T-Mobile’s technology leadership transition comes as Ray, Ewaldsson and teams complete historic network integration following T-Mobile/Sprint merger and secure Un-carrier’s position as the nation’s overall network leader.

BELLEVUE, Washington – T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced today that President of Technology Neville Ray plans to retire from the company by Fall 2023 and current Executive Vice President and Chief Network Officer Ulf Ewaldsson will assume the role of President of Technology after Ray departs.

Through his 23 years at T-Mobile, Ray has played a critical role in architecting the Un-carrier’s network strategy – from 2G to 5G – and building and leading a best-in-class team that has brought it to life. Today T-Mobile’s largest, fastest, most reliable and most awarded 5G network leadership has translated into an overall network leadership position that has been recognised by independent third parties and will only continue to set the Un-carrier apart.

“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,” said T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert. “There are so many things Neville has contributed to this company, but one of the most important has been his commitment to building the best, most effective Technology team in this industry that will continue to deliver for our future. Neville and his team have worked tirelessly to bring the Un-carrier from last to best in network performance and made T-Mobile’s network a true competitive weapon. What’s even more exciting is that we’re just getting started! As this next chapter of the Un-carrier story is beginning to unfold, we owe a lot of gratitude to Neville for all he’s done to carve this path that will continue to lead us into the future!”

Sievert continued, “This has been a thoughtfully planned succession and I am thrilled we have an excellent leader in Ulf Ewaldsson to lead our Technology teams. When Ulf joined T-Mobile four years ago, he brought years of experience and deep network strategy leadership capabilities that allowed him to hit the ground running and bring our leading 5G network to life. That’s exactly what he did – and what he will continue to do as President of Technology, leading the best team in our industry! Our goal is always to build a strong bench of leaders who are ready to fill key positions when they’re needed, and this is a perfect example of that approach.”

As President of Technology, Ray has been responsible for the management and development of T-Mobile’s wireless network, technology services, and technology operations. Ray joined T-Mobile in April 2000. During his tenure, he has been at the forefront of several T-Mobile milestones and dozens of industry firsts, including the launch of 3G, the launch of the first Android smartphone using UMTS, the launch of HSPA+ 4G, the launch of LTE and then nationwide LTE coverage, the combination with Metro PCS, and acquisition of 600MHz spectrum. T-Mobile was the first provider in the world to light up both LTE and 5G in 600MHz spectrum. Ray led what would become the company’s ‘layer cake’ 5G approach, including most recently the Sprint integration, which provided network assets to launch the world’s first nationwide standalone architecture (SA) 5G network, while generating billions of dollars in network synergies. In June 2020, T-Mobile’s 5G network was the first to offer coverage in all 50 states. "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," continued Sievert.

Ewaldsson joined T-Mobile in January 2019 as senior vice president, Technology Transformation, and was promoted to EVP and Chief Network Officer in 2021. Ewaldsson currently leads a nationwide field team responsible for build, operation, and maintenance of T-Mobile’s network. In just four years since joining the Un-carrier from Ericsson, Ulf has led a team that has played a critical role in achieving milestones for T-Mobile as it has become a 5G leader and now is emerging as an overall network leader in the U.S. He established and drove a record-setting pace to build out the Un-carrier’s nationwide 5G network and rapidly expand T-Mobile’s coverage footprint. "Ulf and team have led the historic merger integration, unlocking billions of dollars in synergies ahead of schedule, while simultaneously improving network satisfaction among customers, and reducing churn to record lows - an amazing set of accomplishments," continued Sievert. "Ulf brings the right combination of customer centricity, leadership, and deep technology experience to write the next technology chapter at T-Mobile."

Prior to T-Mobile, Ewaldsson previously had several group executive positions during a 27-year career at Ericsson, including Group CTO, and was widely recognised for his passion and track record for driving industry-first advances. He has been deeply involved in developing and globalising well-known industry standards such as 3G, 4G and 5G. He has been instrumental in helping to create some of the most innovative mobile communication products, such as multi-standard RBS, antenna-integrated and femto base stations, narrowband IoT, and virtualised network core products. He holds a Master of Science and Master of Business Management from Linköping Technical University. He has also served on several boards as both member and Chairman, including the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology, ASSA-ABLOY AB, Telecom Management Forum and others.

Current senior leadership team members Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Brian King, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Abdul Saad, and Executive Vice President Advanced and Emerging Technologies John Saw will remain in their roles, reporting to Ewaldsson after the transition.