Last year, SoftBank paid $32 billion for chipmaker ARM Holdings in a bet on the nascent concept known as the Internet of Things, while he has committed billions to ride-sharing services such as Didi Chuxing in China and Southeast Asia's Grab.

U.S. cable and wireless carriers have been circling each other as more consumers watch video and access the internet on mobile devices. By combining, companies like Charter and Sprint could offer a full suite of telecommunications services to customers, from home broadband internet to wireless plans, and compete head-to-head with the packages sold by phone giants AT&T and Verizon Communications.

Since the end of May, Charter and Comcast had been in exclusive talks with Sprint over possible deals, including one that would allow the cable companies to resell wireless service under their own brands.

The exclusivity ended this week, and Charter has decided against a reselling deal with Sprint, according to another person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private information.