|
SAN ANTONIO (AP) - After an acquisition binge that transformed the smallest Baby Bell into a telecommunications heavyweight, AT&T Inc. is undergoing another change Sunday: a new chief executive.
Randall Stephenson, 47, rose through the ranks of AT&T and previously served as its chief financial officer and chief operating officer. He is credited with helping position the company so it could afford the buying spree that turned it into the nation's largest provider of traditional phone, wireless and broadband services.
Stephenson takes over for Edward Whitacre Jr. in time for what might be the most hyped telecommunications device launch in a generation, Apple Inc.'s iPhone. AT&T — whose wireless division was formerly known as Cingular — will be the exclusive carrier for the combination cell phone, portable music player and Web device when it launches in the U.S. later this month.
|