expected returns. Returns and credits are estimated at contract inception and updated at the end of each reporting period as additional information becomes available. We also may provide credits or incentives on our products and services for contracts with resellers, which are accounted for as variable consideration when estimating the amount of revenue to recognize.
Wireline Contracts
Total consideration for wireline services that are bundled in a single contract is allocated to each performance obligation based on our standalone selling price for each service. While many contracts include one or more service performance obligations, the revenue recognition pattern is generally not impacted by the allocation since the services are generally satisfied over the same period of time. We estimate the standalone selling price to be the price of the services when sold on a standalone basis without any promotional discount. In addition, we also assess whether the service term is impacted by certain legally enforceable rights and obligations in our contract with customers such as penalties that a customer would have to pay to early terminate a fixed-term contract. The assessment of these legally enforceable rights and obligations involves judgment and impacts our determination of transaction price and related disclosures.
We may provide performance-based credits or incentives on our products and services for contracts with our Business customers, which are accounted for as variable consideration when estimating the transaction price. Credits are estimated at contract inception and are updated at the end of each reporting period as additional information becomes available.
Wireless and Wireline Contracts
For offers that include third-party providers, we evaluate whether we are acting as the principal or as the agent with respect to the goods or services provided to the customer. This principal-versus-agent assessment involves judgment and focuses on whether the facts and circumstances of the arrangement indicate that the goods or services were controlled by us prior to transferring them to the customer. To evaluate if we have control, we consider various factors including whether we are primarily responsible for fulfillment, bear risk of loss and have discretion over pricing.
Other
We offer telematics services including smart fleet management and optimization software. Telematics service revenue is generated primarily through subscription contracts. We recognize revenue over time for our subscription contracts.
We report taxes collected from customers on behalf of governmental authorities on revenue-producing transactions on a net basis.
Maintenance and Repairs
We charge the cost of maintenance and repairs, including the cost of replacing minor items not constituting substantial betterments, principally to Cost of services as these costs are incurred.
Advertising Costs
Costs for advertising products and services, as well as other promotional and sponsorship costs, are charged to Selling, general and administrative expense in the periods in which they are incurred. See Note 15 for additional information.
Earnings Per Common Share
Basic earnings per common share are based on the weighted-average number of shares outstanding during the period. Where appropriate, diluted earnings per common share include the dilutive effect of shares issuable under our stock-based compensation plans.
There were a total of approximately 4.7 million and 4.2 million outstanding dilutive securities, primarily consisting of performance stock units and restricted stock units, included in the computation of diluted earnings per common share for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. There was a total of approximately 1.9 million outstanding dilutive securities, primarily consisting of restricted stock units, included in the computation of diluted earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
We consider all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents are stated at cost, which approximates quoted market value and includes amounts held in money market funds.
Cash collections on the receivables and on the underlying receivables related to the participation interest collateralizing our asset-backed debt securities are required at certain specified times to be placed into segregated accounts. Deposits to the segregated accounts are considered restricted cash.
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash are included in the following line items in the consolidated balance sheets:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, 2024 2023 Increase / (Decrease)
Cash and cash equivalents $ 4,194 $ 2,065 $ 2,129
Restricted cash:
Prepaid expenses and other 319 1,244 (925)
Other assets 122 188 (66)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 4,635 $ 3,497 $ 1,138
Investments in Debt and Equity Securities
Investments in equity securities that are not accounted for under equity method accounting or result in consolidation are to be measured at fair value. For investments in equity securities without readily determinable fair values, Verizon elects the measurement alternative permitted under GAAP to measure these investments at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for an identical or similar investment of the same issuer. For investments in debt securities without quoted prices, Verizon uses an alternative matrix pricing method. Investments in equity securities that do not result in consolidation of the investee are included in Investments in unconsolidated businesses and debt securities are included in Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets.
Allowance for Credit Losses
Accounts receivable are recorded at amortized cost less an allowance for credit losses that are not expected to be recovered. The gross amount of accounts receivable and corresponding allowance for credit losses are presented separately in the consolidated balance sheets. We maintain allowances for credit losses resulting from the expected failure or inability of our customers to make required payments. We recognize the allowance for credit losses at inception and reassess quarterly based on management’s expectation of the asset’s collectability. The allowance is based on multiple factors including historical experience with bad debts, the credit quality of the customer base, the aging of such receivables and current macroeconomic conditions, as well as management’s expectations of conditions in the future, as applicable. Our allowance for credit losses is based on management’s assessment of the collectability of assets pooled together with similar risk characteristics.
We pool our device payment plan agreement receivables based on the credit quality indicators and shared risk characteristics of "new customers" and "existing customers." New customers are defined as customers who have been with Verizon for less than 210 days. Existing customers are defined as customers who have been with Verizon for 210 days or more. We record an allowance to reduce the receivables to the amount that is expected to be collectible. For device payment plan agreement receivables, we record bad debt expense based on a default and loss calculation using our proprietary loss model. The expected loss rate is determined based on customer credit scores and other qualitative factors as noted above. The loss rate is assigned individually on a customer by customer basis and the custom credit scores are then aggregated by vintage and used in our proprietary loss model to calculate the weighted-average loss rate used for determining the allowance balance.
We monitor the collectability of our wireless service receivables as one overall pool. Wireline service receivables are disaggregated and pooled by the following types of customers and related contracts: consumer, small and medium business, enterprise, public sector and wholesale. For wireless service receivables and wireline consumer and small and medium business receivables, the allowance is calculated based on a 12 month rolling average write-off balance multiplied by the average life-cycle of an account from billing to write-off. The risk of loss is assessed over the contractual life of the receivables and is adjusted based on the historical loss amounts for current and future conditions based on management’s qualitative considerations. For enterprise, public sector and wholesale wireline receivables, the allowance for credit losses is based on historical write-off experience and individual customer credit risk, if applicable. We consider multiple factors in determining the allowance as discussed above.
Inventories
Inventory consists of wireless and wireline equipment held for sale, which is carried at the lower of cost (determined principally on either an average cost or first-in, first-out basis) or net realizable value.
Property, Plant and Equipment and Depreciation
We record property, plant and equipment at cost. Property, plant and equipment are generally depreciated on a straight-line basis.
Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated life of the improvement or the remaining term of the related lease, calculated from the time the asset was placed in service.
When depreciable assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are deducted from the property, plant and equipment accounts and any gains or losses on disposition are recognized in Selling, general and administrative expense.
We capitalize and depreciate network software purchased or developed within property, plant and equipment assets. We also capitalize interest associated with the acquisition or construction of network-related assets. Capitalized interest is reported as a reduction in interest expense and depreciated as part of the cost of the network-related assets.
Computer Software and Cloud Computing Costs
We capitalize the cost of internal-use network and non-network software and defer the costs associated with cloud computing service arrangements that have a useful life and term in excess of one year. Subsequent additions, modifications or upgrades to internal-use network and non-network software are capitalized only to the extent that they add significant new functionality. Planning, software maintenance and training costs for internal-use software and cloud computing arrangements are expensed in the period in which they are incurred. We capitalize interest associated with the development of internal-use network and non-network software. Capitalized non-network internal-use software costs are amortized using the straight-line method over a period of 3 to 7 years and are included in Other intangible assets, net in our consolidated balance sheets. Costs incurred in implementing a cloud computing service arrangement are deferred during the application-development stage and recorded as Prepaid expense and other in our consolidated balance sheets. Once a project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use, we stop deferring the related cloud computing arrangement costs.
For a discussion of our impairment policy for capitalized non-network software costs, see "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets" below. See Note 4 for additional information of internal-use non-network software reflected in our consolidated balance sheets. Similar to capitalized software costs, deferred costs associated with cloud computing arrangements are subject to impairment testing.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
Goodwill
Goodwill is the excess of the acquisition cost of businesses over the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. Impairment testing for goodwill is performed annually in the fourth quarter or more frequently if impairment indicators are present.
To determine if goodwill is potentially impaired, we have the option to perform a qualitative assessment. However, we may elect to bypass the qualitative assessment and perform a quantitative impairment test even if no indications of a potential impairment exist. It is our policy to perform quantitative impairment assessment at least every three years.
Under the qualitative assessment, we consider several factors, including the enterprise value of the reporting unit from the last quantitative test and the excess of fair value over carrying value from this test, macroeconomic conditions (including changes in interest rates and discount rates), industry and market considerations (including industry revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) margin results, projections and recent merger and acquisition activity), the recent and projected financial performance of the reporting unit, as well as other factors.
The quantitative impairment test for goodwill is performed at the reporting unit level and compares the fair value of the reporting unit (calculated using a combination of a market approach and a discounted cash flow method, as a form of the income approach) to its carrying value. Estimated fair values of reporting units are Level 3 measures in the fair value hierarchy, see "Fair Value Measurements" discussion below for additional information. The market approach includes the use of comparative multiples of guideline companies to complement discounted cash flow results. The discounted cash flow method is based on the present value of two components, projected cash flows and a terminal value. The terminal value represents the expected normalized future cash flows of the reporting unit beyond the cash flows from the discrete projection period. The fair value of the reporting unit is calculated based on the sum of the present value of the cash flows from the discrete period and the present value of the terminal value. The discount rate represents our estimate of the weighted-average cost of capital, or expected return, that a marketplace participant would have required as of the valuation date. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value, an impairment charge is booked for the excess carrying value over fair value, limited to the total amount of goodwill of that reporting unit. During the fourth quarter each year, we update our three-year strategic planning review for each of our reporting units. Those plans consider current economic conditions and trends, estimated future operating results, our view of growth-rates and anticipated future economic and regulatory conditions.
See Note 4 for additional information regarding our goodwill impairment testing.
Intangible Assets Not Subject to Amortization
A significant portion of our intangible assets are wireless licenses that provide our wireless operations with the exclusive right to utilize designated radio frequency spectrum to provide wireless communication services. While licenses are issued for only a fixed time, generally ten to fifteen years, such licenses are subject to renewal by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). License renewals have occurred routinely and at nominal cost. Moreover, we have determined that there are currently no legal, regulatory, contractual, competitive, economic or other factors that limit the useful life of our wireless licenses. As a result, we treat the wireless licenses as an indefinite-lived intangible asset. We re-evaluate the useful life determination for wireless licenses each year to determine whether events and circumstances continue to support an indefinite useful life. We aggregate our wireless licenses into one single unit of accounting, as we utilize our wireless licenses on an integrated basis as part of our nationwide wireless network.
We test our wireless licenses for potential impairment annually or more frequently if impairment indicators are present. We have the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test. However, we may elect to bypass the qualitative assessment in any period and proceed directly to performing the quantitative impairment test. It is our policy to perform quantitative impairment assessment at least every three years.
As part of our qualitative assessment we consider several factors including the enterprise value of our combined wireless business, macroeconomic conditions (including changes in interest rates and discount rates), industry and market considerations (including industry revenue and EBITDA margin results, projections and recent merger and acquisition activity), the recent and projected financial performance of our combined wireless business as a whole, as well as other factors including the result of our last quantitative assessment. See Note 4 for additional information regarding our impairment tests.
Our quantitative impairment assessment consists of comparing the estimated fair value of our aggregate wireless licenses to the aggregated carrying amount as of the test date. Under our quantitative assessment, we estimate the fair value of our wireless licenses using the Greenfield approach. The Greenfield approach is an income based valuation approach that values the wireless licenses by calculating the cash flow generating potential of a hypothetical start-up company that goes into business with no assets except the wireless licenses to be valued. A discounted cash flow analysis is used to estimate what a marketplace participant would be willing to pay to purchase the aggregated wireless licenses as of the valuation date. If the estimated fair value of the aggregated wireless licenses is less than the aggregated carrying amount of the wireless licenses, then an impairment charge is recognized.
Interest expense incurred while qualifying activities are performed to ready wireless licenses for their intended use is capitalized as part of wireless licenses. The capitalization period ends when the development is discontinued or substantially completed and the license is ready for its intended use.
Wireless licenses can be purchased through public auctions conducted by the FCC. Deposits required to participate in these auctions and purchase licenses are recorded within Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets until the corresponding licenses are received and within Net cash used in investing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows.
Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization and Long-Lived Assets
Our intangible assets that do not have indefinite lives (primarily customer lists and non-network internal-use software) are amortized over their estimated useful lives. All of our intangible assets subject to amortization and other long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. If any indications of impairment are present, we would test for recoverability by comparing the carrying amount of the asset group to the net undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated from the asset group. If those net undiscounted cash flows do not exceed the carrying amount, we would perform the next step, which is to determine the fair value of the asset group and record an impairment, if any. We re-evaluate the useful life determinations for these intangible assets each year to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to their remaining useful lives.
See Note 4 for information related to the carrying amount of goodwill, wireless licenses and other intangible assets, as well as the major components and average useful lives of our other acquired intangible assets.
Leases
We lease network equipment including towers, distributed antenna systems, small cells, real estate, connectivity mediums which include dark fiber, equipment, and other various types of assets for use in our operations under both operating and finance leases. We assess whether an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at inception. For arrangements considered leases or that contain a lease that is accounted for separately, we determine the classification and initial measurement of the right-of-use asset and lease liability at the lease commencement date, which is the date that the underlying asset becomes available for use.
For both operating and finance leases, we recognize a right-of-use asset, which represents our right to use the underlying asset for the lease term, and a lease liability, which represents the present value of our obligation to make payments arising over the lease term. The present value of the lease payments is calculated using the incremental borrowing rate for operating and finance leases. The incremental borrowing rate is determined using a portfolio approach based on the rate of interest that the Company
would have to pay to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over a similar term. Management uses the unsecured borrowing rate and risk-adjusts that rate to approximate a collateralized rate, which is updated on a quarterly basis.
In those circumstances where Verizon is the lessee, we account for non-lease components associated with our leases (e.g., common area maintenance costs) and lease components as a single lease component for substantially all of our asset classes. Additionally, in arrangements where we are the lessor, we have customer premise equipment for which we account for non-lease components (e.g., service revenue) and lease components as combined components under the revenue recognition guidance in Topic 606 as the service revenues are the predominant components in the arrangements.
Rent expense for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease and is included in either Cost of services or Selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statements of income, based on the use of the facility or equipment on which rent is being paid. Variable rent payments related to both operating and finance leases are expensed in the period incurred. Our variable lease payments consist of payments dependent on various external indicators, including real estate taxes, common area maintenance charges and utility usage.
Operating leases with a term of 12 months or less are not recorded in our consolidated balance sheets; we recognize rent expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
We recognize the amortization of the right-of-use asset for our finance leases on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the lease term or the useful life of the right-of-use asset in Depreciation and amortization expense in our consolidated statements of income. The interest expense related to finance leases is recognized using the effective interest method based on the discount rate determined at lease commencement and is included within Interest expense in our consolidated statements of income.
See Note 6 for additional information related to leases, including disclosure required under Topic 842.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value of financial and non-financial assets and liabilities is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. The three-tier hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value, which prioritizes the inputs used in the methodologies of measuring fair value for assets and liabilities, is as follows:
Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities
Level 2 - Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities
Level 3 - Unobservable pricing inputs in the market
Financial assets and financial liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurements requires judgment and may affect the valuation of the assets and liabilities being measured and their categorization within the fair value hierarchy.
Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate is based on pre-tax income, statutory tax rates, tax laws and regulations and tax planning strategies available to us in the various jurisdictions in which we operate.
Deferred income taxes are provided for temporary differences in the basis between financial statement and income tax assets and liabilities. Deferred income taxes are recalculated annually at tax rates in effect for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. We record valuation allowances to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized.
We use a two-step approach for recognizing and measuring tax benefits taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The first step is recognition: we determine whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. In evaluating whether a tax position has met the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, we presume that the position will be examined by the appropriate taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. The second step is measurement: a tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is measured to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the financial statements. The tax position is measured at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Differences between tax positions taken in a tax return and amounts recognized in the financial statements will generally result in one or more of the following: an increase in a liability for income taxes payable, a reduction of an income tax refund receivable, a reduction in a deferred tax asset or an increase in a deferred tax liability.
