December 18, 2007 - Embarq chief Hesse lands Sprint CEO post

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December 18, 2007 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise Read more at SmartBrief.com News for telecom industry leaders Search recent stories:       News of the Day    Embarq chief Hesse lands Sprint CEO post Sprint Nextel has tapped Daniel Hesse, the chairman and CEO of Embarq Corp., and a 23-year veteran of AT&T, as its new CEO today. Hesse will replace Gary Forsee, who left in October amid slumping subscriber numbers. Hesse, 54, spent three years as chairman of AT&T Wireless. "Dan's mandate is to hone our strategy, improve our ability to serve our customers and execute in the marketplace," Chairman James Hance said. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (12/18) , Google/Associated Press (12/18) , InformationWeek (12/18) Embarq names counsel Gerke as interim CEO: Embarq Corp. has named Tom Gerke, its general counsel, as interim CEO to replace Dan Hesse, who resigned to take the top spot at Sprint Nextel. Embarq also named lead director William Owens as board chairman. Reuters (12/18)   Business & Industry Watch    Qwest decides against video effort in Portland, Ore. Qwest Communications International, which recently was granted permission to offer video services in Portland, Ore., now says it will not get into the video business. Qwest CEO Edward Mueller said the company would continue to offer subscribers discounts on DirecTV packages. The Oregonian (Portland) (12/18) Nortel joins patent parade vs. Vonage Nortel filed suit against Vonage Holdings last week, alleging that the VoIP company had infringed on 12 of its patents, all related directly to technology for Internet telephony. Vonage, which had filed a patent suit against Nortel earlier this year, has settled similar litigation with AT&T, Verizon Communications and Sprint Nextel for hundreds of millions of dollars. Techworld/Network World (12/18) Vivendi signals SFR talks for Dreyfus stake Vivendi's French SFR telecom unit, which has reportedly expressed a desire to land the rest of Neuf Cegetel, is in talks with Louis Dreyfus to acquire his 29.5% share in the company. SFR would then presumably launch a bid for the remainder of Neuf Cegetel. Forbes/AFX News Limited/Thomson Financial (12/18) Verizon adds FiOS TV to Chesapeake, Va. Verizon Communications is preparing to begin installations of its FiOS IPTV service to about 3,500 households in Chesapeake, Va. The company last week began selling its fiber-optic service to parts of Oregon, including Portland. EngadgetHD (12/18) U-Verse adds eight HD channels AT&T's U-Verse TV has expanded its high-definition lineup to more than 40 channels in most areas, with the addition of eight new networks on the IPTV service. Subscribers pay $10 a month for HD programming. Broadcasting & Cable (12/17) Check out USTelecom dailyLead's year-end report Remember to read Part 1 of the USTelecom dailyLead year-end report for the top industry stories and quotes of the year. Part 2 offers your predictions for the industry in 2008. From Collaboration to Innovation: Leveraging Web 2.0 to Accelerate New Service Ideas. Learn how telecoms can harness Web 2.0 technologies to help visualize, develop and roll out new services. Get IBM's point of view on how to leverage the power of collaboration in a Web 2.0 environment now!   Technology Trends  AT&T takes free 411 service nationwide AT&T says that it has expanded its free directory assistance to all of the continental U.S. The company had been gradually rolling out the advertiser-supported service, having done so already in nine Southeastern states. InformationWeek (12/17) Motorola introduces wide-scale WiMAX network Motorola has rolled out its first extensive WiMAX network with Wateen Telecom's launch of fixed-access service to 22 cities in Pakistan. Motorola has plans for three such high-profile commercial services. Telephony Online (12/17) Clearwire brings broadband to Rochester, N.Y. Clearwire has made Rochester, N.Y., its 50th market in bringing high-speed wireless broadband service to the upstate New York community where it will compete with Time Warner Cable and Verizon Communications. Despite earlier statements that future rollouts would include data and voice, Clearwire is apparently launching only an Internet service in its newest market. OneTRAK (12/17) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Considerations for FTTX Splitter Modules Extreme-Environment Performance Optical splitter modules used in FTTX networks contain the splitters that make passive optical networks possible. Learn more. Register for ADC's Next Gen white paper series. Interested in learning more about advertising in the USTelecom dailyLead? Contact Eric Hoffman at 773-549-3868 or ehoffman@smartbrief.com.   IP Download  Swarmcast's Autobahn aims at clearer online video A set of software and services from Swarmcast could speed up video downloading and improve the Internet's fuzzy online pictures. The Minneapolis company has released Autobahn HD for Flash, designed to make more efficient use of available bandwidth. Swarmcast and rival Move Networks both offer streaming services that seek to tailor the picture quality to individual network connections. Technology Review (12/18) Other News Sprint gears up for IPv6 beta testing Wireless IQ (12/17) Make USTelecom dailyLead part of your 2008 marketing plan! USTelecom dailyLead is a cost-effective way to reach over 45,000 telecommunications industry executives. To learn more, click here or contact Eric Hoffman at ehoffman@smartbrief.com or (773) 549-3868.   Regulatory & Legislative  Report: KDDI, Willcom to secure next-gen wireless licenses Japan is gearing up to launch next-generation wireless services in 2009 and is reportedly ready to grant licenses to a KDDI group and Willcom. NTT DoCoMo and Softbank are expected to consider leasing networks from the license holders. Forbes/AFX News Limited/Thomson Financial (12/17) Other News Report: Uganda awards telecom license to Reliance Communications Forbes/AFX News Limited/Thomson Financial (12/18)   LeadQuote  Inspiration and genius -- one and the same." --Victor Hugo, French poet and playwright       This dailyLead was created for webmaster@freeraovat.com Subscriber Tools       Update account information |  Change e-mail address |  Unsubscribe |  Print friendly format |  Web version |  Search past news |  Privacy policy Advertise Sales Account Director:  Eric Hoffman 773-549-3868 Download Media Kit   Read more at dailyLead.com A powerful Web site for dailyLead readers including: Breaking News Industry Home Competitor News Readers' Choice Press Releases Search Archive       Recent USTelecom dailyLead Issues: Monday, December 17, 2007 Friday, December 14, 2007 Thursday, December 13, 2007 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Tuesday, December 11, 2007     Lead Editor:  Susan Rush       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2007 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information