US cable company Charter Communications signed-up with Nokia to provide 5G infrastructure for its Spectrum Mobile service, part of a drive by the cable provider to offload traffic used by the MVNO.

Spectrum Mobile is primarily an MVNO operating on Verizon’s network, though the company promotes it as a converged mobile and Wi-Fi service.

Nokia noted its customer required the 5G connectivity systems to offload traffic from its leased network. The contract covers the supply of RAN and small cell densification products.

Charter Communications indicated the Nokia kit will help ensure quality of connectivity in areas with a high concentration of mobile traffic.

The vendor added the win represented its first in the so-called multiple system operator (MSO) space, a designation given to companies in the US offering more than a single cable or broadcast product.

Nokia noted cable operators in the country, including Charter Communications, had spent more than $1 billion on CBRS spectrum in an attempt to offload traffic from leased capacity, with the vendor claiming small cell products were able to aid this in a cost-effective way.