Significant management judgment is required in evaluating our tax positions and in determining our effective tax rate.
Stock-Based Compensation
We measure and recognize compensation expense for all stock-based compensation awards made to employees and directors based on estimated fair values. See Note 10 for additional information.
Foreign Currency Translation and Transactions
The functional currency of our foreign operations is generally the local currency. For these foreign entities, we translate their financial statements into U.S. dollars using average exchange rates for the period for income statement amounts and using end-of-period exchange rates for assets and liabilities. We record these translation adjustments in Accumulated other comprehensive loss, a separate component of Equity, in our consolidated balance sheets. We record exchange gains and losses resulting from the conversion of transaction currency to functional currency as a component of Other income (expense), net.
Employee Benefit Plans
Pension and postretirement health care and life insurance benefits earned during the year, as well as interest on projected benefit obligations, are accrued. Prior service costs and credits resulting from changes in plan benefits are generally amortized over the average remaining service period of the employees expected to receive benefits. Expected return on plan assets is determined by applying the return on assets assumption to the actual fair value of plan assets. Actuarial gains and losses are recognized in Other income (expense), net in the year in which they occur. These gains and losses are measured annually as of December 31 and upon a remeasurement event. Verizon management employees no longer earn pension benefits or earn service towards the Company retiree medical subsidy. See Note 11 for additional information.
We recognize a pension or a postretirement plan’s funded status as either an asset or liability in the consolidated balance sheets. Also, we measure any unrecognized prior service costs and credits that arise during the period as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of applicable income tax.
Derivative Instruments
We enter into derivative transactions primarily to manage our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. We employ risk management strategies, which may include the use of a variety of derivatives including cross currency swaps, forward starting interest rate swaps, interest rate swaps, treasury rate locks, interest rate caps, swaptions and foreign exchange forwards. We do not hold derivatives for trading purposes.
We measure all derivatives at fair value and recognize them as either assets or liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets. Our derivative instruments are valued primarily using models based on readily observable market parameters for all substantial terms of our derivative contracts and thus are classified as Level 2. Changes in the fair values of derivative instruments applied as economic hedges are recognized in earnings in the current period. For fair value hedges, the change in the fair value of the derivative instruments is recognized in earnings, along with the change in the fair value of the hedged item. Unrealized gains or losses on excluded components of fair value hedges are recorded in Other comprehensive income (loss) and are recognized into earnings on a systematic and rational basis through the swap accrual over the life of the hedged item. For cash flow hedges, the change in the fair value of the derivative instruments is reported in Other comprehensive income (loss) and recognized in earnings when the hedged item is recognized in earnings. For net investment hedges of certain of our foreign operations, the change in the fair value of the hedging instruments is reported in Other comprehensive income (loss) as part of the cumulative translation adjustment and partially offsets the impact of foreign currency changes on the value of our net investment.
Cash flows from derivatives, which are designated as accounting hedges or applied as economic hedges, are presented consistently with the cash flow classification of the related hedged items. See Note 9 for additional information.
Variable Interest Entities
VIEs are entities that lack sufficient equity to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties, have equity investors that do not have the ability to make significant decisions relating to the entity’s operations through voting rights, do not have the obligation to absorb the expected losses, or do not have the right to receive the residual returns of the entity. We consolidate the assets and liabilities of VIEs when we are deemed to be the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is the party that has the power to make the decisions that most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIE and has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
The following Accounting Standards Update (ASU) was issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and has been early adopted by Verizon.
Description Effect on Financial Statements
ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740)
In December 2023, the FASB issued this standard update which requires enhanced disclosures primarily related to rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. A prospective transition approach should be applied; however, a retrospective application is permitted. Early adoption of this standard is permitted.
Verizon has elected to early adopt this Topic effective December 31, 2024 using a retrospective approach and included the required disclosures in our notes to the financial statements for our income taxes. This standard update did not affect our operating results.
Note 2. Revenue and Contract Costs
We earn revenue from contracts with customers, primarily through the provision of telecommunications and other services and through the sale of wireless equipment.
Revenue by Category
We have two reportable segments that we operate and manage as strategic business units, Consumer and Business. Revenue is disaggregated by products and services within Consumer, and customer groups (Enterprise and Public Sector, Business Markets and Other, and Wholesale) within Business. See Note 13 for additional information on revenue by segment, including Corporate and other.
We also earn revenues that are not accounted for under Topic 606 from leasing arrangements (such as those for towers and equipment), captive reinsurance arrangements primarily related to wireless device insurance and the interest recognized when equipment is sold to the customer by an authorized agent under a device payment plan agreement. We have elected the practical expedient within Topic 842, to combine the lease and non-lease components for those customer arrangements under Topic 606 that involve customer premise equipment where we are the lessor. Revenues from arrangements that were not accounted for under Topic 606 were approximately $3.1 billion, $2.9 billion and $3.2 billion for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Remaining Performance Obligations
When allocating the total contract transaction price to identified performance obligations, a portion of the total transaction price may relate to service performance obligations which were not satisfied or are partially satisfied as of the end of the reporting period. Below we disclose information relating to these unsatisfied performance obligations. We apply the practical expedient available under Topic 606 that provides the option to exclude the expected revenues arising from unsatisfied performance obligations related to contracts that have an original expected duration of one year or less. This situation primarily arises with respect to certain month-to-month service contracts. At December 31, 2024, month-to-month service contracts represented approximately 95% of both our wireless postpaid contracts and our wireline Consumer and our Business Markets and Other contracts, compared to December 31, 2023, for which month-to-month service contracts represented approximately 95% of our wireless postpaid contracts and 94% of our wireline Consumer and our Business Markets and Other contracts.
Additionally, certain contracts provide customers the option to purchase additional services. The fees related to these additional services are recognized when the customer exercises the option (typically on a month-to-month basis).
Contracts for wireless services, with or without promotional credits that require maintenance of service, are generally either month-to-month and cancellable at any time, or considered to contain terms ranging from greater than one month to up to thirty-six months (typically under a device payment plan or a fixed-term plan). Additionally, customers may incur charges based on usage or additional optional services purchased in conjunction with entering into a contract that can be cancelled at any time and therefore are not included in the transaction price. The transaction price allocated to service performance obligations, which are not satisfied or are partially satisfied as of the end of the reporting period, are generally related to contracts that are not accounted for as month-to-month contracts.
Our Consumer group customers also include traditional wholesale resellers that purchase and resell wireless service under their own brands to their respective customers. Reseller arrangements generally include a stated contract term, which typically extends longer than two years and, in some cases, include a periodic minimum revenue commitment over the contract term for which revenues will be recognized in future periods.
Consumer customer contracts for wireline services are generally month-to-month; however, they may have a service term of two years or shorter than twelve months. Certain contracts with Business customers for wireline services extend into future periods, contain fixed monthly fees and usage-based fees, and can include annual commitments in each year of the contract or
commitments over the entire specified contract term; however, a significant number of contracts for wireline services with our Business customers have a contract term that is twelve months or less.
Additionally, there are certain contracts with Business customers for wireline services that have a contractual minimum fee over the total contract term. We cannot predict the time period when revenue will be recognized related to those contracts; thus, they are excluded from the time bands below. These contracts have varying terms spanning over approximately twenty-nine years ending in September 2053 and have aggregate contract minimum payments totaling $1.8 billion.
At December 31, 2024, the transaction price related to unsatisfied performance obligations that are expected to be recognized for 2025, 2026 and thereafter was $28.5 billion, $17.5 billion and $7.2 billion, respectively. Remaining performance obligation estimates are subject to change and are affected by several factors, including terminations and changes in the timing and scope of contracts, arising from contract modifications.
Accounts Receivable and Contract Balances
The timing of revenue recognition may differ from the time of billing to our customers. Receivables presented in our consolidated balance sheets represent an unconditional right to consideration. Contract balances represent amounts from an arrangement when either Verizon has performed, by transferring goods or services to the customer in advance of receiving all or partial consideration for such goods and services from the customer, or the customer has made payment to Verizon in advance of obtaining control of the goods and/or services promised to the customer in the contract.
The following table presents information about receivables from contracts with customers:
At December 31, At December 31,
(dollars in millions) 2024 2023
Accounts Receivable(1)
$ 9,225 $ 9,760
Device payment plan agreement receivables(2)
19,766 18,528
(1) Balances do not include receivables related to the following: activity associated with certain vendor agreements, leasing arrangements (such as those for towers and equipment), captive reinsurance arrangements primarily related to wireless device insurance and device payment plan agreement receivables presented separately.
(2) Included in device payment plan agreement receivables presented in Note 8. Receivables derived from the sale of equipment on a device payment plan through an authorized agent are excluded.
Contract assets primarily relate to our rights to consideration for goods or services provided to customers but for which we do not have an unconditional right at the reporting date. Under a fixed-term plan, total contract revenue is allocated between wireless service and equipment revenues. In conjunction with these arrangements, a contract asset is created, which represents the difference between the amount of equipment revenue recognized upon sale and the amount of consideration received from the customer when the performance obligation related to the transfer of control of the equipment is satisfied. The contract asset is reclassified to accounts receivable as wireless services are provided and billed. We have the right to bill the customer as service is provided over time, which results in our right to the payment being unconditional. The contract asset balances are presented in our consolidated balance sheets as Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets. We recognize the allowance for credit losses at inception and reassess quarterly based on management's expectation of the asset's collectability.
Contract assets increased $128 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. The change in contract assets was primarily due to new contracts and increases in sales promotions recognized upfront, driven by customer activity related to wireless and Fios services. These items were partially offset by reclassifications to accounts receivable due to billings on existing contracts and impairment charges of $53 million.
Contract liabilities arise when we bill our customers and receive consideration in advance of providing the goods or services promised in the contract. We typically bill service one month in advance, which is the primary component of the contract liability balance. Contract liabilities are recognized as revenue when services are provided to the customer. The contract liability balances are presented in our consolidated balance sheets as Other current liabilities and Other liabilities.
Contract liabilities increased $776 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. The change in contract liabilities was primarily due to increases in sales promotions recognized over time, upfront fees and wireless pricing actions.
Revenue recognized during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 related to contract liabilities existing at January 1, 2024 and 2023 were $5.0 billion and $4.9 billion, respectively, as performance obligations related to services were satisfied.
The balance of contract assets and contract liabilities recorded in our consolidated balance sheets were as follows:
At December 31, At December 31,
(dollars in millions) 2024 2023
Assets
Prepaid expenses and other $ 621 $ 546
Other assets 321 268
Total Contract Assets
$ 942 $ 814
Liabilities
Other current liabilities $ 7,492 $ 6,955
Other liabilities 2,186 1,947
Total Contract Liabilities
$ 9,678 $ 8,902
Contract Costs
As discussed in Note 1, Topic 606 requires the recognition of an asset for incremental costs to obtain a customer contract, which are then amortized to expense over the respective periods of expected benefit. We recognize an asset for incremental commission expenses paid to internal and external sales personnel and agents in conjunction with obtaining customer contracts. We only defer these costs when we have determined the commissions are incremental costs that would not have been incurred absent the customer contract and are expected to be recoverable. Costs to obtain a contract are amortized and recorded ratably as commission expense over the period representing the transfer of goods or services to which the assets relate. Costs to obtain wireless contracts are amortized over both of our Consumer and Business customers' estimated upgrade cycles, as such costs are typically incurred each time a customer upgrades. Costs to obtain wireline contracts are amortized as expense over the estimated customer relationship period for our Consumer customers. Incremental costs to obtain wireline contracts for our Business customers are insignificant. Costs to obtain contracts are recorded in Selling, general and administrative expense.
We also defer costs incurred to fulfill contracts that: (1) relate directly to the contract; (2) are expected to generate resources that will be used to satisfy our performance obligation under the contract; and (3) are expected to be recovered through revenue generated under the contract. Contract fulfillment costs are expensed as we satisfy our performance obligations and recorded in Cost of services. These costs principally relate to direct costs that enhance our wireline business resources, such as costs incurred to install circuits.
We determine the amortization periods for our costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a customer contract at a portfolio level due to the similarities within these customer contract portfolios.
Other costs, such as general costs or costs related to past performance obligations, are expensed as incurred.
Collectively, costs to obtain a contract and costs to fulfill a contract are referred to as deferred contract costs, and amortized over a two-to-seven year period. Deferred contract costs are classified as current or non-current within Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets, respectively.
The balances of deferred contract costs included in our consolidated balance sheets were as follows:
At December 31, At December 31,
(dollars in millions) 2024 2023
Assets
Prepaid expenses and other $ 2,932 $ 2,756
Other assets 2,808 2,639
Total $ 5,740 $ 5,395
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we recognized expense of $3.4 billion and $3.2 billion, respectively, associated with the amortization of deferred contract costs, primarily within Selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statements of income.
We assess our deferred contract costs for impairment on a quarterly basis. We recognize an impairment charge to the extent the carrying amount of a deferred cost exceeds the remaining amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for the goods and services related to the cost, less the expected costs related directly to providing those goods and services that have not yet been recognized as expenses. There were no impairment charges recognized for the year ended December 31, 2024. There were insignificant impairment charges recognized for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Note 3. Acquisitions and Divestitures
Spectrum License Transactions
In February 2021, the FCC concluded Auction 107 for C-Band wireless spectrum. In accordance with the rules applicable to the auction, Verizon is required to make payments for our allocable share of clearing costs incurred by, and incentive payments due to, the incumbent license holders associated with the auction, which are estimated to be $7.5 billion. During 2024, 2023 and 2022, we made payments of $269 million, $4.3 billion and $1.6 billion respectively, for obligations related to clearing costs and accelerated clearing incentives. The carrying value of the wireless spectrum won in Auction 107 consists of all payments required to participate and purchase licenses in the auction, including Verizon’s allocable share of clearing costs incurred by, and incentive payments due to, the incumbent license holders associated with the auction that we are obligated to pay in order to acquire the licenses, as well as capitalized interest to the extent qualifying activities have occurred.
In March 2022, Verizon signed agreements with satellite operators in which operators agreed to clear C-Band spectrum in certain markets and frequencies ahead of the previously expected timeframe. During 2022, Verizon incurred costs associated with these agreements of approximately $340 million, of which $310 million was paid as of December 31, 2022 and the remainder was paid in 2023. This early clearance accelerated Verizon's access to more spectrum in a number of key markets to support its 5G network initiatives.
On October 17, 2024, Verizon entered into a license purchase agreement to acquire select spectrum licenses of United States Cellular Corporation and certain of its subsidiaries (UScellular) for total consideration of $1.0 billion, subject to certain potential adjustments. The closing of this transaction is subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, including the consummation of UScellular's proposed sale of its wireless operations and select spectrum assets to T-Mobile US, Inc., and the termination of certain post-closing arrangements with respect to that sale.
Business Acquisitions and Divestitures
TracFone Wireless, Inc.
On November 23, 2021 (the Acquisition Date), we completed the acquisition of TracFone Wireless, Inc. (TracFone). Verizon acquired all of TracFone's outstanding stock in exchange for approximately $3.5 billion in cash, net of cash acquired and working capital and other adjustments, 57,596,544 shares of common stock of the Company valued at approximately $3.0 billion, and up to an additional $650 million in future cash contingent consideration related to the achievement of certain performance measures and other commercial arrangements. The fair value of the common stock was determined on the basis of its closing market price on the Acquisition Date. The estimated fair value of the contingent consideration as of the Acquisition Date was approximately $560 million and represented a Level 3 measurement as defined in ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. See Note 9 for additional information. The contingent consideration payable was based on the achievement of certain revenue and operational targets, measured over a two-year earn out period. Contingent consideration payments were completed in January of 2024.
During 2024, 2023 and 2022, Verizon made payments of $52 million, $257 million and $188 million, respectively, related to the contingent consideration, which are reflected in Cash flows from financing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows.
During 2022, Verizon received net cash proceeds of $248 million for the final settlement of working capital, which was included in our consideration as of the Acquisition Date.
Frontier Communications Parent, Inc.
On September 4, 2024, Verizon entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the Merger Agreement) to acquire Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. (Frontier), a U.S. provider of broadband internet and other communication services. The transaction is structured as a merger of the Company's subsidiary with and into Frontier, as a result of which Frontier will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and shares of Frontier common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of merger (subject to certain limited exceptions) will be cancelled and converted into the right to receive a per share merger consideration of $38.50, in cash. In November 2024, Frontier shareholders approved the transaction. Consummation of the transaction is subject to the receipt of certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Under certain circumstances, if the Merger Agreement is terminated, Frontier may be required to pay Verizon a termination fee of $320 million. Under certain other specified circumstances, Verizon may be required to pay Frontier a termination fee of $590 million.
Note 4. Wireless Licenses, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
Wireless Licenses
The carrying amounts of Wireless licenses are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, 2024 2023
Wireless licenses $ 156,613 $ 155,667
During 2024 and 2023, we made payments of $269 million and $4.3 billion, respectively, for obligations related to clearing costs and accelerated clearing incentives for wireless licenses in connection with Auction 107. See Note 3 for additional information.
