Example: IAS 18 vs. IFRS 15
Johnny enters into a 12-month telecom plan with the local mobile operator ABC. The terms of plan are as follows:
Johnny’s monthly fixed fee is CU 100.
Johnny receives a free handset at the inception of the plan.
ABC sells the same handsets for CU 300 and the same monthly prepayment plans without handset for CU 80/month.
How should ABC recognize the revenues from this plan in line with IAS 18 and IFRS 15?
OK, let’s ignore a couple of things here, like a price of a SIM kit, or the situations when Johnny hangs on the phone for hours and spends some minutes in excess of his plan. Let’s focus just on these 2 things.