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BT CEO Ian Livingston to leave in September, accept government role
The CEO position is usually the last rung on the career ladder -- after that, it's either retirement or a less-than-graceful ouster. It's not the end for BT CEO Ian Livingston, however, as he's moving to the even bigger leagues of government. The executive will step down in September to accept a role as the UK's Minister of State for Trade and Investment. The company's current head of retail, Gavin Patterson, will take the reins from that point on. Livingston leaves BT mostly better off than when he took the lead in 2008: questionable patent lawsuits notwithstanding, the telecom giant has been forward-thinking with its plans for ultra-fast fiber and LTE service. Let's just hope that Patterson can deal with fiercer competition.
BT hopes to launch self-branded 4G mobile service in 2014
When BT purchased nearly £200 million worth of 4G spectrum, the prevailing opinion was that it would remain a behind-the-scenes player. CEO Ian Livingston, however, might have grander aspirations for his company's 2.6GHz property. In an interview with The Telegraph, he said that it was "highly possible" that we'd see BT-branded 4G SIM cards next year, bundled along with the company's TV and broadband services. He also spoke of upgrading existing BT WiFi hotspots to provide 4G access, which would reduce the cost of 4G compared to its premium-priced rivals.