At December 31, 2024 and 2023, approximately $10.1 billion and $15.0 billion, respectively, of wireless licenses were under development for commercial service for which we were capitalizing interest costs. We recorded $616 million and $1.4 billion of capitalized interest on wireless licenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
During 2024 and 2023, we renewed various wireless licenses in accordance with FCC regulations with an average renewal period of 10 years. See Note 1 for additional information.
As discussed in Note 1, we test our wireless licenses for potential impairment annually or more frequently if impairment indicators are present. In 2023, we performed a qualitative impairment assessment, which indicated it was more likely than not that the fair value of our wireless licenses remained above their carrying amount and, therefore, did not result in an impairment. In 2024, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment, in accordance with our policy, which compared the estimated fair value of our aggregate wireless licenses, estimated using the Greenfield approach, to the aggregate carrying amount of the licenses as of the test date. Our annual assessment in 2024 indicated that the fair value of our wireless licenses exceeded the carrying value and, therefore, did not result in an impairment.
Our strategy requires significant capital investments primarily to acquire wireless spectrum, put the spectrum into service, provide additional capacity for growth in our networks, invest in the fiber that supports our businesses, evolve and maintain our networks and develop and maintain significant advanced information technology systems and data system capabilities.
Goodwill
Changes in the carrying amount of Goodwill are as follows:
(dollars in millions) Consumer
Business Other Total
Balance at January 1, 2023(1)
$ 21,142 $ 7,502 $ 27 $ 28,671
Acquisitions
35 - - 35
Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment
- (5,841) - (5,841)
Reclassifications, adjustments and other(2)
- 5 (27) (22)
Balance at December 31, 2023(3)
21,177 1,666 - 22,843
Reclassifications, adjustments and other - (2) - (2)
Balance at December 31, 2024(3)
$ 21,177 $ 1,664 $ - $ 22,841
(1) Goodwill balances are net of an accumulated impairment charge of $16 million presented within both Other and Total.
(2) Includes a goodwill impairment charge of $27 million related to non-strategic businesses presented within Other, recorded in Selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2023.
(3) Goodwill balances are net of accumulated impairment charges of $5.8 billion, $43 million and $5.9 billion presented within Business, Other and Total, respectively.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, we performed a qualitative impairment assessment for our Consumer reporting unit. Our qualitative assessment indicated that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our Consumer reporting unit exceeded its carrying value and, therefore, did not result in an impairment.
During the fourth quarter of 2024, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment for our Consumer reporting unit in accordance with our policy. We applied a combination of a market approach and a discounted cash flow method reflecting current assumptions and inputs, including our revised projections, discount rate and expected growth rates. Our assessment indicated that the fair value of our Consumer reporting unit exceeded its carrying value and, therefore, did not result in an impairment.
During the fourth quarter of 2023, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment for our Business reporting unit given the low excess of fair value over carrying value identified in our 2022 annual impairment assessment and increased competitive and market pressures experienced throughout 2023. These pressures resulted in lower projected cash flows primarily driven by secular declines in wireline services and products across our Business customer groups. In connection with Verizon’s annual budget process in the fourth quarter of 2023, leadership completed a comprehensive five-year strategic planning review of our Business reporting unit resulting in declines in financial projections driven by market dynamics as compared to the prior year five-year strategic planning cycle. The revised projections were used as a key input into the Business reporting unit’s annual goodwill impairment test performed in the fourth quarter of 2023. In addition, changes in the macroeconomic environment, including interest rate and inflationary pressures also impacted the fair value of the reporting unit. We applied a combination of a market approach and a discounted cash flow method reflecting current assumptions and inputs, including our revised projections, discount rate and expected growth rates, which resulted in the determination that the fair value of our Business reporting unit was less than its carrying amount. As a result, in the fourth quarter of 2023, we recorded a noncash goodwill impairment charge of approximately $5.8 billion ($5.8 billion after-tax) in our consolidated statement of income.
During the fourth quarter of 2024, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment for our Business reporting unit given the impairment of the Business reporting unit's goodwill in the prior year. In addition, the Business reporting unit has continued to experience competitive and market pressures throughout 2024, that may persist over the near term. We applied a combination of a market approach and a discounted cash flow method reflecting current assumptions and inputs, including our revised projections, discount rate and expected growth rates, which indicated that the fair value of our Business reporting unit exceeded its carrying value and, therefore, did not result in an impairment. We do not anticipate reasonable changes in significant assumptions to change the outcome of the quantitative impairment assessment. However, management believes there is a continued risk that our Business reporting unit may be required to recognize an impairment charge in the future.
A projected sustained decline in the reporting unit's revenues and earnings could have a significant negative impact on its fair value and could result in impairment charges. Such a decline could be driven by, among other things: (1) decreases in sales volumes or long-term growth rate as a result of competitive pressures or other factors; or (2) the inability to achieve or delays in achieving the goals in strategic initiatives. Adverse changes to macroeconomic factors, such as increases in long-term interest rates, would also negatively impact the fair value of the reporting unit.
Other Intangible Assets
The following table displays the composition of Other intangible assets, net as well as the respective amortization period:
(dollars in millions)
2024 2023
At December 31, Gross
Amount Accumulated
Amortization Net
Amount Gross
Amount
Accumulated
Amortization Net
Amount
Customer lists (5 to 13 years)
$ 4,242 $ (2,629) $ 1,613 $ 4,335 $ (2,193) $ 2,142
Non-network internal-use software (3 to 7 years)
28,136 (19,743) 8,393 25,524 (17,949) 7,575
Other (4 to 25 years)
2,664 (1,541) 1,123 2,656 (1,316) 1,340
Total $ 35,042 $ (23,913) $ 11,129 $ 32,515 $ (21,458) $ 11,057
The amortization expense for Other intangible assets was as follows:
Years (dollars in millions)
2024 $ 2,781
2023 2,687
2022 2,507
Estimated annual amortization expense for Other intangible assets is as follows:
Years (dollars in millions)
2025 $ 2,825
2026 2,571
2027 2,025
2028 1,549
2029 887
Note 5. Property, Plant and Equipment
The following table displays the details of Property, plant and equipment, which is stated at cost:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, Lives (years) 2024 2023
Land - $ 740 $ 751
Buildings and equipment 7 to 45
39,130 36,940
Central office and other network equipment 3 to 15
176,680 170,161
Antennas, cable, conduit, poles and towers 4 to 50
82,810 78,355
Leasehold improvements 5 to 20
10,562 10,355
Work in progress - 9,424 12,092
Furniture, vehicles and other 3 to 20
12,060 11,454
331,406 320,108
Less accumulated depreciation 222,884 211,798
Property, plant and equipment, net $ 108,522 $ 108,310
Note 6. Leasing Arrangements
We enter into various lease arrangements for network equipment including towers, distributed antenna systems, small cells, real estate and connectivity mediums including dark fiber, equipment, and other various types of assets for use in our operations. Our leases have remaining lease terms ranging from 1 year to 30 years, some of which include options that we can elect to extend the leases term for up to 25 years, and some of which include options to terminate the leases. For the majority of leases entered into during the current period, we have concluded it is not reasonably certain that we would exercise the options to extend the lease or not terminate the lease. Therefore, as of the lease commencement date, our lease terms generally do not include these options. We include options to extend the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option.
During December 2024, we completed a transaction with Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC (Vertical Bridge) pursuant to which Vertical Bridge obtained the exclusive rights to lease, operate and manage over 6,000 wireless towers from Verizon in exchange for an upfront payment of $2.8 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Vertical Bridge has exclusive rights to lease, operate and manage the towers over an average term of approximately 30 years, with the option to acquire the towers at the end of the lease terms. We have leased back a portion of the capacity on the towers from Vertical Bridge for an initial term of 10 years, with eight optional renewal terms of five years each, subject to certain early termination rights. We continue to include the towers in Property, plant and equipment, net in our consolidated balance sheets and depreciate them accordingly. The upfront payment, which is primarily included within Other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet, is accounted for as prepaid rent and as a financing obligation. We recorded prepaid rent of $2.0 billion related to the portion of the towers for which the right-of-use has passed to Vertical Bridge, which is reflected in Cash flows from operating activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows. In addition, we recorded a financing obligation of $830 million related to the portion of the towers that we continue to occupy and use for network operations, which is reflected in Cash flows from financing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows.
During March 2015, we completed a transaction with American Tower Corporation (American Tower) pursuant to which American Tower acquired the exclusive rights to lease and operate approximately 11,300 of our wireless towers for an upfront payment of $5.0 billion. We have subleased capacity on the towers from American Tower for a minimum of 10 years at current market rates in 2015, with options to renew. We continue to include the towers in Property, plant and equipment, net in our consolidated balance sheets and depreciate them accordingly.
In addition to the rights to lease and operate the towers, Vertical Bridge and American Tower assumed the interest in the underlying ground leases related to these towers. While Vertical Bridge and American Tower can renegotiate the terms of and are responsible for paying the ground leases, we are still the primary obligor for these leases and accordingly, the present value of these ground leases are included in our operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities. We do not expect to be required to make ground lease payments unless Vertical Bridge or American Tower defaults, which we determined to be remote.
The components of net lease cost were as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, Classification 2024 2023 2022
Operating lease cost(1)
Cost of services
Selling, general and administrative expense $ 5,607 $ 5,432 $ 5,345
Finance lease cost:
Amortization of right-of-use assets Depreciation and amortization expense 329 259 224
Interest on lease liabilities Interest expense 98 69 36
Short-term lease cost(1)
Cost of services
Selling, general and administrative expense 21 29 23
Variable lease cost(1)
Cost of services
Selling, general and administrative expense 310 313 294
Sublease income Service revenues and other (216) (210) (199)
Total net lease cost $ 6,149 $ 5,892 $ 5,723
(1) All operating lease costs, including short-term and variable lease costs, are split between Cost of services and Selling, general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of income based on the use of the facility or equipment that the rent is being paid on. See Note 1 for additional information. Variable lease costs represent payments that are dependent on a rate or index, or on usage of the asset.
Supplemental disclosure for the statements of cash flows related to operating and finance leases were as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating cash flows for operating leases $ (5,067) $ (4,929) $ (4,490)
Operating cash flows for finance leases (98) (69) (36)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Financing cash flows for finance leases (794) (612) (449)
Supplemental lease cash flow disclosures
Operating lease right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities 4,385 2,634 2,392
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities 1,051 968 832
Supplemental disclosures for the balance sheet related to finance leases were as follows:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, 2024 2023
Assets
Property, plant and equipment, net $ 1,692 $ 1,459
Liabilities
Debt maturing within one year $ 894 $ 753
Long-term debt 1,455 1,338
Total Finance lease liabilities $ 2,349 $ 2,091
The weighted-average remaining lease term and the weighted-average discount rate of our leases were as follows:
At December 31, 2024 2023
Weighted-average remaining lease term (years)
Operating leases 8 8
Finance leases 3 3
Weighted-average discount rate
Operating leases 4.1 % 3.6 %
Finance leases 4.8 % 2.9 %
The following table presents the maturity analysis of operating and finance lease liabilities as of December 31, 2024:
(dollars in millions)
Years Operating Leases Finance Leases
2025 $ 5,013 $ 954
2026 4,685 714
2027 4,392 457
2028 3,004 248
2029 2,505 116
Thereafter 9,451 53
Total lease payments 29,050 2,542
Less interest 4,707 193
Present value of lease liabilities 24,343 2,349
Less current obligation 4,415 894
Long-term obligation at December 31, 2024
$ 19,928 $ 1,455
As of December 31, 2024, we have contractually obligated lease payments amounting to $1.4 billion primarily for office facility operating leases and small cell colocation and fiber operating leases that have not yet commenced. We have legally obligated lease payments for various other operating leases that have not yet commenced for which the total obligation was not significant. We have certain rights and obligations for these leases, but have not recognized an operating lease right-of-use asset or an operating lease liability since they have not yet commenced.
Note 7. Debt
Outstanding long-term debt obligations as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, Maturities Interest
Rates % 2024 2023
Verizon Communications < 5 Years 0.75 - 6.94
$ 29,325 $ 33,316
5-10 Years 1.50 - 7.88
33,851 37,229
> 10 Years 1.13 - 8.95
52,719 55,355
< 5 Years Floating(1)
1,171 2,099
5-10 Years Floating(1)
1,735 2,029
Alltel Corporation < 5 Years 6.80
38 N/A
5-10 Years 6.80 - 7.88
56 94
Operating telephone company subsidiaries - debentures
< 5 Years 6.00 - 8.38
286 79
5-10 Years 5.13 - 8.75
328 535
Other subsidiaries - asset-backed debt
< 5 Years 0.50 - 6.09
16,363 14,048
< 5 Years Floating(1)
9,805 8,163
Finance lease obligations (average rate of 4.8% and 2.9% in 2024 and 2023, respectively)(2)
2,349 2,091
Vendor financing arrangements(2)
85 64
Unamortized discount, net of premium (3,604) (3,812)
Unamortized debt issuance costs (558) (616)
Total long-term debt, including current maturities 143,949 150,674
Less long-term debt maturing within one year 22,568 12,973
Total long-term debt $ 121,381 $ 137,701
Long-term debt maturing within one year $ 22,568 $ 12,973
Add short-term vendor financing arrangements(2)
65 -
Debt maturing within one year $ 22,633 $ 12,973
Add long-term debt 121,381 137,701
Total debt $ 144,014 $ 150,674
N/A - not applicable
(1) For the period ending December 2024, the debt obligations bore interest at floating rates, including floating rates associated with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) for the interest period plus an applicable interest margin per annum. Floating rates associated with SOFR for the interest payments made in December 2024 ranged from 4.598% to 5.556%.
(2) Finance lease and vendor financing obligations are part of alternative financing arrangements.
Maturities of long-term debt (secured and unsecured) outstanding, including current maturities, excluding finance lease obligations and unamortized debt issuance costs, at December 31, 2024 are as follows:
Years (dollars in millions)
2025 $ 21,709
2026 7,823
2027 9,158
2028 11,592
2029 8,673
Thereafter 83,203
During 2024, we received $15.6 billion of proceeds from long-term borrowings, which included $12.4 billion of proceeds from asset-backed debt transactions. The net proceeds were primarily used for general corporate purposes including the repayment of debt and the funding of certain renewable energy projects. We used $20.3 billion of cash to repay and repurchase long-term borrowings and finance lease obligations, including $8.5 billion to prepay and repay asset-backed, long-term borrowings. The net proceeds of approximately $1.0 billion from the notes issued in 2024 are expected to be used to fund certain renewable energy projects.
During 2023, we received $8.6 billion of proceeds from long-term borrowings, which included $6.6 billion of proceeds from asset-backed debt transactions. The net proceeds were primarily used for general corporate purposes including the repayment of debt and the funding of certain renewable energy projects. We used $10.6 billion of cash to repay and repurchase long-term borrowings and finance lease obligations, including $4.4 billion to prepay and repay asset-backed, long-term borrowings. The net proceeds of approximately $1.0 billion from the notes issued in 2023 were used to fund certain renewable energy projects.
2024 Significant Debt Transactions
Debt or equity financing may be needed to fund additional investments or development activities or to maintain an appropriate capital structure to ensure our financial flexibility.
The following tables show the significant transactions involving the senior unsecured debt securities of the Company and its subsidiaries that occurred during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Exchange Offers
(dollars in millions) Principal Amount Exchanged
Principal Amount Issued
Verizon 0.850% - 4.329% notes and floating rate notes, due 2025 - 2028
$ 2,256 $ -
Verizon 4.780% notes due 2035(1)
- 2,191
Total(2)
$ 2,256 $ 2,191
(1) The principal amount issued in exchange does not include either an insignificant amount of cash paid in lieu of the issuance of fractional new notes or accrued and unpaid interest paid on the old notes accepted for exchange to the date of exchange.
(2) The debt exchange offers above meet the criteria to be accounted for as a modification of debt. As a result, the excess of the principal amount of notes exchanged over the principal amount of new notes issued of $65 million was recorded as a premium to Long-term debt in the consolidated balance sheets.
Tender Offers
(dollars in millions) Principal Amount Purchased Cash Consideration(1)
Verizon 0.875% - 3.250% notes due 2025 - 2028
€ 1,981 $ 2,237
Verizon 0.850% - 3.376% notes and floating rate notes, due 2025 - 2026
$ 3,314 3,267
Total
$ 5,504
(1) The total cash consideration includes the tender offer consideration, plus any accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase. In addition, for securities denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar, cash consideration is shown on a U.S. dollar equivalent basis and includes the amount payable per the derivatives entered into in connection with the transaction. See Note 9 for additional information on cross currency swap transactions related to the transaction.
Repayments and Repurchases
(dollars in millions) Principal Repaid/ Repurchased Amount Paid(1)
Verizon 1.625% notes due 2024
€ 685 $ 840
Verizon 4.073% notes due 2024
£ 413 582
Verizon 0.750% notes due 2024
$ 999 1,003
Verizon floating rate notes due 2024 95 96
Verizon 3.500% notes due 2024
1,161 1,182
Open market repurchases of various Verizon notes(2)
1,255 985
Total $ 4,688
(1) Represents amount paid to repay or repurchase, including any accrued interest. In addition, for securities denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar, amount paid is shown on a U.S. dollar equivalent basis and includes the amount payable per the derivatives entered into in connection with the transaction. See Note 9 for additional information on cross currency swap transactions related to the transaction.
(2) During 2024, we recorded gains of $267 million in connection with the open market repurchases, which were reflected within Other income (expense), net in our consolidated statement of income.
Issuances
(dollars in millions) Principal Amount Issued Net Proceeds(1)
Verizon 3.500% notes due 2032
€ 1,000 $ 1,062
Verizon 3.750% notes due 2036
€ 1,000 1,061
Verizon 5.500% notes due 2054(2)
$ 1,000 980
Total $ 3,103
(1) Net proceeds were net of underwriting discounts and other issuance costs. In addition, for securities denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar, net proceeds are shown on a U.S. dollar equivalent basis. See Note 9 for additional information on cross currency swap transactions related to the issuances.
(2) An amount equal to the net proceeds from these notes is expected to be used to fund, in whole or in part, certain renewable energy projects, including new and existing investments made by us during the period from May 1, 2023 through the maturity date of the notes.
Commercial Paper Program
In 2024, we issued $27.5 billion in net proceeds and made $27.5 billion in principal repayments of commercial paper. These transactions are reflected within Cash flows from financing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows on a net basis. As of December 31, 2024, we had no commercial paper outstanding.
Asset-Backed Debt
As of December 31, 2024, the carrying value of our asset-backed debt was $26.1 billion. Our asset-backed debt includes Asset-Backed Notes (ABS Notes) issued to third-party investors (Investors) and loans (ABS Financing Facilities) received from banks and their conduit facilities (collectively, the Banks). Our consolidated asset-backed debt bankruptcy remote legal entities (each, an ABS Entity, or collectively, the ABS Entities) issue the debt or are otherwise party to the transaction documentation in connection with our asset-backed debt transactions. Under the terms of our asset-backed debt, Cellco Partnership (Cellco), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and certain other Company affiliates (collectively, the Originators) transfer device payment plan agreement receivables and certain other receivables (collectively referred to as certain receivables) or a participation interest in certain other receivables to one of the ABS Entities, which in turn transfers such receivables and participation interest to another ABS Entity that issues the debt. Verizon entities retain the equity interests and residual interests, as applicable, in the ABS Entities, which represent the rights to all funds not needed to make required payments on the asset-backed debt and other related payments and expenses.
Our asset-backed debt is secured by the transferred receivables and participation interest, and future collections on such receivables and underlying receivables related to such participation interest. These receivables and participation interest transferred to the ABS Entities and related assets, consisting primarily of restricted cash, will only be available for payment of asset-backed debt and expenses related thereto, payments to the Originators in respect of additional transfers of certain receivables and participation interest, and other obligations arising from our asset-backed debt transactions, and will not be available to pay other obligations or claims of Verizon’s creditors until the associated asset-backed debt and other obligations are satisfied. The Investors or Banks, as applicable, which hold our asset-backed debt have legal recourse to the assets securing the debt, but do not have any recourse to Verizon with respect to the payment of principal and interest on the debt. Under a parent support agreement, the Company has agreed to guarantee certain of the payment obligations of Cellco and the Originators to the ABS Entities.
