Charter and Comcast are letting Verizon do the hard part of wireless

Cable companies are no longer just renting wireless networks. They are quietly taking control of the busiest parts and letting Verizon carry the expensive, low-traffic coverage.

Focusing on the busiest parts

Charter and Comcast have spent a combined $922 million on CBRS spectrum. CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) is a band of mid-range wireless spectrum in the 3.5 GHz range that the FCC allows for shared use, letting companies deploy private or local 4G and 5G networks without buying expensive nationwide licenses.

Now, they're using it to build small wireless cells directly onto their existing cable lines. These strand-mounted cells sit where people actually use their phones: dense neighborhoods, apartment blocks, and city streets. Instead of trying to cover everything, the cable companies focus only on high-traffic areas and rely on Verizon to handle the wide, expensive coverage elsewhere.

Comcast leadership has explained that a very small share of geography produces most mobile traffic. I guess that's the Pareto principle in action once again!

Traditional carriers must build networks that reach almost everyone. Cable operators only need to build where usage is concentrated, then fall back on their Verizon MVNO agreements for the rest.

Charter has already shown how far this model can go. By late 2025, about 88% of Spectrum Mobile traffic was running on Charter-controlled networks, including WiFi, CBRS, and partner cable systems. Over the past three years, Charter has reduced its dependence on Verizon macro towers by roughly 20%, with further reductions expected as more CBRS markets come online.

Charter works with Nokia, using lightweight strand-mounted radios that draw power and backhaul directly from the cable network. Comcast chose Samsung for a similar setup and started its rollout in Philadelphia, where it owns the maximum allowed CBRS spectrum. These deployments are far cheaper than traditional small cells, costing only a few thousand dollars each instead of tens of thousands.

Big carriers still do the heavy lifting

So, instead of paying wholesale rates for nearly all traffic, cable operators now pay Verizon mainly for low-density areas that are costly to serve. Verizon still does the hardest part of wireless: broad coverage with lower returns.

The FCC also plays a role. CBRS licenses must be actively used by 2030 or they are lost. Because the rules focus on population coverage rather than land area, cable companies can meet requirements by building in cities where their cable networks already exist.

Charter and Comcast are not moving at the same speed. Charter is pushing fast, targeting 23 CBRS markets by the end of 2025 to drive down wholesale costs. Comcast is moving more carefully, prioritizing profitability and treating wireless as a broadband add-on rather than a core growth engine.

Anyway, this is not a short-term experiment. Cable operators have decided to become infrastructure owners where it matters most, while letting Verizon absorb the cost and complexity of nationwide coverage.