Deutsche Telekom AG (ADR) (PINK:DTEGY) (FRA:DTE) (ETR:DTE) announced today that John Legere will become CEO of its T-Mobile USA business unit, and will take charge on September 22. The hiring of Legere ends a three-month search by the No. 4 U.S. wireless provider to find a permanent replacement for Philipp Humm.
“John is a talented and proven executive, who brings a successful track record of leading and operating consumer- and business-focused telecommunications and technology companies,” said Rene Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom AG (ADR) (PINK:DTEGY) (FRA:DTE) (ETR:DTE), in a statement. “As T-Mobile moves forward with its strategic initiatives to improve its market position, including expanding its network coverage and initiating LTE service, John has obviously the right skill set to lead the business into the future.”
John Legere, 54, was earlier a CEO of Asia Global Crossing, which was a joint venture between Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Softbank Corp (TYO:9984), T-Mobile USA lays claim and Global Crossing, a late-1990s telecom up-and-comer, that declared bankruptcy about a decade ago. Legere has also served as a senior vice president at PC maker Dell, and held an executive position at AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). Legere will replace Jim Alling, who has been working as an interim CEO since June, when Philipp Humm resigned. As per the announcement, Jim Alling will return to his position as T-Mobile’s chief operating officer.
“I am thrilled to join T-Mobile and lead the company at such a pivotal time,” Legere said. “T-Mobile is taking a number of significant steps to revitalize the business, and I look forward to leading our team and partners to accelerate these efforts to become a force in our industry.” The fourth-largest carrier in the U.S., T-Mobile, is playing a catch up game with its rivals in 4G LTE realm. The carrier is expected to get a much needed boost from a deal with Verizon on spectrum swap, which will help bring LTE capabilities to T-Mobile’s network. The US carrier is one of the few in US which does not offer the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone. The company has big plans to get iPhone users to switch over to its less-expensive service plans. T-Mobile USA lays claim to about 130 million mobile customers, as of the end of the second quarter, trailing leaders AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and Verizon Wireless, as well as Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE:S).