Cash collections on the receivables and on the underlying receivables related to the participation interest collateralizing our asset-backed debt securities are required at certain specified times to be placed into segregated accounts. Deposits to the segregated accounts are considered restricted cash and are included in Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets.
Proceeds from our asset-backed debt transactions are reflected in Cash flows from financing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows. The asset-backed debt issued is included in Debt maturing within one year and Long-term debt in our consolidated balance sheets.
ABS Notes
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we completed the following ABS Notes transactions:
(dollars in millions) Interest Rates % Expected Weighted-average Life to Maturity (in years) Principal Amount Issued
January 2024
Series 2024-1
A-1a Senior class notes 5.000 1.92 $ 835
A-1b Senior class notes Compounded SOFR + 0.650
1.92 279
B Junior class notes 5.240 1.92 -
C Junior class notes 5.490 1.92 51
Series 2024-2
A Senior class notes 4.830 4.92 668
B Junior class notes 5.080 4.92 51
C Junior class notes 5.320 4.92 31
January 2024 total 1,915
April 2024
Series 2024-3
A-1a Senior class notes 5.340 2.99 605
A-1b Senior class notes Compounded SOFR + 0.580
2.99 175
B Junior class notes 5.540 2.99 59
C Junior class notes 5.730 2.99 36
April 2024 total 875
June 2024
Series 2024-4
A-1a Senior class notes 5.210 1.98 289
A-1b Senior class notes Compounded SOFR + 0.550
1.98 246
B Junior class notes 5.400 1.98 41
C Junior class notes 5.600 1.98 25
Series 2024-5
A Senior class notes 5.000 4.98 512
B Junior class notes 5.250 4.98 39
C Junior class notes 5.490 4.98 24
June 2024 total 1,176
September 2024
Series 2024-6
A-1a Senior class notes 4.170 2.92 1,069
A-1b Senior class notes Compounded SOFR + 0.670
2.92 267
B Junior class notes 4.420 2.92 -
C Junior class notes 4.670 2.92 61
Series 2024-7
A Senior class notes 4.350 4.92 535
B Junior class notes 4.600 4.92 -
C Junior class notes 4.840 4.92 25
September 2024 total
1,957
(dollars in millions) Interest Rates % Expected Weighted-average Life to Maturity (in years) Principal Amount Issued
November 2024
Series 2024-8
A-1a Senior class notes 4.620 2.98 $ 816
A-1b Senior class notes Compounded SOFR + 0.420
2.98 75
B Junior class notes 4.820 2.98 68
C Junior class notes 4.990 2.98 41
November 2024 total
1,000
Total $ 6,923
Under the terms of each series of ABS Notes outstanding as of December 31, 2024, there is a revolving period of up to two years, three years, or five years, as applicable, during which we may transfer additional receivables to the ABS Entity. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we made aggregate principal repayments of $4.5 billion and $3.7 billion, respectively, in connection with anticipated redemptions of ABS Notes and notes that have entered the amortization period, including payments in connection with any note redemptions.
In January 2025, we issued $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount of two series of senior and junior ABS Notes, with a blended interest rate of approximately 4.740% and 4.970%, through an ABS Entity. In addition, in connection with an anticipated redemption of ABS Notes, we made a principal repayment, in whole, for $800 million.
ABS Financing Facilities
Under the two loan agreements outstanding in connection with the ABS Financing Facility originally entered into in 2021 and most recently renewed in 2023 (2021 ABS Financing Facility) we prepaid an aggregate of $900 million in January 2024, borrowed an additional $600 million in March 2024, prepaid an aggregate of $900 million in April 2024, borrowed an additional $225 million in June 2024, prepaid an aggregate of $1.2 billion in August 2024, prepaid an aggregate of $950 million in September 2024, borrowed an additional $450 million in September 2024, borrowed an additional $1.6 billion in October 2024 and borrowed an additional $650 million in December 2024. The aggregate outstanding balance under the 2021 ABS Financing Facility was $8.0 billion as of December 31, 2024.
Under the loan agreement outstanding in connection with the ABS Financing Facility originally entered into in 2022 and initially renewed in 2023 (2022 ABS Financing Facility), we borrowed an additional $1.1 billion in June 2024. In December 2024, we renewed the loan agreement in connection with the 2022 ABS Financing Facility which reset the revolving period by one year and we borrowed an additional $1.0 billion. The aggregate outstanding balance under the 2022 ABS Financing Facility was $5.0 billion as of December 31, 2024.
Variable Interest Entities
The ABS Entities meet the definition of a VIE for which we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary as we have both the power to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact the entity’s performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the entity. Therefore, the assets, liabilities and activities of the ABS Entities are consolidated in our financial results and are included in amounts presented on the face of our consolidated balance sheets.
The assets and liabilities related to our asset-backed debt arrangements included in our consolidated balance sheets were as follows:
At December 31, At December 31,
(dollars in millions) 2024 2023
Assets
Accounts receivable, net $ 18,339 $ 14,550
Prepaid expenses and other 322 1,288
Other assets 11,647 11,682
Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 37 29
Debt maturing within one year 17,312 7,483
Long-term debt 8,827 14,700
The Accounts receivable, net amounts above do not include underlying receivables for which a participation interest has been transferred to the ABS Entities. See Note 8 for additional information on certain receivables and participation interest used to secure asset-backed debt.
Long-Term Credit Facilities
At December 31, 2024
(dollars in millions) Maturities Facility Capacity Unused Capacity Principal Amount Outstanding
Verizon revolving credit facility(1)
$ 12,000 $ 11,963 $ -
Various export credit facilities(2)
2025 - 2031
10,000 -
5,441
Total $ 22,000 $ 11,963 $ 5,441
(1) The revolving credit facility does not require us to comply with financial covenants or maintain specified credit ratings, and it permits us to borrow even if our business has incurred a material adverse change. The revolving credit facility provides for the issuance of letters of credit. As of December 31, 2024, there have been no drawings against the revolving credit facility since its inception.
(2) During 2024, there were no drawings from these facilities. During 2023, we drew down $1.0 billion from these facilities. Borrowings under certain of these facilities are amortized semi-annually in equal installments up to the applicable maturity dates. Maturities reflect maturity dates of principal amounts outstanding. Any amounts borrowed under these facilities and subsequently repaid cannot be reborrowed.
In March 2024, we amended our $9.5 billion revolving credit facility to increase the capacity to $12.0 billion and extended its maturity to 2028.
Non-Cash Transactions
During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we financed, primarily through alternative financing arrangements, the purchase of approximately $1.6 billion, $1.3 billion and $832 million, respectively, of long-lived assets consisting primarily of network equipment. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, $2.5 billion and $2.2 billion, respectively, relating to these financing arrangements, including those entered into in prior years and liabilities assumed through acquisitions, remained outstanding. These purchases are non-cash financing activities and therefore are not reflected within Capital expenditures in our consolidated statements of cash flows.
Net Debt Extinguishment Gains (Losses)
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we recorded net debt extinguishment gains of $385 million and $308 million, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded net debt extinguishment losses of $1.1 billion. The net gains and losses are recorded in Other income (expense), net in our consolidated statements of income. The total non-cash debt extinguishment gains are reflected within Other, net cash flow from operating activities, and the total cash payments to extinguish the debt are reflected within Other, net cash flow from financing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows.
Guarantees
We guarantee the debentures of our operating telephone company subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2024, $614 million aggregate principal amount of these obligations remained outstanding. Each guarantee will remain in place for the life of the obligation unless terminated pursuant to its terms, including the operating telephone company no longer being a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
Debt Covenants
We and our consolidated subsidiaries are in compliance with all of our restrictive covenants in our debt agreements.
Note 8. Device Payment Plan Agreement and Wireless Service Receivables
The following table presents information about accounts receivable, net of allowances, recorded in our consolidated balance sheet:
At December 31, 2024
(dollars in millions) Device payment plan agreement Wireless
service Other receivables(1)
Total
Accounts receivable $ 15,839 $ 5,809 $ 5,613 $ 27,261
Less Allowance for credit losses 698 240 214 1,152
Accounts receivable, net of allowance $ 15,141 $ 5,569 $ 5,399 $ 26,109
(1) Other receivables primarily include wireline and other receivables, of which the allowances are individually insignificant.
Included in Other assets and Accounts receivable, net at December 31, 2024 are net device payment plan agreement receivables, net wireless service receivables and net other receivables of $29.9 billion, which have been transferred to ABS Entities and continue to be reported in our consolidated balance sheet. Included in Other Assets and Accounts receivable, net at December 31, 2023 are net device payment plan agreement receivables and net wireless service receivables of $26.1 billion, which have been transferred to ABS Entities and continue to be reported in our consolidated balance sheet. Included in Accounts receivable, net at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 are net other receivables of $1.2 billion and $911 million, respectively, on which a participation interest has been transferred to ABS Entities and continue to be reported in our consolidated balance sheets. See Note 7 for additional information. We believe the carrying value of these receivables approximate their fair value using a Level 3 expected cash flow model.
Under the Verizon device payment program, our eligible wireless customers purchase wireless devices under a device payment plan agreement. Customers that activate service on devices purchased under the device payment program generally pay lower service fees as compared to those under our fixed-term service plans, and their device payment plan charge is included on their wireless monthly bill. While we no longer offer Consumer customers fixed-term subsidized service plans for devices, we continue to offer subsidized plans to our Business customers. We also continue to service existing plans for customers who have not yet purchased and activated devices under the Verizon device payment program.
Wireless Device Payment Plan Agreement Receivables
The following table displays both the current and non-current portions of device payment plan agreement receivables, net, recognized in our consolidated balance sheets:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31,
2024 2023
Device payment plan agreement receivables, gross $ 31,308 $ 29,206
Unamortized imputed interest (975) (758)
Device payment plan agreement receivables, at amortized cost 30,333 28,448
Allowance(1)
(1,315) (1,151)
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net $ 29,018 $ 27,297
Classified in our consolidated balance sheets:
Accounts receivable, net $ 15,141 $ 13,173
Other assets 13,877 14,124
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net $ 29,018 $ 27,297
(1) Includes allowance for both short-term and long-term device payment plan agreement receivables.
For indirect channel wireless contracts with customers, we impute risk adjusted interest on the device payment plan agreement receivables. We record the imputed interest as a reduction to the related accounts receivable. The associated interest income, which is included within Service revenues and other in our consolidated statements of income, is recognized over the financed device payment term.
Promotions
In connection with certain device payment plan agreements, we may offer a promotion to allow our customers to upgrade to a new device after paying down a certain specified portion of the required device payment plan agreement amount as well as trading in their device in good working order. When a customer enters into a device payment plan agreement with the right to upgrade to a new device, we account for this trade-in right as a guarantee obligation.
We may offer certain promotions that allow a customer to trade in their owned device in connection with the purchase of a new device. Under these types of promotions, the customer receives a credit for the value of the trade-in device. At December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the amount of trade-in liability was $396 million and $566 million, respectively.
In addition, we may provide the customer with additional future billing credits that will be applied against the customer’s monthly bill as long as service is maintained. These future billing credits are accounted for as consideration payable to a customer and are included in the determination of total transaction price, resulting in a contract liability.
Device payment plan agreement receivables, net, disclosed in the table above, does not reflect the trade-in liability, additional future credits or the guarantee liability.
Origination of Device Payment Plan Agreements
When originating device payment plan agreements, we use internal and external data sources to create a credit risk score to measure the credit quality of a customer and to determine eligibility for the device payment program. Verizon’s experience has been that the payment attributes of longer tenured customers are highly predictive for estimating their reliability to make future payments. Customers with longer tenures tend to exhibit similar risk characteristics to other customers with longer tenures, and receivables due from customers with longer tenures tend to perform better than receivables from customers that have not
previously been Verizon customers. As a result of this experience, we make initial lending decisions based upon whether the customers are "established customers" or "short-tenured customers." If a Consumer customer has been a customer for 45 days or more, or if a Business customer has been a customer for 12 months or more, the customer is considered an "established customer." For established customers, the credit decision and ongoing credit monitoring processes rely on a combination of internal and external data sources. If a Consumer customer has been a customer less than 45 days, or a Business customer has been a customer for less than 12 months, the customer is considered a "short-tenured customer." For short-tenured customers, the credit decision and credit monitoring processes rely more heavily on external data sources.
Available external credit data from credit reporting agencies along with internal data are used to create custom credit risk scores for Consumer customers. The custom credit risk score is generated automatically from the applicant’s credit data using proprietary custom credit models. The credit risk score measures the likelihood that the potential customer will become severely delinquent and be disconnected for non-payment. For a small portion of short-tenured customer applications, a traditional credit report is not available from one of the national credit reporting agencies because the potential customer does not have sufficient credit history. In those instances, alternative credit data is used for the risk assessment. For Business customers, we also verify the existence of the business with external data sources.
Based on the custom credit risk score, we assign each customer a credit class, each of which has specified offers of credit. This includes an account level spending limit and a maximum amount of credit allowed per device for Consumer customers or a required down payment percentage for Business customers.
Credit Quality Information
Subsequent to origination, we assess indicators for the quality of our wireless device payment plan agreement portfolio using two models, one for new customers and one for existing customers. The model for new customers pools all Consumer and Business wireless customers based on less than 210 days as "new customers." The model for existing customers pools all Consumer and Business wireless customers based on 210 days or more as "existing customers."
The following table presents device payment plan agreement receivables, at amortized cost, and gross write-offs recorded, as of and for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, by credit quality indicator and year of origination:
Year of Origination(1)
(dollars in millions) 2024 2023 2022 and prior
Total
Device payment plan agreement receivables, at amortized cost
New customers $ 3,277 $ 1,542 $ 397 $ 5,216
Existing customers 14,136 8,075 2,906 25,117
Total $ 17,413 $ 9,617 $ 3,303 $ 30,333
Gross write-offs
New customers $ 376 $ 563 $ 111 $ 1,050
Existing customers 52 201 155 408
Total $ 428 $ 764 $ 266 $ 1,458
(1) Includes accounts that have been suspended at a point in time.
The data presented in the table above was last updated on December 31, 2024.
We assess indicators for the quality of our wireless service receivables portfolio as one overall pool. The following table presents wireless service receivables, at amortized cost, and gross write-offs recorded, as of and for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, by year of origination:
Year of Origination
(dollars in millions) 2024 2023 and prior
Total
Wireless service receivables, at amortized cost $ 5,760 $ 49 $ 5,809
Gross write-offs 374 183 557
The data presented in the table above was last updated on December 31, 2024.
Allowance for Credit Losses
The credit quality indicators are used in determining the estimated amount and the timing of expected credit losses for the device payment plan agreement and wireless service receivables portfolios.
For device payment plan agreement receivables, we record bad debt expense based on a default and loss calculation using our proprietary loss model. The expected loss rate is determined based on customer credit scores and other qualitative factors as noted above. The loss rate is assigned individually on a customer by customer basis and the custom credit scores are then
aggregated by vintage and used in our proprietary loss model to calculate the weighted-average loss rate used for determining the allowance balance.
We monitor the collectability of our wireless service receivables as one overall pool. Wireline service receivables are disaggregated and pooled by the following types of customers and related contracts: consumer, small and medium business, enterprise, public sector and wholesale. For wireless service receivables and wireline consumer and small and medium business receivables, the allowance is calculated based on a 12 month rolling average write-off balance multiplied by the average life-cycle of an account from billing to write-off. The risk of loss is assessed over the contractual life of the receivables and is adjusted based on the historical loss amounts for current and future conditions based on management’s qualitative considerations. For enterprise, public sector and wholesale wireline receivables, the allowance for credit losses is based on historical write-off experience and individual customer credit risk, if applicable.
Activity in the allowance for credit losses by portfolio segment of receivables was as follows:
(dollars in millions) Device Payment
Plan Agreement Receivables(1)
Wireless Service Plan Receivables
Balance at January 1, 2024
$ 1,151 $ 213
Current period provision for expected credit losses 1,585 538
Write-offs charged against the allowance (1,458) (557)
Recoveries collected 37 46
Balance at December 31, 2024
$ 1,315 $ 240
(1) Includes allowance for both short-term and long-term device payment plan agreement receivables.
We monitor delinquency and write-off experience based on the quality of our device payment plan agreement and wireless service receivables portfolios. The extent of our collection efforts with respect to a particular customer are based on the results of our proprietary custom internal scoring models that analyze the customer’s past performance to predict the likelihood of the customer falling further delinquent. These custom scoring models assess a number of variables, including origination characteristics, customer account history and payment patterns. Since our customers’ behaviors may be impacted by general economic conditions, we analyzed whether changes in macroeconomic conditions impact our credit loss experience and have concluded that our credit loss estimates are generally not materially impacted by reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions. Based on the score derived from these models, accounts are grouped by risk category to determine the collection strategy to be applied to such accounts. For device payment plan agreement receivables and wireless service receivables, we consider an account to be delinquent and in default status if there are unpaid charges remaining on the account on the day after the bill’s due date. The risk class determines the speed and severity of the collections effort including initiatives taken to facilitate customer payment.
The balance and aging of the device payment plan agreement receivables, at amortized cost, were as follows:
(dollars in millions) At December 31, 2024
Unbilled $ 28,916
Billed:
Current
1,116
Past due
Device payment plan agreement receivables, at amortized cost $ 30,333
Note 9. Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments
Recurring Fair Value Measurements
The following table presents the balances of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2024:
(dollars in millions)
Level 1(1)
Level 2(2)
Level 3(3)
Total
Assets:
Prepaid expenses and other:
Fixed income securities $ - $ 16 $ - $ 16
Interest rate caps - 3 - 3
Other assets:
Fixed income securities - 269 - 269
Cross currency swaps - 500 - 500
Total $ - $ 788 $ - $ 788
Liabilities:
Other current liabilities:
Interest rate swaps $ - $ 1,964 $ - $ 1,964
Cross currency swaps - 345 - 345
Foreign exchange forwards - 5 - 5
Interest rate caps - 3 - 3
Other liabilities:
Interest rate swaps - 3,338 - 3,338
Cross currency swaps - 2,344 - 2,344
Total $ - $ 7,999 $ - $ 7,999
(1) Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
(2) Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.
(3) Unobservable pricing inputs in the market.
The following table presents the balances of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2023:
(dollars in millions)
Level 1(1)
Level 2(2)
Level 3(3)
Total
Assets:
Prepaid expenses and other:
Fixed income securities $ - $ 25 $ - $ 25
Cross currency swaps - 4 - 4
Foreign exchange forwards - 4 - 4
Interest rate caps - 37 - 37
Other assets:
Fixed income securities - 254 - 254
Cross currency swaps - 758 - 758
Interest rate caps - 7 - 7
Total $ - $ 1,089 $ - $ 1,089
Liabilities:
Other current liabilities:
Interest rate swaps $ - $ 823 $ - $ 823
Cross currency swaps - 294 - 294
Foreign exchange forwards - 1 - 1
Interest rate caps - 37 - 37
Contingent consideration - - 52 52
Other liabilities:
Interest rate swaps - 3,648 - 3,648
Cross currency swaps - 1,791 - 1,791
Interest rate caps - 7 - 7
Total $ - $ 6,601 $ 52 $ 6,653
(1) Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
(2) Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.
(3) Unobservable pricing inputs in the market.
