reneobermann
Latest
Deutsche Telekom CEO René Obermann leaving by the end of 2013, CFO to take over
Not every CEO makes a graceful exit -- just ask HP. It's clear that Deutsche Telekom chief René Obermann would rather leave on his own terms, as he's orchestrating his departure up to a year before it takes place. The 16-year veteran expects to leave the company before the end of 2013, and the company has already lined up CFO Timotheus Höttges as the replacement at the start of 2014. Obermann says he's leaving to get closer to on-the-ground operations than possible while he's leading a telecom giant. Whether or not that's the full story, he likely won't mind leaving some of DT's uncertainties behind him, including the fallout from the blocked T-Mobile merger with AT&T as well as the long-term fates of both EE's rollout and the MetroPCS acquisition. When the company's Supervisory Board chairman says he wishes Obermann would stay, however, there's little doubting that this CEO transition is happening on friendlier terms than we've known in recent memory.
Deutsche Telekom chief says T-Mobile USA merger still an option, sweeps full sale off the table
T-Mobile's USA proposed union with AT&T might have gone down in flames, but that isn't precluding the boss of parent company Deutsche Telekom, René Obermann, from exploring tie-ups in the future. He's now telling investors that the company won't "exclude any option" for its US carrier, up to and including mergers with others. Before you worry that your One S might lose its luster through an outside takeover, though, the CEO has said it's "unlikely" that DT will sell T-Mobile outright. There aren't any coded messages about possible merger targets, either, even if rumors of a MetroPCS deal have percolated elsewhere. Most of the present focus is simply on reworking and trimming the company to get it running at full efficiency in the face of some very stiff competition; Carly can keep wearing that T-Mobile magenta for awhile yet.
T-Mobile blames lack of iPhone for poor US sales
Among the four national mobile phone carriers in the United States, T-Mobile is clearly the laggard in terms of subscriber numbers. This comes despite low prices and highly-regarded customer service. Rene Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile USA's parent company, lays the blame squarely on the lack of an iPhone to sell. The U.S. remains one of the few major markets with a single iPhone carrier, and T-Mobile isn't it. In the third quarter of this year, T-Mobile USA gained just 137,000 new customers. Most of those went for prepaid service rather than the smartphones. T-Mobile has no shortage of good smartphones with a wide array Android devices available. Despite this, growth for the carrier has been slow to non-existent while Verizon has had tremendous success with Android phones. Of course, AT&T has the iPhone. It's probable that T-Mobile would see an influx of new business if it had the Apple superphone to sell, but the real problem with T-Mobile isn't selection, it's the network. T-Mobile has made strides with its HSPA+ rollout, but it still has too many voice dead zones, making it an even worse choice than AT&T for many users. Perhaps Mr. Oberman should invest more in solidifying his company's voice coverage and less time complaining about what it doesn't have.
T-Mobile USA staying single for now
We've heard various rumors over the past year or so that T-Mobile USA parent Deutsche Telekom was looking for someone to look over its fledgling American wireless provider, either in the form of a partnership or an outright buyout. Now, many moons later, the company has felt compelled to set those rumors to rest -- possibly because it couldn't find any interested parties. Rene Obermann, Chairman of the Management Board at Deutsche Telekom, believes there is room for four major wireless players in the US (T-Mo is number four, currently) and asks the question: "Why can't you have penetration rates of 500 percent or 1,000 percent?" The idea here is that, as more and more devices go wireless, people are going to need more and more wireless plans to cover them. But 10 separate wireless plans per person? That sounds 'spensive.
