Verizon’s Strigl to retire

Verizon Communications Inc. President and Chief Operations Officer Dennis Strigl announced he will retire at the end of the year, leaving behind a fantastic career that helped shape the wireless industry during his tenure as CEO of Verizon Wireless.
Strigl has spent 41 years in the communications space, beginning his career at 1968 with New York Telephone and held positions at AT&T and Wisconsin Telephone before becoming vice president of American Bell Inc. In 1984, he became president of Ameritech Mobile Communications, where he was instrumental in launching the nation’s first cellular network in Chicago. He led Bell Atlantic Mobile and spearheaded the merger with Nynex Mobile in 1995.
He was RCR Wireless News’ Person of the Year in 2002, for his innovation and focus on the basics, like network coverage. “In an industry that often drowns in promising too much, Strigl has been wise to focus on core competencies. Strigl has guided Verizon with a steady hand, concentrating on the basics, like great network coverage, while cautiously rolling out third-generation services. Meanwhile, the carrier put significant money behind a wireless data marketing campaign to educate audiences about the promise of 3G. And Verizon should be commended for leading the fight to get re-auction pledges back from the government, a battle that helped a number of carriers,” according to the article in RCR Wireless News.