Certain of our equity investments do not have readily determinable fair values and are excluded from the tables above. Such investments are measured at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for an identical or similar investment of the same issuer and are included in Investments in unconsolidated businesses in our consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the carrying amount of our investments without readily determinable fair values was $724 million and $764 million, respectively. During 2024, there were insignificant adjustments due to observable price changes and insignificant impairment charges. Cumulative adjustments due to observable price changes and impairment charges were approximately $186 million and $120 million, respectively.
Verizon had a liability for contingent consideration related to its acquisition of TracFone, completed in November 2021. The fair value was calculated using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model and represented a Level 3 measurement. Level 3 instruments include valuation based on unobservable inputs reflecting our own assumptions, consistent with reasonably available assumptions made by other market participants. Subsequent to the Acquisition Date, at each reporting date, the contingent consideration liability was remeasured to fair value. Contingent consideration payments were completed in January of 2024. During 2024 and 2023, we made payments of $52 million and $257 million, respectively, related to the contingent consideration. See Note 3 for additional information.
Fixed income securities consist primarily of investments in municipal bonds. The valuation of the fixed income securities is based on the quoted prices for similar assets in active markets or identical assets in inactive markets or models that apply inputs from observable market data. The valuation determines that these securities are classified as Level 2.
Derivative contracts are valued using models based on readily observable market parameters for all substantial terms of our derivative contracts and thus are classified within Level 2. We use mid-market pricing for fair value measurements of our derivative instruments. Our derivative instruments are recorded on a gross basis.
We recognize transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy as of the end of the reporting period.
Fair Value of Short-term and Long-term Debt
The fair value of our debt is determined using various methods, including quoted prices for identical debt instruments, which is a Level 1 measurement, as well as quoted prices for similar debt instruments with comparable terms and maturities, which is a Level 2 measurement.
The fair value of our short-term and long-term debt, excluding finance leases, was as follows:
Fair Value
(dollars in millions) Carrying
Amount Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
At December 31, 2024
$ 141,665 $ 81,552 $ 55,464 $ - $ 137,016
At December 31, 2023
148,583 86,806 58,804 - 145,610
Derivative Instruments
We enter into derivative transactions primarily to manage our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. We employ risk management strategies, which may include the use of a variety of derivatives including interest rate swaps, cross currency swaps, forward starting interest rate swaps, treasury rate locks, interest rate caps, swaptions and foreign exchange forwards. We do not hold derivatives for trading purposes.
The following table sets forth the notional amounts of our outstanding derivative instruments:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, 2024 2023
Interest rate swaps $ 24,025 $ 26,071
Cross currency swaps 32,053 33,526
Foreign exchange forwards 620 1,050
The following tables summarize the activities of our designated derivatives:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023
Interest Rate Swaps:
Notional value entered into $ - $ -
Notional value settled 2,046 -
Pre-tax gain recognized in Interest expense 4 1
Cross Currency Swaps:
Notional value entered into 2,146 -
Notional value settled 3,619 1,450
Pre-tax gain (loss) on cross currency swaps recognized in Interest expense (1,839) 1,119
Pre-tax gain (loss) on hedged debt recognized in Interest expense 1,839 (1,119)
Excluded components recognized in Other comprehensive income (loss)
730 826
Initial value of the excluded component amortized into Interest expense 96 109
Treasury Rate Locks:
Notional value entered into 1,000 500
Notional value settled 1,000 500
Pre-tax gain (loss) recognized in Other comprehensive income (loss)
(21) 5
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023
Other, net Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Cash paid for settlement of interest rate swaps
$ (57) $ -
Cash received (paid) for settlement of treasury rate locks
(21) 5
Other, net Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Cash paid for settlement of cross currency swaps, net (243) (67)
The following table displays the amounts recorded in Long-term debt in our consolidated balance sheets related to cumulative basis adjustments for our interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges. The cumulative amounts exclude cumulative basis adjustments related to foreign exchange risk.
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, 2024 2023
Carrying amount of hedged liabilities $ 18,863 $ 21,838
Cumulative amount of fair value hedging adjustment included in the carrying amount of the hedged liabilities (5,192) (4,354)
Cumulative amount of fair value hedging adjustment remaining for which hedge accounting has been discontinued 281 400
Interest Rate Swaps
We enter into interest rate swaps to achieve a targeted mix of fixed and variable rate debt. We principally receive fixed rates and pay variable rates, resulting in a net increase or decrease to Interest expense. These swaps are designated as fair value hedges and hedge against interest rate risk exposure of designated debt issuances. We record the interest rate swaps at fair value in our consolidated balance sheets as assets and liabilities. Changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps are recorded to Interest expense, which are primarily offset by changes in the fair value of the hedged debt due to changes in interest rates.
Cross Currency Swaps
We have entered into cross currency swaps to exchange our British Pound Sterling, Euro, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar-denominated cash flows into U.S. dollars and to fix our cash payments in U.S. dollars, as well as to mitigate the impact of foreign currency transaction gains or losses. These swaps are designated as fair value hedges. We record the cross currency swaps at fair value in our consolidated balance sheets as assets and liabilities. Changes in the fair value of the cross currency swaps attributable to changes in the spot rate of the hedged item and changes in the recorded value of the hedged debt due to changes in spot rates are recorded in the same income statement line item. We present exchange gains and losses from the conversion of foreign currency denominated debt as a part of Interest expense. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, these amounts completely offset each other and no net gain or loss was recorded.
Changes in the fair value of cross currency swaps attributable to time value and cross currency basis spread are initially recorded to Other comprehensive income (loss). Unrealized gains or losses on excluded components are recorded in Other comprehensive income (loss) and are recognized into Interest expense on a systematic and rational basis through the swap accrual over the life of the hedging instrument.
On March 31, 2022, we elected to de-designate our cross currency swaps previously designated as cash flow hedges and re-designated these swaps as fair value hedges. The amount remaining in Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to cash flow hedges on the date of transition will be reclassified to earnings when the hedged item is recognized in earnings or when it becomes probable that the forecasted transactions will not occur. For the fair value hedges, we elected to exclude the change in fair value of the cross currency swaps related to both time value and cross currency basis spread from the assessment of hedge effectiveness (the excluded components). The initial value of the excluded components of $1.0 billion as of March 31, 2022 will continue to be amortized into Interest expense over the remaining life of the hedging instruments. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the amortization of the initial value of the excluded component completely offset the amortization related to the amount remaining in Other comprehensive income (loss) related to cash flow hedges. See Note 14 for additional information. We estimate that $94 million will be amortized into Interest expense within the next 12 months.
Treasury Rate Locks
We enter into treasury rate locks designated as cash flow hedges to mitigate our interest rate risk on future transactions. We recognize gains and losses resulting from interest rate movements in Other comprehensive income (loss).
Net Investment Hedges
We have designated certain foreign currency debt instruments as net investment hedges to mitigate foreign exchange exposure related to non-U.S. dollar net investments in certain foreign subsidiaries against changes in foreign exchange rates. The notional amount of Euro-denominated debt designated as a net investment hedge was €750 million as of both December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Undesignated Derivatives
We also have the following derivative contracts which we use as economic hedges but for which we have elected not to apply hedge accounting.
The following table summarizes the activity of our derivatives not designated in hedging relationships:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023
Foreign Exchange Forwards:
Notional value entered into $ 8,640 $ 11,175
Notional value settled 9,070 11,045
Pre-tax gain (loss) recognized in Other income (expense), net
(50) 25
Foreign Exchange Forwards
We entered into British Pound Sterling and Euro foreign exchange forwards to mitigate our foreign exchange rate risk related to non-functional currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities of international subsidiaries.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of temporary cash investments, short-term and long-term investments, trade receivables, including device payment plan agreement receivables, certain notes receivable, including lease receivables, and derivative contracts.
Counterparties to our derivative contracts are major financial institutions with whom we have negotiated derivatives agreements (ISDA master agreements) and credit support annex (CSA) agreements which provide rules for collateral exchange. The CSA agreements contain fixed cap amounts or rating based thresholds such that we or our counterparties may be required to hold or post collateral based upon changes in outstanding positions as compared to established thresholds or caps and changes in credit ratings. We do not offset fair value amounts recognized for derivative instruments and fair value amounts recognized for the right to reclaim cash collateral or the obligation to return cash collateral arising from derivative instruments recognized at fair value. At both December 31, 2024 and 2023, we did not hold any collateral. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, we posted $2.1 billion and $1.4 billion, respectively, of collateral related to derivative contracts under collateral exchange agreements, which were recorded as Prepaid expenses and other in our consolidated balance sheets. While we may be exposed to credit losses due to the nonperformance of our counterparties, we consider the risk remote and do not expect that any such nonperformance would result in a significant effect on our results of operations or financial condition due to our diversified pool of counterparties.
Note 10. Stock-Based Compensation
Verizon Long-Term Incentive Plan
In May 2017, our shareholders approved the 2017 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the 2017 Plan) and terminated the Company's authority to grant new awards under the Verizon 2009 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the 2009 Plan). The 2017 Plan provides for broad-based equity grants to employees, including executive officers, and permits the granting of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance stock units and other awards. Upon approval of the 2017 Plan, we reserved for issuance under the 2017 Plan the number of shares that were remaining but not issued under the 2009 Plan. Shares subject to outstanding awards under the 2009 Plan that expire, are canceled or otherwise terminated will also be available for awards under the 2017 Plan. As of December 31, 2024, 50 million shares are reserved for future issuance under the 2017 Plan.
Restricted Stock Units
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) granted under the 2017 Plan generally vest in three equal installments on each anniversary of the grant date. The RSUs that are paid in stock upon vesting and are thus classified as equity awards are measured using the grant date fair value of Verizon common stock and are not remeasured at the end of each reporting period. In 2020, Verizon announced a broad-based program that provides for the annual award of cash-settled RSUs under the 2017 Plan to all full-time and part-time employees who meet eligibility requirements. The RSUs that are settled in cash are classified as liability awards and the liability is measured at its fair value at the end of each reporting period. All RSUs granted under the 2017 Plan have dividend equivalent units (DEUs), which will be paid to participants if, and only to the extent the applicable RSU award vests, and is paid at the time the RSU award is paid, and in the same proportion as the RSU award.
We estimate forfeitures at the time of grant and revise those estimates in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. We use historical data to estimate forfeitures and recognize that estimated compensation cost of restricted stock units, net of estimated forfeitures, on a straight-line basis over the vesting period.
Performance Stock Units
The 2017 Plan also provides for grants of Performance Stock Units (PSUs) that generally vest at the end of the third year after the grant. As defined by the 2017 Plan, the Human Resources Committee of the Board of Directors determines the number of PSUs a participant earns based on the extent to which the corresponding performance goals have been achieved over the three-year performance cycle. The PSUs that are paid in stock upon vesting and are classified as equity awards are measured using the grant date fair value of Verizon common stock and are not remeasured at the end of each reporting period. The PSUs that
are settled in cash and are classified as liability awards are measured at its fair value at the end of each reporting period and, therefore, will fluctuate based on the price of Verizon common stock as well as performance relative to the targets. All PSUs granted under the 2017 Plan have DEUs, which will be paid to participants if, and only to the extent the applicable PSU award vests, and is paid at the time that PSU award is paid, and in the same proportion as the PSU award. The granted and cancelled activity for the PSU award includes adjustments for the performance goals achieved.
The following table summarizes Verizon’s Restricted Stock Unit and Performance Stock Unit activity:
Restricted Stock Units Performance Stock Units
(shares in thousands) Equity Awards Liability Awards Equity Awards Liability Awards
Outstanding January 1, 2022 6,779 17,290 8,640 4,465
Granted 4,149 11,309 5,752 197
Payments (3,313) (6,363) - (2,075)
Cancelled/Forfeited (362) (1,627) (567) (2,171)
Outstanding December 31, 2022 7,253 20,609 13,825 416
Granted 13,047 17,441 2,537 12
Payments (3,612) (12,198) (3,495) (121)
Cancelled/Forfeited (836) (2,366) (693) (31)
Outstanding December 31, 2023 15,852 23,486 12,174 276
Granted 11,118 16,172 (12) (46)
Payments (6,439) (12,393) (2,175) (71)
Cancelled/Forfeited (533) (1,379) (181) (1)
Outstanding December 31, 2024 19,998 25,886 9,806 158
As of December 31, 2024, unrecognized compensation expense related to the unvested portion of Verizon’s RSUs and PSUs was approximately $745 million and is expected to be recognized over approximately 2 years.
The equity awards granted in 2024, 2023 and 2022 have weighted-average grant date fair values of $40.31, $37.53 and $53.26 per unit, respectively. During 2024, 2023 and 2022, we paid $508 million, $415 million and $433 million, respectively, to settle RSUs and PSUs classified as liability awards.
Stock-Based Compensation Expense
After-tax compensation expense for stock-based compensation related to RSUs and PSUs described above included in Net income attributable to Verizon was $795 million, $533 million and $609 million for 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Note 11. Employee Benefits
We maintain non-contributory defined benefit pension plans for certain employees. In addition, we maintain postretirement health care and life insurance plans for certain retirees and their dependents, which are both contributory and non-contributory, and include a limit on our share of the cost for certain current and future retirees. In accordance with our accounting policy for pension and other postretirement benefits, operating expenses include service costs associated with pension and other postretirement benefits while other credits and/or charges based on actuarial assumptions, including projected discount rates, an estimated return on plan assets, and impact from health care trend rates are reported in Other income (expense), net. These estimates are updated in the fourth quarter or upon a remeasurement event, to reflect actual return on plan assets and updated actuarial assumptions. The adjustment is recognized in the income statement during the fourth quarter and upon a remeasurement event pursuant to our accounting policy for the recognition of actuarial gains and losses.
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits
Pension and other postretirement benefits for certain employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements. Modifications in benefits have been bargained from time to time, and we may also periodically amend the benefits in the management plans. The following tables summarize benefit costs, as well as the benefit obligations, plan assets, funded status and rate assumptions associated with pension and postretirement health care and life insurance benefit plans.
Obligations and Funded Status
(dollars in millions)
Pension Health Care and Life
At December 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023
Change in Benefit Obligations
Beginning of year $ 15,133 $ 15,369 $ 11,455 $ 11,107
Service cost 185 208 52 54
Interest cost 479 752 543 545
Plan amendments - - - (26)
Actuarial (gain) loss, net (1,130) 5 (533) 757
Benefits paid (419) (1,008) (978) (982)
Curtailment and termination benefits 6 5 - -
Settlements paid (725) (198) - -
Annuity contracts transfer
(5,611) - - -
End of year 7,918 15,133 10,539 11,455
Change in Plan Assets
Beginning of year 13,536 13,739 466 450
Actual return on plan assets (400) 751 43 62
Company contributions 421 252 935 936
Benefits paid (419) (1,008) (978) (982)
Settlements paid (725) (198) - -
Annuity contracts transfer
(5,611) - - -
End of year 6,802 13,536 466 466
Funded Status - End of year $ (1,116) $ (1,597) $ (10,073) $ (10,989)
(dollars in millions)
Pension Health Care and Life
At December 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023
Amounts recognized in the balance sheets
Current liabilities $ (38) $ (42) $ (643) $ (685)
Non-current liabilities (1,078) (1,555) (9,430) (10,304)
Total $ (1,116) $ (1,597) $ (10,073) $ (10,989)
Amounts recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive loss (pre-tax)
Prior service cost (benefit) $ 523 $ 635 $ (833) $ (962)
Total $ 523 $ 635 $ (833) $ (962)
The accumulated benefit obligation for all defined benefit pension plans was $7.9 billion and $15.1 billion at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Pension Annuitization
On February 29, 2024, we entered into two separate commitment agreements, one by and between the Company, State Street Global Advisors Trust Company (State Street), as independent fiduciary of the Verizon Management Pension Plan and Verizon Pension Plan for Associates (the Pension Plans), and The Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential), and one by and between the Company, State Street and RGA Reinsurance Company (RGA), under which the Pension Plans purchased nonparticipating single premium group annuity contracts from Prudential and RGA, respectively, to settle approximately $5.8 billion of benefit liabilities of the Pension Plans, net of certain adjustments, resulting in a net pre-tax settlement gain of $200 million.
The purchase of the group annuity contracts closed on March 6, 2024. The group annuity contracts primarily cover a population that includes 56,000 retirees who commenced benefit payments from the Pension Plans prior to January 1, 2023 (Transferred Participants). Prudential and RGA each irrevocably guarantee and assume the sole obligation to make future payments to the Transferred Participants as provided under their respective group annuity contracts, with direct payments beginning July 1, 2024. The aggregate amount of each Transferred Participant's payment under the group annuity contracts will be equal to the amount of each individual’s payment under the Pension Plans.
The purchase of the group annuity contracts was funded directly by transferring $5.6 billion, of assets of the Pension Plans, net of certain settlements. The Company made additional contributions to the Pension Plans prior to the closing date of the transaction, as discussed below. With these contributions, the funded ratio of each of the Pension Plans does not change as a result of this transaction.
Pension plan assets and liabilities are primarily presented within Employee benefit obligations in our consolidated balance sheets.
Actuarial (Gain) Loss, Net
The net actuarial gain in 2024 is primarily the result of a $1.4 billion gain ($764 million in our pension plans and $656 million in our postretirement benefit plans) due to an increase in our discount rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our pension plans and postretirement benefit plans from a weighted-average of 5.0% for both our pension and postretirement plans at December 31, 2023 to a weighted-average of 5.8% for our pension plans and 5.6% for our postretirement plans at December 31, 2024, as well as a net pre-tax settlement gain of $200 million resulting from the pension annuitization transaction discussed above.
The net actuarial loss in 2023 is primarily the result of a $534 million loss in our postretirement benefit plans due to an increase in our healthcare cost trend rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our postretirement benefit plans from a weighted-average of 6.6% at December 31, 2022 to a weighted-average of 7.3% at December 31, 2023; and a $503 million loss ($288 million in our pension plans and $215 million in our postretirement benefit plans) due to a decrease in our discount rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our pension plans and postretirement benefit plans from a weighted-average of 5.2% at December 31, 2022 to a weighted-average of 5.0% at December 31, 2023.
Plan Amendments
The reclassifications from the amounts recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a result of collective bargaining agreements and plan amendments made in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022 resulted in a net increase to net periodic benefit cost and net decrease to pre-tax income of an insignificant amount during 2024. The similar reclassifications resulted in a net decrease to net periodic benefit cost and net increase to pre-tax income of $252 million during 2023 and $390 million during 2022.
Information for pension plans with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets follows:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, 2024 2023
Accumulated benefit obligation $ 7,881 $ 15,086
Fair value of plan assets 6,802 13,534
Information for pension plans with a projected benefit obligation in excess of plan assets follows:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, 2024 2023
Projected benefit obligation $ 7,918 $ 15,133
Fair value of plan assets 6,802 13,536
Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Income)
The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost (income) related to our pension and postretirement health care and life insurance plans:
