JohnStanton
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Steve Jobs wanted to bypass cell carriers entirely
Speaking at a Law Seminars International event in Seattle, former T-Mobile head John Stanton said Steve Jobs wanted to launch the iPhone without carrier support. Part of his vision was to create a carrier for the iPhone that ran on unlicensed WiFi spectrum. "He wanted to replace carriers," said Stanton. Between 2005 and 2006, Jobs talked at length with Stanton who has a strong background in wireless communications. Stanton was as an early employee at McCaw Cellular, the first wireless carrier in the US and the progenitor to AT&T. He also served as the head of Voicestream which eventually became T-Mobile. By 2007, Jobs had given up on the carrier idea. Instead of pursuing its own network, Apple signed an exclusive deal with Cingular/AT&T and the rest is history.
Clearwire: Erik Prusch to take over as CEO
Precisely five months since the last time Clearwire had a permanent CEO in place, a new boss has been selected to take the place of Bill Morrow. Being promoted to the position is Erik Prusch, the company's Chief Operating Officer, who will be faced with a monstrous challenge: secure roughly $600 million in capital to fund Clearwire's buildout of LTE. If none can be found, the company will be completely out of cash by the end of 2012. Fortunately, he's got some talent to help him in the arduous quest; backing Prusch as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors will be John Stanton, who's served as the interim CEO since Morrow's departure. Given the situation, it's a difficult position to be placed in -- either he'll be the hero that saves the company, or the villain responsible for taking it down. Check out the full press release after the break.
