Traditional broadband companies saw a smaller amount of churn during the first three months of this year as land-based service providers continue to market bundles that pair wireless service with reliable Internet connectivity at lower prices, according to new research released this week.
Data from Parks Associates found in its latest Broadband Market Tracker showed three major publicly-traded companies — Comcast, Charter and Optimum — collectively saw 280,000 broadband disconnects during the first quarter (Q1) of 2026.
While not particularly great for those businesses, the rate of churn was an improvement compared to the 320,000 disconnects that the three companies saw during the same period last year. (In Q1 2025, Optimum was known as Altice USA.)
Broadband churn hasn’t fully reversed itself, with customers still cutting the cord in favor of alternatives like fixed-wireless products backed by the three major carriers — AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile — and satellite-based upstarts like Starlink. But one area that has helped slow the blood-letting among land-based broadband providers is prepaid wireless service that leverages leased access to one of those three major carriers.
Comcast, for instance, offers generous discounts on wireless service through its Xfinity Mobile brand when paired with Xfinity Internet — in fact, customers have to subscribe to Xfinity Internet before they can activate an Xfinity Mobile line in the first place. Charter does the same with its Spectrum Mobile product, while Optimum began pairing mobile phone service with broadband Internet and cable TV a few years ago.
According to Parks data, more than one-quarter of American households now subscribe to a bundled broadband-wireless offering, a move that increases customer lifetime value while helping to decrease churn. Broadband companies are also sweetening the deal for customers, launching price-lock and service guarantees that rival similar offers made by wireless carriers and dishing up unique bundles of streaming apps and similar services through online marketplaces that can only be accessed by subscribers.
Parks Associates Senior Director of Research Kristen Hanich said the broadband industry’s competitive focus has shifted from acquiring new subscribers to reducing churn among existing customers.
“The competitive landscape has shifted from winning subscribers at any cost to keeping existing customers through better pricing, simplified service offerings and integrated connectivity,” Hanich affirmed in a statement.
The full data set is available in Parks Associates’ Broadband Market Tracker, which is available to paid clients.
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