Philipp Humm, the CEO of T-Mobile USA, has abruptly resigned as the company's chief executive. According to a statement from T-Mobile, COO Jim Alling will manage the company while it searches for Humm's replacement.
Humm is seeking a career outside of Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-Mobile USA, so he can be closer to his family, which is based in Europe, according to the statement. Humm first joined Deutsche Telekom as manager of its mobile business in Germany in 2005, was promoted to managing sales and services for Deutsche's European mobile companies in 2008, and became T-Mobile USA CEO in November 2010.
Rene Obermann, Deutsche Telekom's CEO, cited improvement in T-Mobile USA's cost situation and stewardship through T-Mobile's ultimately failed merger with AT&T as high points in Humm's tenure.
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"Now we need somebody who can convert initiatives into market successes," Obermann said in the brief statement.
First announced in March 2011, the planned merger of AT&T and T-Mobile USA dominated most of Humm's time as CEO. At a planned $39 billion, it would have been one of the largest telecom deals in history, but AT&T ultimately called off the deal in December 2011 following widespread opposition from everyone from the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Department of Justice to a range of telecom industry watchdog groups.
The merger would have vaulted AT&T ahead of Verizon as the top mobile carrier in the U.S. Instead, AT&T was on the hook for a $3 billion breakup fee owed to Deutsche Telekom as part of the two companies' initial agreement.
Since the end of the AT&T talks, rumors of potential mergers involving T-Mobile and Sprint and T-Mobile and MetroPCS have continued to circulate.
PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2012
