Largent Announces Retirement Plans

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CTIA-The Wireless Association® President and CEO Steve Largent announced today he will not seek an extension of his current contract, which expires at the end of next year. The CTIA Board of Directors will immediately begin conducting a search for his successor.

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"I am extremely proud of the many achievements our team has accomplished over the past decade, and believe they have played a significant role in the fantastic and unparalleled growth of the U.S. wireless industry over that period of time. It is an extraordinary privilege to represent the interests of such a vibrant, innovative and dynamic membership, and I am very appreciative of the great opportunity I have had and of the relationships I forged over the years."

Largent continued, "The coming year will be a busy one for CTIA, and above all else, I will ensure that there will be no impact on our efforts to secure certainty in the FCC auction process as well as successfully transition our trade shows into a new schedule. At the same time, I believe it's appropriate to give our Board of Directors notice of my intentions so that it can plan accordingly, and proceed to find my successor."

While the CTIA Board of Directors works to hire a successor, Largent will continue to lead the association and eventually work with that individual to ensure a smooth transition.

Largent assumed the top job at CTIA in 2003, and the organization's advocacy efforts to encourage a reasoned regulatory and legislative environment played a key role in the industry's unprecedented expansion over the past decade. Since the end of 2003, the number of U.S. wireless subscriptions increased from about 158 million to more than 326 million, which currently represents a 104 percent penetration rate. Wireless data traffic has grown by 674 percent, and the association's work to create an appropriate public policy climate helped create a high degree of certainty for the industry to collectively invest more than $220 billion in capital expenditures. Additionally, during Largent's tenure, the Federal Communications Commission conducted a series of successful spectrum auctions, with three more in various stages of rulemaking.

"Steve has done an outstanding job of effectively advocating on behalf of the industry, and the contributions of his team under his leadership have been invaluable in helping us grow as impressively as we have and to assume the role of the world leader in wireless services and products," said Dan Mead, Verizon Wireless President and CEO, and current CTIA Chairman. "On behalf of the entire CTIA membership, we want to thank Steve for his hard work, commitment and impeccable integrity, and for being such a trusted and successful advocate for this great industry."

Largent added,  "While I am going to deeply miss working with my CTIA colleagues and on behalf of our members, I'm very excited about the opportunity to spend more time with my wife Terry and our family, which is about to include our eighth grandchild."

CTIA-The Wireless Association® (www.ctia.org) is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products. CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry's voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry's leading wireless tradeshows. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, DC.

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SOURCE CTIA-The Wireless Association