Dexter Goei, head of cable operator Altice USA, hailed rapid growth in the company’s fledgling mobile business, as it detailed plans to raise prices for the service.

The operator added 54,000 mobile subscribers in Q4 2019, ending the year with a total of 69,000.

Altice USA launched its mobile service in September 2019 via an MVNO deal with Sprint, following cable operators Comcast and Charter Communications into the wireless segment.

During an earnings call, Goei noted uptake of its mobile offer among existing broadband customers is growing “at a pace of two-times what our peers did when they launched”.

“So we are ahead of the curve, but we also are mindful that we don’t want to spend the amount of money that we’ve seen some other people spend early on.”

He added the company plans to end a promotion offering existing cable customers mobile service for $20 per month, taking the price to $30.

Analysts at MoffettNathanson said Altice USA’s mobile business could get an extra boost from T-Mobile US and Sprint’s planned merger, which he said would give customers “access to a best-in-class network at a disruptively low price”.

Altice USA’s Q4 profit of $329,000 was down substantially year-on-year from $213 million, while revenue of $2.47 billion was flat. Mobile revenue of $18 million was up from $3.2 million in Q3.