Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Segment Information

v2.4.0.8
Segment Information
12 Months Ended
Sep. 28, 2014
Notes to Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Note 8 - Segment Information
Note 8. Segment Information
The Company is organized on the basis of products and services. The Company aggregates two of its divisions into the QSI segment. Reportable segments are as follows:
QCT (Qualcomm CDMA Technologies) segment — develops and supplies integrated circuits and system software based on CDMA, OFDMA and other technologies for use in voice and data communications, networking, application processing, multimedia and global positioning system products.
QTL (Qualcomm Technology Licensing) segment — grants licenses or otherwise provides rights to use portions of the Company’s intellectual property portfolio, which, among other rights, includes certain patent rights essential to and/or useful in the manufacture and sale of certain wireless products, including, without limitation, products implementing CDMA2000, WCDMA, CDMA TDD (including TD-SCDMA), GSM/GPRS/EDGE and/or OFDMA (including LTE) standards and their derivatives.
QSI (Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives) segment — comprised of the Company’s Qualcomm Ventures and Structured Finance & Strategic Investments divisions. QSI makes strategic investments that are focused on opening new or expanding opportunities for its technologies and supporting the design and introduction of new products or services (or enhancing existing products or services) for voice and data communications. Many of these strategic investments are in early-stage companies. QSI also holds wireless spectrum.
During the first quarter of fiscal 2014, the Company reassessed its management reporting as a result of the sale of the North and Latin America operations of its Omnitracs division (Note 11), which comprised substantially all of the Omnitracs division, among other reasons. The Omnitracs division was previously aggregated with three other divisions into the Qualcomm Wireless & Internet (QWI) reportable segment. Starting in fiscal 2014, the QWI segment was eliminated, and revenues and operating results for the divisions that comprised the QWI reportable segment are included in nonreportable segments as components of reconciling items. Prior period segment information has been adjusted to conform to the new segment presentation.
Nonreportable segments include the Company’s QMT (Qualcomm MEMS Technologies), Pixtronix and Small Cells divisions and other wireless technology and service initiatives. QMT plans to license its next generation IMOD display technology and to focus on wearable devices. Pixtronix develops and licenses display technologies based on MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical-systems)structure optimized for portable multimedia devices. Small Cells develops and supplies 3G/LTE and Wi-Fi products designed for implementation of small mobile base stations (known as small cells). Other nonreportable segments develop and offer products and services that include, but are not limited to: software products and content enablement services to wireless operators; development, other services and related products to U.S. government agencies and their contractors; device-to-device communication, including software for the connected home; data center; medical device connectivity and related data management; and augmented reality.
The Company evaluates the performance of its segments based on earnings (loss) before income taxes (EBT) from continuing operations. Segment EBT includes the allocation of certain corporate expenses to the segments, including depreciation and amortization expense related to unallocated corporate assets. Certain income and charges are not allocated to segments in the Company’s management reports because they are not considered in evaluating the segments’ operating performance. Unallocated income and charges include certain net investment income; certain share-based compensation; and certain research and development expenses, selling, general and administrative expenses and other expenses or income that were deemed to be not directly related to the businesses of the segments. Additionally, unallocated charges include recognition of the step-up of inventories to fair value, amortization and impairment of certain intangible assets and certain other acquisition-related charges. The table below presents revenues, EBT and total assets for reportable segments (in millions):
 
QCT
 
QTL
 
QSI
 
Reconciling
Items
 
Total
2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenues
$
18,665

 
$
7,569

 
$

 
$
253

 
$
26,487

EBT
3,807

 
6,590

 
(7
)
 
(1,612
)
 
8,778

Total assets
3,639

 
161

 
484

 
44,290

 
48,574

2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenues
$
16,715

 
$
7,554

 
$

 
$
597

 
$
24,866

EBT
3,189

 
6,590

 
56

 
(1,641
)
 
8,194

Total assets
3,305

 
28

 
511

 
41,672

 
45,516

2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenues
$
12,141

 
$
6,327

 
$

 
$
653

 
$
19,121

EBT
2,296

 
5,585

 
(170
)
 
