T-Mobile President of Technology Neville Ray plans to retire from the company by this fall, with current EVP and Chief Network Officer Ulf Ewaldsson set to assume his role.
Ray spent 23 years at T-Mobile and played a critical role in overseeing its network strategy, taking it from the bottom of the barrel to what they can now tout as best-in-class with 5G.
“It’s bittersweet, but with T-Mobile’s network leadership now established, there has never been a better time to announce my retirement. Our Technology team has gone above and beyond, delivering countless global wireless firsts, and I’m forever grateful for the friendships and joy this team has brought me,” Ray said on LinkedIn.
He didn’t say exactly what he plans to do next. “I’m not going anywhere just yet so more to come from me, but today is a personal milestone day,” he said.
T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert remarked about the many milestones the company achieved under Ray’s network leadership.
“Under Neville’s network leadership we have accomplished so much together, and it’s amazing to think that milestones he’s helped T-Mobile achieve – the many network firsts, breakthroughs and innovations – have brought us to where we are today, taking the crown as the nation’s overall network leader,” Sievert in a statement.
Sievert went on to explain that it’s been a “thoughtfully planned succession.” Ewaldsson joined T-Mobile four years ago as SVP, Technology Transformation, reporting to Ray. He previously had been with Ericsson for nearly 30 years, including as a senior adviser to Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm.
Distinguished career
Ray’s time at T-Mobile dates back to April 2000, when he joined what was then Voicestream Wireless. He’s been there for the launch of 3G, HSPA+ 4G, LTE and eventually LTE nationwide coverage, as well as the combination with Metro PCS and the acquisition and rollout of 600 MHz spectrum.
But he’s become infamous for the carrier’s “layer cake” approach in 5G, with low-band spectrum setting the stage as the bottom layer, the 2.5 GHz spectrum acquired from Sprint for the mid-layer and millimeter wave at the top. The middle layer, in particular, has enabled T-Mobile to leapfrog the competition in 5G.
"Neville and his team saw that the 5G era would be won or lost on mid-band spectrum, and this shared vision was so critical to the enormous success T-Mobile now enjoys. It simply can't be overstated," Sievert added.
Ray also oversaw the launch of the world’s first nationwide standalone (SA) 5G network and the integration of the Sprint network assets into T-Mobile.
Ewaldsson’s role
Lest any investors fret that T-Mobile is losing its technology superstar, Sievert made sure to point out that Ray built the “best, most effective technology team in this industry that will continue to deliver for our future.”
Ewaldsson joined T-Mobile in January 2019 and was promoted to EVP and chief network officer in 2021. He currently leads the nationwide field team responsible for building, operating and maintaining T-Mobile’s network.
Ewaldsson’s getting credit for driving the record-setting pace to build out the “un-carrier’s” nationwide 5G network and rapidly expand its coverage footprint.
Some of his other prior experiences include being involved in the standards-setting process, including 3G, 4G and 5G, and having a hand in the creation of products such as multi-standard radio base stations, antenna-integrated and femto base stations, narrowband IoT and virtualized network core products.
According to T-Mobile, current senior leadership team members EVP and Chief Information Officer Brian King, EVP and Chief Technology Officer Abdul Saad and EVP Advanced and Emerging Technologies John Saw will remain in their roles, reporting to Ewaldsson after the transition.