Policyband

Starlink Not a Threat to Big Cable – For Now, New Street Research Says

‘The data to date shows no major impact on the wired broadband operators in the U.S.,’ New Street Research says

Ted Hearn

Oct 7, 2026 — 8 min read

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NSR: Starlink’s impact on big cable broadband ISPs like Charter and Comcast remains limited, New Street Research said Tuesday, but analysts warned that could change as the satellite provider expands. “We haven’t seen much evidence of this so far, but it doesn’t mean it’s never coming,” NSR analysts David Barden, Vikash Harlalka and Ryan Smyth wrote based on a data-sharing arrangement with Recon Analytics. The NSR teams said Starlink now has about 4 million U.S. customers and could reach 12 million by 2030, noting that nearly half of its new subscribers come from small rural providers or households new to broadband. “On the flip side, close to 50% of Starlink’s disconnects went to cable,” they wrote. (More after paywall)