(1,149
)
 
6,562

Total assets
2,278

 
63

 
1,424

 
39,247

 
43,012


Intersegment revenues included in QCT revenues were negligible in all periods presented. All other revenues for reportable segments were from external customers for all periods presented.
The Company reports revenues from external customers by country based on the location to which its products or services are delivered, which for QCT is generally the country in which its customers manufacture their products, or for licensing revenues, the invoiced addresses of its licensees. As a result, the revenues by country presented herein are not necessarily indicative of either the country in which the devices containing our products and/or intellectual property are ultimately sold to consumers or the country in which the companies that sell the devices are headquartered. For example, China revenues could include revenues related to shipments of integrated circuits to a company that is headquartered in South Korea but that manufactures devices in China, which devices are then sold to consumers in Europe and/or the United States. Revenues by country were as follows (in millions):
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
China (including Hong Kong)
$
13,200

 
$
12,288

 
$
7,971

South Korea
6,172

 
4,983

 
4,203

Taiwan
2,876

 
2,683

 
2,648

United States
372

 
805

 
967

Other foreign
3,867

 
4,107

 
3,332

 
$
26,487

 
$
24,866

 
$
19,121


Interest income included in QSI EBT was negligible in fiscal 2014 and 2013 and was $19 million in fiscal 2012, and interest expense included in QSI EBT was negligible in fiscal 2014 and was $18 million and $79 million in fiscal 2013 and 2012, respectively. Interest income and interest expense recorded by other segments were negligible in all periods presented. Effectively all equity in losses of investees (Note 3) was recorded in QSI in fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012.
Segment assets are comprised of accounts receivable and inventories for all reportable segments other than QSI. QSI segment assets include certain marketable securities, notes receivable, wireless spectrum, other investments and all assets of consolidated subsidiaries included in QSI. QSI assets at September 28, 2014, September 29, 2013 and September 30, 2012 included $18 million, $17 million and $11 million, respectively, related to investments in equity method investees. Reconciling items for total assets included $313 million, $892 million and $1.2 billion at September 28, 2014, September 29, 2013 and September 30, 2012, respectively, of goodwill and other assets related to the Company’s QMT division. Total segment assets also differ from total assets on a consolidated basis as a result of unallocated corporate assets primarily comprised of certain cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities, property, plant and equipment, deferred tax assets, intangible assets and assets of nonreportable segments. The net book values of long-lived tangible assets located outside of the United States were $288 million, $896 million and $1.1 billion at September 28, 2014, September 29, 2013 and September 30, 2012, respectively. The net book values of long-lived tangible assets located in the United States were $2.2 billion, $2.1 billion and $1.8 billion at September 28, 2014, September 29, 2013 and September 30, 2012, respectively.
Other reconciling items were comprised as follows (in millions):
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
Revenues
 
 
 
 
 
Nonreportable segments
$
258

 
$
601

 
$
657

Intersegment eliminations
(5
)
 
(4
)
 
(4
)
 
$
253

 
$
597

 
$
653

EBT
 
 
 
 
 
Unallocated cost of equipment and services revenues
$
(300
)
 
$
(335
)
 
$
(300
)
Unallocated research and development expenses
(860
)
 
(789
)
 
(702
)
Unallocated selling, general and administrative expenses
(412
)
 
(502
)
 
(549
)
Unallocated other income (expense)
142

 
(173
)
 

Unallocated investment income, net
1,213

 
877

 
928

Nonreportable segments
(1,395
)
 
(719
)
 
(526
)
 
$
(1,612
)
 
$
(1,641
)
 
$
(1,149
)

Nonreportable segments’ losses before taxes during fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012 were primarily attributable to the Company’s QMT division, including $607 million, $158 million and $54 million in impairment charges, respectively (Note 2). Unallocated acquisition-related expenses were comprised as follows (in millions):
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
Cost of equipment and services revenues
$
251

 
$
264

 
$
225

Research and development expenses
30

 
3

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses
25

 
26

 
43