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T-mobile UK boss "takes job with US phone shop"

Jim Byrne, who joined T-Mobile UK three years ago, has disappeared from Hatfield, and turned up in Virginia, as President of an obscure local phone shop. The news has caused considerable speculation in the UK industry about his reasons for leaving.

The news broke as Fain Hughes of Trading Markets reported an announcement by Virginia phone and broadband provider NTELOS Holdings Corp. The release simply said that "Ntelos announced that James A. Hyde will join the Company as President and Chief Operating Officer. The Company also announced that the Board of Directors intends for Mr. Hyde to succeed James S. Quarforth as Chief Executive Officer upon Mr. Quarforth's eventual retirement."

Confirmation of Hyde's departure was given by T-Mobile to reporter Stuart O'Brien, who quoted Hamid Akhavan, CEO of T-Mobile International as saying:

"We appreciate Jim’s contribution during the many years he spent at T-Mobile and whilst we respect his decision, we are sorry to see him leave. On behalf of the Executive Committee of T-Mobile International I would like to wish Jim every success with his future endeavours."

O'Brien described his departure as voluntary, saying that "T-Mobile UK managing director Jim Hyde has made a personal decision to leave the company at the end of March."

Insiders point to Hyde's reported $1m-a-year rolling 5 year contract with T-Mobile UK as evidence for scepticism about this voluntary action.

"It might have been voluntary," said one back-room source, "if you accept that Jim chose voluntarily to miss two very important corporate meetings which all T-Mobile country managers felt obliged to attend."

Another old acquaintance of Byrne suggested that his obsession with vitamin-popping and four-hour body-building sessions in the gym might have indicated a lack of commitment to a difficult future for the UK company.

The news of his departure without any name being put forward for his replacement stunned observers. Rumours in rival networks hinted that if Byrne had indeed chosen to leave, rather than being sent on his way, then one clear reason for his departure would be a sense in the UK that T-Mobile was anxious to sell the British subsidiary off.

"It's no secret that T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom have to spend huge amounts of capital to ramp up their US operation in 3G," said one rival exec. "We would expect that to be a much better way to invest, than in the much more competitive UK market, where returns will be small, but costs huge."

At the time of publication, whispers said that the new boss was "from outside the phone industry" with some reports saying it would be "someone from the motor business."