(dollars in millions)
Pension Health Care and Life
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022 2024 2023 2022
Service cost - Cost of services $ 159 $ 182 $ 216 $ 44 $ 46 $ 79
Service cost - Selling, general and administrative expense 26 26 30 8 8 15
Service cost 185 208 246 52 54 94
Amortization of prior service cost (credit) 112 112 82 (129) (419) (530)
Expected return on plan assets (620) (1,013) (1,119) (28) (31) (27)
Interest cost 479 752 544 543 545 332
Remeasurement loss (gain), net (110) 266 1,505 (547) 726 (3,182)
Curtailment and termination benefits - - 2 - - -
Other components (139) 117 1,014 (161) 821 (3,407)
Total $ 46 $ 325 $ 1,260 $ (109) $ 875 $ (3,313)
The service cost component of net periodic benefit cost (income) is recorded in Cost of services and Selling, general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of income while the other components, including mark-to-market adjustments, if any, are recorded in Other income (expense), net.
Other pre-tax changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in Other comprehensive (income) loss are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Pension Health Care and Life
At December 31, 2024 2023 2022 2024 2023 2022
Reversal of amortization items
Prior service cost (benefit) $ (112) $ (112) $ (82) $ 129 $ 419 $ 530
Total recognized in Other comprehensive loss (income) (pre-tax) $ (112) $ (112) $ (82) $ 129 $ 419 $ 530
Assumptions
The weighted-average assumptions used in determining benefit obligations follow:
Pension Health Care and Life
At December 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023
Discount Rate 5.80 % 5.00 % 5.60 % 5.00 %
Rate of compensation increases 3.00 % 3.00 % N/A N/A
N/A - not applicable
The weighted-average assumptions used in determining net periodic cost follow:
Pension Health Care and Life
At December 31, 2024 2023 2022 2024 2023 2022
Discount rate in effect for determining service cost
5.40 % 5.30 % 3.80 % 5.10 % 5.30 % 3.20 %
Discount rate in effect for determining interest cost
5.20 5.10 3.20 4.90 5.10 2.30
Expected return on plan assets 7.90 7.70 6.70 6.30 7.30 4.90
Rate of compensation increases 3.00 3.00 3.00 N/A N/A N/A
N/A - not applicable
In determining our pension and other postretirement benefit obligations, we used a weighted-average discount rate of 5.7% in 2024. The rates were selected to approximate the composite interest rates available on a selection of high-quality bonds available in the market at December 31, 2024. The bonds selected had maturities that coincided with the time periods during which benefits payments are expected to occur, were non-callable (or callable with certain selection criteria met) and available in sufficient quantities to ensure marketability (at least $300 million par outstanding).
In order to project the long-term target investment return for the total portfolio, estimates are prepared for the total return of each major asset class over the subsequent 10-year period. Those estimates are based on a combination of factors including the current market interest rates and valuation levels, consensus earnings expectations and historical long-term risk premiums. To
determine the aggregate return for the pension trust, the projected return of each individual asset class is then weighted according to the allocation to that investment area in the trust’s long-term asset allocation policy.
The assumed health care cost trend rates are as follows:
Health Care and Life
At December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Weighted-average healthcare cost trend rate assumed for next year 8.80 % 7.30 % 6.60 %
Rate to which cost trend rate gradually declines 4.50 4.50 4.50
Year the rate reaches the level it is assumed to remain thereafter 2034 2032 2031
Plan Assets
The Company’s overall investment strategy is to achieve a mix of assets that allows us to meet projected benefit payments while taking into consideration risk and return. While target allocation percentages will vary over time, the current target allocation for plan assets is designed so that 53% to 63% of the assets have the objective of achieving a return in excess of the growth in liabilities (comprised of public equities, private equities, real estate, hedge funds, high yield bonds and emerging market debt) and 41% to 51% of the assets are invested as liability hedging assets (where interest rate sensitivity of the liability hedging assets better match the interest rate sensitivity of the liability) and a maximum of 10% is in cash. This allocation will shift as funded status improves to a higher allocation of liability hedging assets. Target policies will be revisited periodically to ensure they are in line with fund objectives. Both active and passive management approaches are used depending on perceived market efficiencies and various other factors. Due to our diversification and risk control processes, there are no significant concentrations of risk, in terms of sector, industry, geography or company names.
Pension and healthcare and life plans assets do not include significant amounts of Verizon bonds or common stock.
Pension Plans
The fair values for the pension plans by asset category at December 31, 2024 are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Asset Category Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Cash and cash equivalents $ 542 $ 530 $ 12 $ -
Equity securities 12 12 - -
Fixed income securities
U.S. Treasuries and agencies 720 527 193 -
Corporate bonds 1,129 627 502 -
International bonds 113 - 113 -
Other 82 (87) 169 -
Real estate 934 - - 934
Other
Private equity 564 - - 564
Hedge funds 50 - 27 23
Total investments at fair value 4,146 1,609 1,016 1,521
Investments measured at NAV 2,656
Total $ 6,802 $ 1,609 $ 1,016 $ 1,521
The fair values for the pension plans by asset category at December 31, 2023 are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Asset Category Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,956 $ 1,771 $ 185 $ -
Equity securities 69 55 14 -
Fixed income securities
U.S. Treasuries and agencies 1,412 1,274 138 -
Corporate bonds 2,994 204 2,790 -
International bonds 341 3 338 -
Other 768 234 534 -
Real estate 996 - - 996
Other
Private equity 512 - - 512
Hedge funds 56 - 30 26
Total investments at fair value 9,104 3,541 4,029 1,534
Investments measured at NAV 4,432
Total $ 13,536 $ 3,541 $ 4,029 $ 1,534
The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of pension plan assets that are measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs:
(dollars in millions)
Real
Estate Private
Equity Hedge
Funds Total
Balance at January 1, 2023 $ 1,002 $ 569 $ 52 $ 1,623
Actual gain (loss) on plan assets (54) 14 4 (36)
Purchases (sales) 48 (67) (1) (20)
Transfers out - (4) (29) (33)
Balance at December 31, 2023 996 512 26 1,534
Actual gain (loss) on plan assets (69) 55 1 (13)
Purchases (sales) 12 (1) (1) 10
Transfers out (5) (2) (3) (10)
Balance at December 31, 2024 $ 934 $ 564 $ 23 $ 1,521
Health Care and Life Plans
The fair values for the other postretirement benefit plans by asset category at December 31, 2024 are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Asset Category Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Cash and cash equivalents $ 21 $ - $ 21 $ -
Equity securities 223 223 - -
Fixed income securities
U.S. Treasuries and agencies 149 135 14 -
Corporate bonds 45 32 13 -
International bonds 15 11 4 -
Other 10 - 10 -
Total investments at fair value 463 401 62 -
Investments measured at NAV 3
Total $ 466 $ 401 $ 62 $ -
The fair values for the other postretirement benefit plans by asset category at December 31, 2023 are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Asset Category Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Cash and cash equivalents $ 27 $ - $ 27 $ -
Equity securities 229 229 - -
Fixed income securities
U.S. Treasuries and agencies 138 118 20 -
Corporate bonds 41 29 12 -
International bonds 12 10 2 -
Other 14 - 14 -
Total investments at fair value 461 386 75 -
Investments measured at NAV 5
Total $ 466 $ 386 $ 75 $ -
The following are general descriptions of asset categories, as well as the valuation methodologies and inputs used to determine the fair value of each major category of assets.
Cash and cash equivalents include short-term investment funds (less than 90 days to maturity), primarily in diversified portfolios of investment grade money market instruments and are valued using quoted market prices or other valuation methods. The carrying value of cash equivalents approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of these investments.
Investments in securities traded on national and foreign securities exchanges are valued by the trustee at the last reported sale prices on the last business day of the year or, if no sales were reported on that date, at the last reported bid prices. Government obligations, corporate bonds, international bonds and asset-backed debt are valued using matrix prices with input from independent third-party valuation sources. Over-the-counter securities are valued at the bid prices or the average of the bid and ask prices on the last business day of the year from published sources or, if not available, from other sources considered reliable such as multiple broker quotes.
Commingled funds not traded on national exchanges are priced by the custodian or fund's administrator at their net asset value (NAV). Commingled funds held by third-party custodians appointed by the fund managers provide the fund managers with a NAV. The fund managers have the responsibility for providing this information to the custodian of the respective plan.
The investment manager of the entity values venture capital, corporate finance and natural resource limited partnership investments. Real estate investments are valued at amounts based upon appraisal reports prepared by either independent real estate appraisers or the investment manager using discounted cash flows or market comparable data. Loans secured by mortgages are carried at the lesser of the unpaid balance or appraised value of the underlying properties. The values assigned to these investments are based upon available and current market information and do not necessarily represent amounts that might ultimately be realized. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, estimated fair values might differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities existed. These differences could be material.
Forward currency contracts, futures, and options are valued by the trustee at the exchange rates and market prices prevailing on the last business day of the year. Both exchange rates and market prices are readily available from published sources. These securities are classified by the asset class of the underlying holdings.
Hedge funds are valued by the custodian at NAV based on statements received from the investment manager. These funds are valued in accordance with the terms of their corresponding offering or private placement memoranda.
Commingled funds, hedge funds, venture capital, corporate finance, natural resource and real estate limited partnership investments for which fair value is measured using the NAV per share as a practical expedient are not leveled within the fair value hierarchy but are included in total investments.
Employer Contributions
In 2024, we made discretionary contributions in the aggregate amount of $365 million to the Pension Plans, $56 million of contributions to our nonqualified pension plans and $935 million of contributions to our other postretirement benefit plans. For 2025, we expect no required qualified pension plan contributions and insignificant nonqualified pension plan contributions. Contributions to our other postretirement benefit plans are estimated to be approximately $726 million in 2025.
Estimated Future Benefit Payments
The benefit payments to retirees are expected to be paid as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Year Pension Benefits Health Care and Life
2025 $ 1,024 $ 754
2026 770 795
2027 357 810
2028 384 829
2029 412 836
2030 to 2034 2,448 4,364
Savings Plan and Employee Stock Ownership Plans
We maintain four leveraged employee stock ownership plans (ESOP). We match a certain percentage of eligible employee contributions to certain savings plans with shares of our common stock from this ESOP. At December 31, 2024, the number of allocated shares of common stock in this ESOP was 39 million. There were no unallocated shares of common stock in this ESOP at December 31, 2024. All leveraged ESOP shares are included in earnings per share computations.
Total savings plan costs were $700 million in 2024, $724 million in 2023 and $620 million in 2022.
Severance Benefits
The following table provides an analysis of our severance liability:
(dollars in millions)
Year Beginning of Year Charged to
Expense Payments End of Year
2022 $ 548 $ 319 $ (214) $ 653
2023 653 531 (617) 567
2024 567 1,494 (966) 1,095
Severance, Pension and Benefits Charges (Credits)
During 2024, we recorded net pre-tax severance charges of $1.5 billion, principally as a result of our voluntary separation program, but also as a result of other headcount reduction initiatives, in Selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statements of income. In June 2024, we announced a voluntary separation program for select U.S.-based management employees. Approximately 4,800 eligible employees will separate from Verizon under this program by the end of March 2025, with the majority of these employees having exited through December 31, 2024.
During 2023 and 2022, we recorded net pre-tax severance charges of $531 million and $319 million, respectively in Selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statements of income.
During 2024, in accordance with our accounting policy to recognize actuarial gains and losses in the period in which they occur, we recorded net pre-tax pension and benefits credits of $657 million in our pension and postretirement benefit plans. The net gain was recorded in Other income (expense), net, in our consolidated statement of income. This was primarily driven by a credit of $1.4 billion ($764 million for pension plans and $656 million for postretirement benefit plans) due to an increase in our discount rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our pension plans from a weighted-average of 5.0% for both our pension and post retirement plans at December 31, 2023 to a weighted-average of 5.8% for our pension plans and 5.6% for our postretirement benefit plans at December 31, 2024; a charge of $1.0 billion due to the difference between our estimated and our actual return on plan assets; and a net pre-tax settlement credit of $200 million resulting from the pension annuitization transaction discussed above.
During 2023, we recorded net pre-tax pension and benefits charges of $992 million in our pension and postretirement benefit plans. The charges were recorded in Other income (expense), net, in our consolidated statement of income and were primarily driven by a charge of $534 million due to an increase in our healthcare cost trend rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our postretirement benefit plans from a weighted-average of 6.6% at December 31, 2022 to a weighted-average of 7.3% at December 31, 2023; a charge of $503 million due to a decrease in our discount rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our pension plans ($288 million) and postretirement benefit plans ($215 million) from a weighted-average of 5.2% at December 31, 2022 to a weighted-average of 5.0% at December 31, 2023; a net credit of $45 million primarily due to changes in other actuarial assumption adjustments, which includes the difference between our estimated and our actual return on plan assets.
During 2022, we recorded net pre-tax pension and benefits credits of $1.7 billion in our pension and postretirement benefit plans. The credits were recorded in Other income (expense), net in our consolidated statement of income and were primarily driven by
a credit of $7.0 billion due to an increase in our discount rate assumption used to determine the current year liabilities of our pension plans ($4.1 billion) and postretirement benefit plans ($2.9 billion) from a weighted-average of 2.9% at December 31, 2021 to a weighted-average of 5.2% at December 31, 2022, a charge of $5.5 billion due to the difference between our estimated and our actual return on assets and a credit of $206 million due to other actuarial assumption adjustments.
Note 12. Taxes
The components of income before provision for income taxes are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Domestic $ 21,253 $ 15,668 $ 26,822
Foreign 1,726 1,319 1,449
Total $ 22,979 $ 16,987 $ 28,271
The components of the provision for income taxes are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Current
Federal $ 3,367 $ 2,070 $ 2,411
Foreign 240 219 201
State and local 608 215 938
Total 4,215 2,504 3,550
Deferred
Federal 807 1,799 2,529
Foreign (4) 28 (22)
State and local 12 561 466
Total 815 2,388 2,973
Total income tax provision $ 5,030 $ 4,892 $ 6,523
The following table shows the principal reasons for the difference between the effective income tax rate and the statutory federal income tax rate:
(dollars in millions)
2024 2023 2022
Years Ended December 31, Amount Percent Amount Percent Amount Percent
U.S. federal statutory tax rate $ 4,825 21.0 % $ 3,567 21.0 % $ 5,937 21.0 %
State and local income taxes, net of federal income tax effect(1)
566 2.5 664 3.9 1,104 3.9
Foreign tax effects (68) (0.3) (16) (0.1) (120) (0.4)
Effect of cross-border tax laws - - 18 0.1 15 0.1
Tax credits (27) (0.1) (27) (0.2) (30) (0.1)
Changes in valuation allowances 15 0.1 - - 11 -
Nontaxable or nondeductible items
Goodwill impairment - - 1,149 6.8 - -
Other (116) (0.5) (133) (0.8) (145) (0.5)
Changes in unrecognized tax benefits 40 0.2 (27) (0.2) (118) (0.4)
Other adjustments
Federal refund claims (17) (0.1) (245) (1.4) - -
Other (188) (0.9) (58) (0.3) (131) (0.5)
Effective income tax rate $ 5,030 21.9 % $ 4,892 28.8 % $ 6,523 23.1 %
(1) The states that contribute to the majority (greater than 50%) of the tax effect in this category include California, Maryland and Pennsylvania for 2024, California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland and Virginia for 2023, and California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon and Pennsylvania for 2022.
The effective income tax rate for 2024 was 21.9% compared to 28.8% for 2023. The decrease in the effective income tax rate was primarily due to the Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment charge of $5.8 billion in 2023 that substantially decreased income before income taxes and was not deductible. The increase in the provision for income taxes was primarily due to the increase in income before income taxes in the current period.
The effective income tax rate for 2023 was 28.8% compared to 23.1% for 2022. The increase in the effective income tax rate was primarily due to the Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment charge of $5.8 billion that substantially decreased income before income taxes and was not deductible. The decrease in the provision for income taxes was primarily due to the decrease in income before income taxes in the current period.
The amounts of cash taxes paid by Verizon are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Federal $ 4,745 $ 1,447 $ 1,865
State 665 672 670
Foreign
Ireland 156 143 147
All other foreign 66 81 54
Income taxes, net of amounts refunded 5,632 2,343 2,736
Employment taxes 992 1,016 1,245
Property and other taxes 1,836 2,007 1,959
Total $ 8,460 $ 5,366 $ 5,940
In 2024, there were no individual jurisdictions with cash taxes paid that equaled or exceeded 5% of total income taxes paid. In 2022 and 2023, the only jurisdiction with cash taxes paid that equaled or exceeded 5% of total income taxes paid was Ireland.
Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities
Deferred taxes arise because of differences in the book and tax bases of certain assets and liabilities. Significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, 2024 2023
Deferred tax assets
Employee benefits $ 3,676 $ 3,913
Tax loss, credit, and other carry forwards 1,719 1,922
Lease liabilities 5,138 5,480
Other - assets 1,735 1,708
12,268 13,023
Valuation allowances (1,399) (1,341)
Deferred tax assets 10,869 11,682
Deferred tax liabilities
Spectrum and other intangible amortization 29,302 28,535
Depreciation 20,424 20,884
Lease right-of-use assets 4,822 5,200
Other - liabilities 2,904 2,696
Deferred tax liabilities 57,452 57,315
Net deferred tax liability $ 46,583 $ 45,633
Undistributed earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries continue to be indefinitely invested outside the U.S. The majority of Verizon's cash flow is generated from domestic operations and we are not dependent on foreign cash or earnings to meet our funding requirements, nor do we intend to repatriate these undistributed foreign earnings to fund U.S. operations. Furthermore, a portion of these undistributed earnings represents amounts that legally must be kept in reserve in accordance with certain foreign jurisdictional requirements and are unavailable for distribution or repatriation. As a result, we have not provided U.S. deferred taxes on these undistributed earnings because we intend that they will remain indefinitely reinvested outside of the U.S. and, therefore unavailable for use in funding U.S. operations. Determination of the amount of unrecognized deferred taxes related to these undistributed earnings is not practicable.
At December 31, 2024, we had net after-tax loss, credit, and other carry forwards for income tax purposes of approximately $1.7 billion that relate to federal, state and foreign taxes. Of these net after-tax loss, credit, and other carry forwards, approximately $1.1 billion will expire between 2025 and 2044 and approximately $591 million may be carried forward indefinitely.
During 2024, the valuation allowance increased by $59 million. The $1.4 billion valuation allowance at December 31, 2024 is primarily related to state and foreign taxes.
Unrecognized Tax Benefits
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:
(dollars in millions)
2024 2023 2022
Balance at January 1, $ 2,705 $ 2,812 $ 3,134
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year 91 114 123
Additions for tax positions of prior years 203 185 122
Reductions for tax positions of prior years (229) (154) (419)
Settlements (70) (50) (92)
Lapses of statutes of limitations (65) (202) (56)
Balance at December 31, $ 2,635 $ 2,705 $ 2,812
Included in the total unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 is $2.3 billion, $2.3 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively, that if recognized, would favorably affect the effective income tax rate.
We recognized the following net after-tax expenses (benefit) related to interest and penalties in the provision for income taxes:
Years Ended December 31, (dollars in millions)
2024 $ 55
2023 86
2022 35
The after-tax accruals for the payment of interest and penalties in the consolidated balance sheets are as follows:
At December 31, (dollars in millions)
2024 $ 684
2023 630
The decrease in unrecognized tax benefits in 2024 was primarily due to the resolution of issues under income tax examinations. The decrease in unrecognized tax benefits for 2023 was primarily due to lapses of statutes of limitations.
Verizon and/or its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and various state, local and foreign jurisdictions. As a large taxpayer, we are under audit by the IRS and multiple state and foreign jurisdictions for various open tax years. The IRS is currently examining the Company’s U.S. income tax returns for tax years 2017 through 2019 and Cellco's U.S. income tax return for tax year 2020. Tax controversies are ongoing for tax years as early as 2009 in certain states and as early as 2000 outside the U.S.
Note 13. Segment Information
Reportable Segments
We have two reportable segments that we operate and manage as strategic business units - Consumer and Business. We measure and evaluate our reportable segments based on segment operating income, consistent with the chief operating decision maker's (CODM) assessment of segment performance.
The Company's CODM is the Chief Executive Officer. The CODM uses segment operating income to allocate resources (including employees, financial or capital resources) and to assess performance during the monthly and quarterly financial strategic review process. When assessing segment performance and how to allocate resources, the CODM focuses on evaluating whether revenues generated are sufficient to cover variable and fixed costs with an appropriate return on investment. Key decisions considered by the CODM using segment operating income include prioritization and timing of changes to network technologies, allocation of capital expenditures based on the Company's priorities, geographic expansion of wireline and wireless networks, establishment of key financial and operational targets, pricing decisions, branding matters and people management.
