Cable Companies Emerge as Force in Cellphone Business

The fastest-growing mobile-phone carriers in the US aren’t phone companies. More than five million Americans now pay for mobile-phone service through their cable-TV providers, enticed by low prices and the ability to easily adjust their phone plans, a flexibility that proved particularly useful during the pandemic. Cable operators such as Comcast and Charter joined the wireless sector in recent years with one goal in mind, executives and analysts say: Give their customers another reason not to leave, especially because pay-TV service businesses have been quickly losing subscribers as consumers turn to streaming services and internet-based TV bundles for entertainment. Now, the companies are looking to generate profits from their mobile businesses. The rise of cable companies isn’t yet a direct threat to wireless carriers, which get paid to provide access to their infrastructure. Comcast and Charter rely on Verizon’s network, while Altice has a deal with T-Mobile.