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T-Mobile appoints Srini Gopalan as new CEO to navigate competitive U.S. telecom market

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T-Mobile announced that insider Srinivasan “Srini” Gopalan will become CEO on November 1, succeeding Mike Sievert, as the company sharpens its strategy to maintain 5G leadership in a crowded U.S. wireless market.

The transition comes amid slowing subscriber growth, heightened competition, and more price-sensitive consumers. T-Mobile has leaned on aggressive promotions, bundled perks, and streaming partnerships to gain share, rising to become the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier behind Verizon during Sievert’s tenure.

Sievert, who took over in 2020 after T-Mobile’s $26 billion merger with Sprint, will move to the newly created role of vice chairman, advising on long-term strategy, innovation, and talent development. His leadership saw T-Mobile outperform both AT&T and Verizon in stock performance.

Gopalan, currently T-Mobile’s COO, brings deep telecom and financial expertise, with past leadership roles at Vodafone, Capital One, Bharti Airtel, and most recently as CEO of Deutsche Telekom Germany, where he doubled growth and expanded the fiber business. Analysts, including MoffettNathanson’s Craig Moffett, said the handover is expected to be smooth, with little disruption to performance.

When asked about future M&A activity, Gopalan stressed that T-Mobile’s focus will be on spectrum investment and fiber expansion rather than new consolidation moves.

This change marks a pivotal moment as T-Mobile works to protect its 5G advantage and balance growth in both postpaid and prepaid markets amid shifting consumer dynamics.

Comcast to cut jobs, streamline Xfinity unit in major reorganization

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Comcast is preparing to cut jobs at its largest business unit, which includes the Xfinity internet, mobile, and pay-TV services, as part of a restructuring to centralize operations and strengthen its broadband business, a source told Reuters.

Beginning in January, Comcast will eliminate a layer of management between its regional offices and corporate headquarters, meaning regional leaders will now report directly to a newly appointed executive overseeing national operations. While the company has not disclosed the number of roles affected, the restructuring is expected to reduce headcount.

In a memo to employees, Comcast said customer-facing teams, such as those in retail and customer service, will not be impacted. “This change is not a reflection of anyone’s contributions — it is about simplifying how we work so we can compete more effectively,” the memo stated.

The move continues Comcast’s long-term strategy of centralizing functions including marketing, legal, and finance. It has also standardized broadband pricing nationally and introduced new five-year price-lock plans to stem customer churn.

The cuts come as Comcast grapples with subscriber losses in its broadband business, facing mounting competition from wireless carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. The unit also oversees Sky, Comcast’s European brand, and remains central to the company’s connectivity strategy.

T-Mobile Ends DEI Programs Amid FCC Approval Push for Major Deals

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T-Mobile US announced on Wednesday that it is terminating its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs as it seeks approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for two significant transactions. In a letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, made public the same day, T-Mobile confirmed it is ending all DEI-related policies “not just in name, but in substance.”

The wireless carrier will eliminate any individual roles or teams dedicated to DEI, remove all DEI references from its websites, and strip DEI content from employee training materials. FCC Chair Carr welcomed the move, calling it “another good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination and the public interest.”

T-Mobile is awaiting FCC clearance to acquire most of regional carrier United States Cellular’s wireless operations, including customers, stores, and 30% of its spectrum assets, in a $4.4 billion deal. The FCC is also reviewing a separate deal where T-Mobile plans to form a joint venture with investment firm KKR to acquire internet service provider Metronet, which serves over 2 million homes and businesses across 17 states. T-Mobile intends to invest approximately $4.9 billion for a 50% stake in the joint venture and full ownership of Metronet’s residential fiber operations upon closing.

However, the decision has drawn criticism from FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, who called T-Mobile’s move “a cynical bid to win FCC regulatory approval” and accused the company of mocking its stated commitments to fighting discrimination and promoting fairness.

This is not the first time the FCC, under Chair Carr, a Trump appointee, has linked approval of telecom mergers with the dismantling of DEI programs. In May, the FCC approved Verizon’s $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications’ fiber-optic assets after Verizon agreed to end its DEI initiatives following an FCC investigation. Earlier in the year, Carr also opened a probe into Comcast’s promotion of DEI programs.

The rollback of DEI efforts follows former President Trump’s executive orders in January aimed at dismantling government-backed DEI programs and pressuring private companies to follow suit.