Our segments and their principal activities consist of the following:
Segment Description
Verizon Consumer Group Our Consumer segment provides consumer-focused wireless and wireline communications services and products. Our wireless services are provided across one of the most extensive wireless networks in the U.S. under the Verizon family of brands and through wholesale and other arrangements. We also provide FWA broadband through our 5G or 4G LTE networks as an alternative to traditional landline internet access. Our wireline services are provided in nine states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S., as well as Washington D.C., over our 100% fiber-optic network through our Verizon Fios product portfolio and over a traditional copper-based network to customers who are not served by Fios.
Verizon
Business Group Our Business segment provides wireless and wireline communications services and products, including FWA broadband, data, video and advanced communication services, corporate networking solutions, security and managed network services, local and long distance voice services and network access to deliver various IoT services and products. We provide these products and services to businesses, public sector customers and wireless and wireline carriers across the U.S. and a subset of these products and services to customers around the world.
Our Consumer segment's wireless and wireline products and services are available to our retail customers, as well as resellers that purchase wireless network access from us on a wholesale basis. Our Business segment’s wireless and wireline products and services are organized by the primary customer groups for these offerings: Enterprise and Public Sector, Business Markets and Other, and Wholesale.
Corporate and other primarily includes device insurance programs, investments in unconsolidated businesses and development stage businesses that support our strategic initiatives, as well as unallocated corporate expenses, certain pension and other employee benefit related costs and interest and financing expenses. Corporate and other also includes the historical results of divested businesses and other adjustments and gains and losses that are not allocated or used in assessing segment performance due to their nature. Although such transactions are excluded from the business segment results, they are included in reported consolidated earnings. Gains and losses from these transactions that are not individually significant are included in segment results and therefore included in the CODM’s assessment of segment performance.
The following tables provide operating financial information for our two reportable segments:
(dollars in millions)
2024 Consumer Business Total
Reportable
Segments
External Operating Revenues
Service $ 76,880 $ - $ 76,880
Wireless equipment 19,598 - 19,598
Other(1)
6,213 - 6,213
Enterprise and Public Sector - 14,218 14,218
Business Markets and Other - 13,081 13,081
Wholesale - 2,196 2,196
Intersegment revenues 213 36 249
Total Operating Revenues(2)
102,904 29,531 132,435
Operating Expenses(3)
Cost of wireless equipment 21,259 4,841 26,100
Centrally managed network and shared service costs(4)
17,781 10,200 27,981
Depreciation and amortization expense 13,552 4,307 17,859
Other segment expenses(5)
20,828 8,125 28,953
Total Operating Expenses
73,420 27,473 100,893
Operating Income $ 29,484 $ 2,058 $ 31,542
(1) Other revenue includes fees that partially recover the direct and indirect costs of complying with regulatory and industry obligations and programs, revenues associated with certain products included in our device protection offerings, leasing and interest recognized when equipment is sold to the customer by an authorized agent under a device payment plan agreement.
(2) Service and other revenues and Wireless equipment revenues included in our Business segment amounted to approximately $25.9 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(3) The significant expense categories and amounts align with the segment-level information that is regularly provided to the CODM. Intersegment expenses are included within the amounts shown.
(4) Centrally managed network and shared service costs include costs for network and leased assets, supply chain and other centralized services that are allocated to our Consumer and Business segments based on proportionate usage of services.
(5) Other segment expenses for each reportable segment include certain personnel, digital content, sales-related, overhead, other direct and operating costs.
(dollars in millions)
2023 Consumer Business Total
Reportable
Segments
External Operating Revenues
Service $ 74,874 $ - $ 74,874
Wireless equipment 20,645 - 20,645
Other(1)
5,898 - 5,898
Enterprise and Public Sector - 15,076 15,076
Business Markets and Other - 12,697 12,697
Wholesale - 2,313 2,313
Intersegment revenues 209 36 245
Total Operating Revenues(2)
101,626 30,122 131,748
Operating Expenses(3)
Cost of wireless equipment 21,827 4,959 26,786
Centrally managed network and shared service costs(4)
17,496 10,590 28,086
Depreciation and amortization expense 13,077 4,488 17,565
Other segment expenses(5)
20,215 8,019 28,234
Total Operating Expenses
72,615 28,056 100,671
Operating Income $ 29,011 $ 2,066 $ 31,077
(1) Other revenue includes fees that partially recover the direct and indirect costs of complying with regulatory and industry obligations and programs, revenues associated with certain products included in our device protection offerings, leasing and interest recognized when equipment is sold to the customer by an authorized agent under a device payment plan agreement.
(2) Service and other revenues and Wireless equipment revenues included in our Business segment amounted to approximately $26.4 billion and $3.7 billion, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2023.
(3) The significant expense categories and amounts align with the segment-level information that is regularly provided to the CODM. Intersegment expenses are included within the amounts shown.
(4) Centrally managed network and shared service costs include costs for network and leased assets, supply chain and other centralized services that are allocated to our Consumer and Business segments based on proportionate usage of services.
(5) Other segment expenses for each reportable segment include certain personnel, digital content, sales-related, overhead, other direct and operating costs.
(dollars in millions)
2022 Consumer Business Total
Reportable
Segments
External Operating Revenues
Service $ 73,139 $ - $ 73,139
Wireless equipment 23,168 - 23,168
Other(1)
6,996 - 6,996
Enterprise and Public Sector - 15,692 15,692
Business Markets and Other - 12,753 12,753
Wholesale - 2,584 2,584
Intersegment revenues 203 43 246
Total Operating Revenues(2)
103,506 31,072 134,578
Operating Expenses(3)
Cost of wireless equipment 25,134 5,362 30,496
Centrally managed network and shared service costs(4)
16,997 10,840 27,837
Depreciation and amortization expense 12,716 4,312 17,028
Other segment expenses(5)
19,813 7,927 27,740
Total Operating Expenses
74,660 28,441 103,101
Operating Income $ 28,846 $ 2,631 $ 31,477
(1) Other revenue includes fees that partially recover the direct and indirect costs of complying with regulatory and industry obligations and programs, revenues associated with certain products included in our device protection offerings, leasing and interest recognized when equipment is sold to the customer by an authorized agent under a device payment plan agreement.
(2) Service and other revenues and Wireless equipment revenues included in our Business segment amounted to approximately $27.0 billion and $4.0 billion, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2022.
(3) The significant expense categories and amounts align with the segment-level information that is regularly provided to the CODM. Intersegment expenses are included within the amounts shown.
(4) Centrally managed network and shared service costs include costs for network and leased assets, supply chain and other centralized services that are allocated to our Consumer and Business segments based on proportionate usage of services.
(5) Other segment expenses for each reportable segment include certain personnel, digital content, sales-related, overhead, other direct and operating costs.
The following table provides Fios revenues for our two reportable segments and includes intersegment activity:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Consumer $ 11,647 $ 11,614 $ 11,622
Business 1,252 1,235 1,201
Total Fios revenue $ 12,899 $ 12,849 $ 12,823
The following table provides Wireless service revenue for our reportable segments and includes intersegment activity:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Consumer $ 65,374 $ 63,358 $ 61,509
Business 13,753 13,372 12,845
Total Wireless service revenue $ 79,127 $ 76,730 $ 74,354
Reconciliation to Consolidated Financial Information
The reconciliation of segment operating revenues and operating income to consolidated operating revenues and operating income below includes the effects of special items that the CODM does not consider in assessing segment performance, primarily because of their nature.
A reconciliation of the total reportable segments’ operating revenues to consolidated operating revenues is as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Operating Revenues
Total reportable segments $ 132,435 $ 131,748 $ 134,578
Corporate and other 2,609 2,479 2,510
Reconciling items:
Eliminations (256) (253) (253)
Consolidated Operating Revenues $ 134,788 $ 133,974 $ 136,835
A reconciliation of the total reportable segments' operating income to consolidated income before provision for income taxes is as follows:
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Operating Income
Total reportable segments $ 31,542 $ 31,077 $ 31,477
Corporate and other (610) (643) (319)
Reconciling items:
Severance charges (1,733) (533) (304)
Other components of net periodic pension and benefit charges (Note 11) (33) (248) (387)
Asset and business rationalization
(374) (480) -
Legacy legal matter
(106) - -
Verizon Business Group goodwill impairment - (5,841) -
Legal settlement - (100) -
Business transformation costs - (176) -
Non-strategic business shutdown - (179) -
Consolidated operating income 28,686 22,877 30,467
Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated businesses (53) (53) 44
Other income (expense), net 995 (313) 1,373
Interest expense (6,649) (5,524) (3,613)
Income Before Provision For Income Taxes $ 22,979 $ 16,987 $ 28,271
No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our total operating revenues during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 or 2022. International operating revenues were not significant during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, international long-lived assets were not significant.
The CODM does not review disaggregated assets on a segment basis; therefore, such information is not presented. Depreciation and amortization included in the measure of segment profitability is primarily allocated based on proportional usage, and is included within Total reportable segment operating income.
Note 14. Equity and Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Equity
Common Stock
In February 2020, the Board of Directors of the Company authorized a share buyback program to repurchase up to 100 million shares of our common stock. The program will terminate when the aggregate number of shares purchased reaches 100 million or a new share repurchase plan superseding the current plan is authorized, whichever is sooner. During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, we did not repurchase any shares of our common stock under our authorized share buyback program. At December 31, 2024, the maximum number of shares that could be purchased by or on behalf of Verizon under our share buyback program was 100 million.
Common stock has been used from time to time to satisfy some of the funding requirements of employee and shareholder plans. During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, we issued 5.4 million, 4.4 million and 2.1 million shares of common stock from treasury stock, which had aggregate values of $238 million, $192 million and $91 million, respectively.
Noncontrolling Interests
During the year ended December 31, 2024, Verizon entered into and completed agreements to acquire additional interests in certain controlled entities for cash consideration of $280 million. Verizon continues to retain controlling financial interest within these entities; therefore, the changes in ownership interest were accounted for as equity transactions. This resulted in a reduction of additional paid-in capital of $228 million, reflected in Other, and a reduction of noncontrolling interest of $52 million,
reflected in Distributions and other, both within our consolidated statement of changes in equity for the year ended December 31, 2024. These transactions were recorded within Other, net cash flow from financing activities in our consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Comprehensive income consists of net income and other gains and losses affecting equity that, under U.S. GAAP, are excluded from net income. Significant changes in the components of Other comprehensive income (loss), net of provision for income taxes are described below.
The changes in the balances of Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component are as follows:
(dollars in millions) Foreign currency translation adjustments Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges Unrealized gain (loss) on fair value hedges Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities Defined benefit pension and postretirement plans Total
Balance at January 1, 2022 $ (545) $ (1,472) $ - $ 16 $ 1,074 $ (927)
Excluded components recognized in other comprehensive income - - (371) - - (371)
Other comprehensive loss (153) (174) - (25) (317) (669)
Amounts reclassified to net income - 496 (60) - (334) 102
Net other comprehensive income (loss) (153) 322 (431) (25) (651) (938)
Balance at December 31, 2022 (698) (1,150) (431) (9) 423 (1,865)
Excluded components recognized in other comprehensive income - - 617 - - 617
Other comprehensive income 62 3 - 5 - 70
Amounts reclassified to net income - 85 (81) 2 (208) (202)
Net other comprehensive income (loss) 62 88 536 7 (208) 485
Balance at December 31, 2023 (636) (1,062) 105 (2) 215 (1,380)
Excluded components recognized in other comprehensive income - - 547 - - 547
Other comprehensive loss (97) (16) - (3) - (116)
Amounts reclassified to net income - 97 (63) - (8) 26
Net other comprehensive income (loss) (97) 81 484 (3) (8) 457
Balance at December 31, 2024 $ (733) $ (981) $ 589 $ (5) $ 207 $ (923)
The amounts presented above in Net other comprehensive income (loss) are net of taxes. The amounts reclassified to net income related to unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges and unrealized gain (loss) on fair value hedges in the table above are included in Other income (expense), net and Interest expense in our consolidated statements of income. See Note 9 for additional information. The amounts reclassified to net income related to unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities in the table above are included in Other income (expense), net in our consolidated statements of income. The amounts reclassified to net income related to defined benefit pension and postretirement plans in the table above are included in Other income (expense), net in our consolidated statements of income. See Note 11 for additional information.
Note 15. Additional Financial Information
The following tables provide additional financial information related to our consolidated financial statements:
Income Statement Information
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Depreciation expense $ 15,112 $ 14,937 $ 14,592
Interest costs on debt balances 7,382 7,123 5,429
Net amortization of debt discount 230 219 214
Capitalized interest costs (963) (1,818) (2,030)
Advertising expense 3,976 3,847 3,556
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Other income (expense), net
Interest income $ 336 $ 354 $ 146
Other components of net periodic benefit (cost) income 300 (938) 2,386
Net debt extinguishment gains (losses) 385 308 (1,077)
Other, net (26) (37) (82)
$ 995 $ (313) $ 1,373
Balance Sheet Information
(dollars in millions)
At December 31, 2024 2023
Prepaid expenses and other
Prepaid taxes $ 811 $ 550
Deferred contract costs 2,932 2,756
Collateral payments related to derivative contracts 2,118 1,406
Restricted cash 319 1,244
Other prepaid expense and other 1,793 1,651
$ 7,973 $ 7,607
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Accounts payable $ 10,425 $ 10,021
Accrued expenses 5,058 5,190
Accrued vacation, salaries and wages 4,436 4,060
Interest payable 1,553 1,570
Taxes payable 1,902 2,612
$ 23,374 $ 23,453
Other current liabilities
Dividends payable $ 2,878 $ 2,821
Contract liability 7,492 6,955
Other 3,979 2,755
$ 14,349 $ 12,531
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, Property, plant and equipment includes approximately $3.3 billion and $3.8 billion, respectively, of additions that have not yet been paid.
Cash Flow Information
(dollars in millions)
Years Ended December 31, 2024 2023 2022
Cash Paid
Interest, net of amounts capitalized $ 5,505 $ 4,384 $ 3,316
Income taxes, net of amounts refunded 5,632 2,343 2,736
Other, net Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Changes in device payment plan agreement non-current receivables $ (538) $ (2,975) $ (4,919)
Net debt extinguishment (gains) losses (385) (308) 1,077
Other, net 1,096 (427) 64
$ 173 $ (3,710) $ (3,778)
Other, net Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net debt related costs(1)
$ (259) $ (73) $ (366)
Other, net (816) (1,397) (1,706)
$ (1,075) $ (1,470) $ (2,072)
(1) These costs include the premiums paid for the early extinguishment of debt, fees paid in connection with exchange and tender offers, and settlements of associated instruments.
Supplier Finance Program
We maintain a voluntary supplier finance program (SFP) with a financial institution which provides certain suppliers the option, at their sole discretion, to participate in the program and sell their receivables due from Verizon to the financial institution on a non-recourse basis. The eligible suppliers negotiate the terms directly with the financial institution and we have no involvement in establishing those terms nor are we a party to these agreements.
Our payments associated with the invoices from the suppliers participating in the SFP are made to the financial institution according to the original invoice terms generally at 90 days from the invoice date and for the original invoice amount. No additional payments are exchanged between Verizon and the financial institution related to the SFP. Verizon does not pledge any assets nor provide any guarantees to the financial institution in connection with the SFP. The SFP can be terminated by Verizon or the financial institution with a 60-day notice period.
The following table presents the confirmed obligations in the SFP and the related activities:
(dollars in millions)
Year Ended December 31,
Confirmed obligations outstanding at the beginning of the year $ 817
Invoices added during the year 3,549
Invoices paid during the year (3,594)
Confirmed obligations outstanding at the end of year $ 772
Confirmed obligations outstanding related to suppliers participating in the SFP are recorded within Accounts payable and accrued liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets and the associated payments are reflected in the operating activities section of our consolidated statements of cash flows. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, $772 million and $817 million, respectively, remained as confirmed obligations outstanding related to suppliers participating in the SFP.
Note 16. Commitments and Contingencies
In the ordinary course of business, Verizon is involved in various litigation and regulatory proceedings at the state and federal level. Where it is determined, in consultation with counsel based on litigation and settlement risks, that a loss is probable and estimable in a given matter, Verizon establishes an accrual. In none of the currently pending matters is the amount of accrual material. An estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of loss in excess of the amounts already accrued cannot be made at this time due to various factors typical in contested proceedings, including: (1) uncertain damage theories and demands; (2) a less than complete factual record; (3) uncertainty concerning legal theories and their resolution by courts or regulators; and (4) the unpredictable nature of the opposing party and its demands. We continuously monitor these proceedings as they develop and adjust any accrual or disclosure as needed. We do not expect that the ultimate resolution of any pending regulatory or legal matter in future periods will have a material effect on our financial condition, but it could have a material effect on our results of operations for a given reporting period.
Verizon is currently involved in approximately 30 federal district court actions alleging that Verizon is infringing various patents. Most of these cases are brought by non-practicing entities and effectively seek only monetary damages; a small number are brought by companies that have sold products and could seek injunctive relief as well. These cases have progressed to various stages and a small number may have gone to trial or may go to trial in the coming 12 months if they are not otherwise resolved.
In connection with the execution of agreements for the sales of businesses and investments, Verizon ordinarily provides representations and warranties to the purchasers pertaining to a variety of nonfinancial matters, such as ownership of the securities being sold, as well as indemnity from certain financial losses. From time to time, counterparties may make claims under these provisions, and Verizon will seek to defend against those claims and resolve them in the ordinary course of business.
As of December 31, 2024, letters of credit totaling approximately $816 million, which were executed in the normal course of business and support several financing arrangements and payment obligations to third parties, were outstanding.
As of December 31, 2024, Verizon had 28 renewable energy purchase agreements (REPAs) with third parties. Each of the REPAs is based on the expected operation of a renewable energy-generating facility and has a fixed price term of 12 to 20 years from the commencement of the facility's entry into commercial operation. Nineteen of the facilities have entered into commercial operation, and the remainder are under development. The REPAs generally are expected to be financially settled based on the prevailing market price as energy is generated by the facilities.
We have various unconditional purchase obligations, which represent agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding. We estimate that these unconditional purchase obligations, for contracts with terms in excess of one year, total $16.7 billion, and primarily represent commitments to purchase content, network equipment, software and services, marketing services and other items which will be used or sold in the ordinary course of business from a variety of suppliers. Of this total amount, $6.2 billion is attributable to 2025, $5.5 billion is attributable to 2026, $3.1 billion is attributable to 2027, $1.3 billion is attributable to 2028, $291 million is attributable to 2029 and $363 million is attributable to years thereafter. These amounts do not represent our entire anticipated purchases in the future, but represent only those items that are the subject of contractual obligations. Our commitments are generally determined based on the noncancelable quantities to which we are contractually obliged. Since the commitments to purchase programming services from television networks and broadcast stations have no minimum volume requirement, we estimated our obligation based on number of subscribers at December 31, 2024, and applicable rates stipulated in the contracts in effect at that time. We also purchase products and services as needed with no firm commitment.

---

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.

---

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report, that ensure that information relating to the registrant which is required to be disclosed in this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within required time periods using the criteria for effective internal control established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2024.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
In the ordinary course of business, we routinely review our system of internal control over financial reporting and make changes to our systems and processes that are intended to ensure an effective internal control environment. In the third quarter of 2020, we began a multi-year implementation of a new global enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which will replace many of our existing core financial systems. The new ERP system is designed to enhance the flow of financial information, facilitate data analysis and accelerate information reporting. The implementation is ongoing and is expected to continue over the next few years.
As the phased implementation of the new ERP system continues, we could have changes to our processes and procedures which, in turn, could result in changes to our internal controls over financial reporting. As such changes occur, we will evaluate quarterly whether such changes materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.
There were no changes in Verizon's internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The management of Verizon Communications Inc. is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting of Verizon. Management has evaluated internal control over financial reporting of Verizon using the criteria for effective internal control established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013.
Management has assessed the effectiveness of Verizon’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. Based on this assessment, management believes that the internal control over financial reporting of Verizon is effective as of December 31, 2024. In connection with this assessment, there were no material weaknesses in Verizon’s internal control over financial reporting identified by management. The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP, has provided an attestation report on Verizon’s internal control over financial reporting and is included in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

---

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B. Other Information
During the three months ended December 31, 2024, none of our directors or officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) adopted or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement,” as each term is defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K.

---

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Set forth below is information with respect to our current executive officers.
Name Age Office Held Since
Hans Vestberg 59 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 2019
Samantha Hammock 46 Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer 2021
Kyle Malady 57 Executive Vice President and Group CEO - Verizon Business 2023
Joseph Russo 51 Executive Vice President and President - Global Networks and Technology
Sowmyanarayan Sampath 48 Executive Vice President and Group CEO - Verizon Consumer
Anthony Skiadas 56 Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 2023
Mary-Lee Stillwell 51 Senior Vice President and Controller 2023
Vandana Venkatesh 53 Executive Vice President - Public Policy and Chief Legal Officer
Each of the above officers has held the indicated office or other high-level managerial positions within the Company or one of its subsidiaries for at least five years, with the exception of Samantha Hammock and Mary-Lee Stillwell, who have both been with Verizon since 2020. Officers are not elected for a fixed term of office and may be removed from office at any time at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
Samantha Hammock is the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of the Company. Ms. Hammock joined Verizon in December 2020 as Senior Vice President of Global Talent and began serving in her current role in December 2021. Prior to joining Verizon, Ms. Hammock spent 14 years at the American Express Company, a globally integrated payments company and provider of credit and charge cards to consumers and businesses around the world, where she served as Head of Talent and Learning from April 2020 to December 2020, Chief Learning Officer from 2017 to April 2020, and Vice President, Leadership Strategy, from 2016 to April 2020.
Mary-Lee Stillwell is the Senior Vice President and Controller of the Company. Ms. Stillwell joined Verizon in August 2020 as Vice President - Accounting & External Reporting and began serving in her current role in May 2023. Prior to joining Verizon, Ms. Stillwell spent 17 years in senior leadership roles in the energy industry, including Chief Accounting Officer of Clearway Energy, Inc. from 2018 until 2020, and, prior to that, Vice President and Assistant Controller for NRG Energy, Inc.
For other information required by this item, see the sections entitled "Governance - Item 1: Election of Directors - Election process and - Nominees for election, - Our governance framework - Board committees - Audit Committee, - Other risk-related matters - Business conduct and ethics and - Insider trading policy, and - Where to find more information" in our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and delivered to shareholders in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which are incorporated herein by reference.

---

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation
For information with respect to executive compensation, see the sections entitled "Governance - Non-employee Director compensation" and "Executive compensation - Compensation discussion and analysis, - Compensation Committee Report and - Compensation tables" (excluding information under "- Pay versus performance") in our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and delivered to shareholders in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which are incorporated by reference herein. There were no relationships to be disclosed under paragraph (e)(4) of Item 407 of Regulation S-K.

---

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
For information with respect to the security ownership of certain beneficial owners, the directors and executive officers, see the section entitled "Stock ownership - Security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management" in our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and delivered to shareholders in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The following table provides information as of December 31, 2024 for (i) all equity compensation plans previously approved by the Company’s shareholders, and (ii) all equity compensation plans not previously approved by the Company’s shareholders. Since May 4, 2017, the Company has only issued awards under the 2017 Verizon Communications. Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (2017 LTIP), which provides for awards of stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance stock units and other equity-based hypothetical stock units to employees of Verizon. No new awards are permitted to be issued under any other equity compensation plan. In accordance with SEC rules, the table does not include outstanding awards that are payable solely in cash by the terms of the award, and such awards do not reduce the number of shares remaining for issuance under the 2017 LTIP.
Plan category Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (a)
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (b)
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
29,804,583 (1)
$ - (2)
49,966,120 (3)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders
68,189 (4)
- -
Total 29,872,772 $ - 49,966,120
(1) This amount includes: 29,804,583 shares of common stock subject to outstanding restricted stock units and performance stock units, including dividend equivalents accrued on such awards through December 31, 2024. This does not include performance stock units, deferred stock units and deferred share equivalents payable solely in cash.
(2) The Company's outstanding restricted stock units, performance stock units and deferred stock units do not have exercise prices associated with the settlement of these awards.
(3) This number reflects the number of shares of common stock that remained available for future issuance under the 2017 LTIP.
(4) This number reflects shares subject to deferred stock units credited to the Verizon Income Deferral Plan, which were awarded in 2002 under the Verizon Communications Broad-Based Incentive Plan. No new awards are permitted to be issued under this plan.

---

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
For information with respect to certain relationships and related transactions and director independence, see the sections entitled "Governance - Our governance framework - Other risk-related matters - Related person transactions and - Item 1: Election of Directors - Our Board's independence" in our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and delivered to shareholders in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which are incorporated herein by reference.

---

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
Our independent registered public accounting firm is Ernst & Young LLP, New York, NY, Auditor Firm ID: 42.
For information with respect to principal accounting fees and services, see the section entitled "Audit matters - Item 3: Ratification of appointment of independent registered public accounting firm" in our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and delivered to shareholders in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV

---

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a) Documents filed as part of this report:
Page
(1) Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 51
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Financial Statements 52
Financial Statements covered by Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm:
Consolidated Statements of Income 54
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income 55
Consolidated Balance Sheets 56
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 57
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity 58
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 59
(2) Financial Statement Schedule
II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts 113
(3) Exhibits
Exhibits identified in parentheses below, on file with the SEC, are incorporated herein by reference as exhibits hereto. Unless otherwise indicated, all exhibits so incorporated are from File No. 1-8606.
Pursuant to Regulation S-K, Item 601(b)(4)(iii)(A), certain instruments which define the rights of holders of long-term debt of Verizon Communications Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries are not filed herewith, and the Company hereby agrees to furnish a copy of any such instrument to the SEC upon request.
Exhibit
Number Description
Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 4, 2024, by and among Verizon Communications Inc., Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. and France Merger Sub Inc. (filed as Exhibit 2.1 to Form 8-K filed on September 5, 2024 and incorporated herein by reference).*
3a
Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Verizon Communications Inc. (filed as Exhibit 3a to Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference).
3b
Bylaws of Verizon Communications Inc., as amended and restated, effective as of December 5, 2024 (filed as Exhibit 3b to Form 8-K filed on December 6, 2024 and incorporated herein by reference).
4a
Indenture between Verizon Communications Inc., both individually and as successor in interest to Verizon Global Funding Corp., and U.S. Bank National Association, as successor trustee to Wachovia Bank, National Association, formerly known as First Union National Bank, as Trustee, dated as of December 1, 2000 (filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Verizon Global Funding Corp.’s Registration Statement on Form S-4, Registration No. 333-64792, and incorporated herein by reference).
4b
First Supplemental Indenture between Verizon Communications Inc., both individually and as successor in interest to Verizon Global Funding Corp., and U.S. Bank National Association, as successor trustee to Wachovia Bank, National Association, formerly known as First Union National Bank, as Trustee, dated as of May 15, 2001 (filed as Exhibit 4.2 to Verizon Global Funding Corp.’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, Registration No. 333-67412, and incorporated herein by reference).
4c
Second Supplemental Indenture between Verizon Communications Inc., both individually and as successor in interest to Verizon Global Funding Corp., and U.S. Bank National Association, as successor trustee to Wachovia Bank, National Association, formerly known as First Union National Bank, as Trustee, dated as of September 29, 2004 (filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K filed on February 9, 2006, and incorporated herein by reference).
4d
Third Supplemental Indenture between Verizon Communications Inc., both individually and as successor in interest to Verizon Global Funding Corp., and U.S. Bank National Association, as successor trustee to Wachovia Bank, National Association, formerly known as First Union National Bank, as Trustee, dated as of February 1, 2006 (filed as Exhibit 4.2 to Form 8-K filed on February 9, 2006, and incorporated herein by reference).
4e
Fourth Supplemental Indenture between Verizon Communications Inc., both individually and as successor in interest to Verizon Global Funding Corp., and U.S. Bank National Association, as successor trustee to Wachovia Bank, National Association, formerly known as First Union National Bank, as Trustee, dated as of April 4, 2016 (filed as Exhibit 4.5 to Verizon Communications Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-4, Registration No. 333-212307, and incorporated herein by reference).
4f
Fifth Supplemental Indenture between Verizon Communications Inc., both individually and as successor in interest to Verizon Global Funding Corp., and U.S. Bank National Association, as successor trustee to Wachovia Bank, National Association, formerly known as First Union National Bank, as Trustee, dated as of May 15, 2020 (filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K filed on May 15, 2020, and incorporated herein by reference).
4g
Description of Verizon's Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934.
10a
2017 Verizon Communications Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Appendix B of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement included in Schedule 14A filed on March 20, 2017).**
10a(i)
Form of 2022 Performance Stock Unit Agreement pursuant to the 2017 Verizon Communications Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10a to Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2022 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10a(ii)
Form of 2022 Restricted Stock Unit Agreement pursuant to the 2017 Verizon Communications Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10b to Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2022 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10a(iii)
Form of 2023 Performance Stock Unit Agreement pursuant to the 2017 Verizon Communications Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10a to Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2023 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10a(iv)
Form of 2023 Restricted Stock Unit Agreement pursuant to the 2017 Verizon Communications Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10b to Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2023 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10a(v)
Form of 2024 Performance Stock Unit Agreement pursuant to the 2017 Verizon Communications Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10a to Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2024 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10a(vi)
Form of 2024 Restricted Stock Unit Agreement pursuant to the 2017 Verizon Communications Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10b to Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2024 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10b
Verizon Communications Inc. Short-Term Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10a to Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10c
Verizon Executive Deferral Plan (filed as Exhibit 10e to Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10d
Verizon Communications Inc. Income Deferral Plan (filed as Exhibit 10f to Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2002 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10d(i)
Description of Amendment to Verizon Communications Inc. Income Deferral Plan (filed as Exhibit 10o(i) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10e
Verizon Excess Pension Plan (filed as Exhibit 10p to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10e(i)
First Amendment to Verizon Excess Pension Plan (filed as Exhibit 10p(i) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10f
Bell Atlantic Senior Management Long-Term Disability and Survivor Protection Plan, as amended (filed as Exhibit 10h to Form SE filed on March 27, 1986 and Exhibit 10b(ii) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10g
Verizon Executive Life Insurance Plan, As Amended and Restated September 2009 (filed as Exhibit 10s to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10h
Form of Aircraft Time Sharing Agreement (filed as Exhibit 10i to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference).**
10i
Verizon Senior Manager Severance Plan (filed as Exhibit 10d to Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference).**
Verizon Communications Inc. Policy on Insider Trading.
List of principal subsidiaries of Verizon Communications Inc.
Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.
Powers of Attorney.
31.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2
Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2
Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Verizon Communications Inc. Policy for the Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation (filed as Exhibit 97 to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and incorporated herein by reference).
101.INS XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the interactive data file because its XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document.
101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase Document.
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document.
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL with applicable taxonomy extension information contained in Exhibits 101).
*
Schedules (or similar attachments) have been omitted from this filing pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. A copy of any omitted schedule will be furnished to the SEC upon request.
** Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
Verizon Communications Inc. and Subsidiaries
For the Years Ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022
(dollars in millions)
Additions
Description Balance at
Beginning of
Period Charged to
Expenses Charged to Other Accounts(a)
Deductions(b)
Balance at End of Period(c)
Allowance for credit losses deducted from accounts receivable:
Year 2024 $ 1,609 $ 2,269 $ 113
$ 2,222 $ 1,769
Year 2023 1,261 2,146 38 1,836 1,609
Year 2022 1,151 1,531 69 1,490 1,261
Additions
Description Balance at
Beginning of
Period Charged to
Expenses Charged to Other Accounts(d)
Deductions(e)
Balance at End of Period
Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets:
Year 2024 $ 1,341 $ 157 $ - $ 99 $ 1,399
Year 2023 1,347 68 13 87 1,341
Year 2022 1,574 41 - 268 1,347
(a)Charged to Other Accounts primarily includes amounts previously written off which were credited directly to this account when recovered.
(b)Deductions primarily include amounts written off as uncollectible or transferred to other accounts or utilized.
(c)Allowance for credit losses includes approximately $617 million, $592 million, and $436 million at December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively, related to long-term device payment receivables.
(d)Charged to Other Accounts includes current year increase to valuation allowance charged to equity and reclassifications from other balance sheet accounts.
(e)Reductions to valuation allowances related to deferred tax assets.