Abdu Mudesir, who abruptly stepped down as head of technology and product at Deutsche Telekom in March, is set to join Verizon as president of global networks and technology, replacing Joe Russo when he retires. The shift would place a former Deutsche Telekom
Abdu Mudesir’s sudden exit from Deutsche Telekom in March landed with a thud for an industry that thrives on long timelines and slow transitions. Now, the next move—reported by Handelsblatt—looks like a direct bid to reshape Verizon’s technical leadership at the highest level.
Mudesir, who stepped down as head of technology and product at Deutsche Telekom in March this year, is set to join Verizon as president of global networks and technology. He would replace Joe Russo, the current incumbent, when Russo retires in the coming months.
The reported appointment puts Mudesir in direct competition with T-Mobile US. the North American arm of the Deutsche Telekom empire whose success has been closely tied to the group’s influence and resources. Mudesir spent eight years at Deutsche Telekom. rising through the ranks until he took on the highest technology role at the giant telecom in May 2025.
His departure from Deutsche Telekom was described as unexpected and sudden, sparking speculation that he could be headed to one of the emerging AI infrastructure giants in the Middle East. Handelsblatt’s reporting points instead to Verizon.
In the wake of the German newspaper’s enquiries, Verizon CEO Dan Schulman sent an internal memo to the US operator’s staff. The memo—seen by Handelsblatt—told employees that Mudesir would succeed Russo as head of networks and technology and praised Mudesir as an executive with “great imagination”.
TelecomTV has asked Verizon for confirmation of the appointment, but Verizon’s final confirmation is not yet on the record here.
The timing of Mudesir’s start date remains unclear. Russo is expected to stay in his current post until the beginning of next year to oversee the transition.
Verizon’s moment is already heavy with choices. The appointment is expected to land as the operator is making major decisions on the use of AI, including autonomous network operations and AI-RAN. Verizon is also weighing longer-horizon steps involving 6G and quantum-safe communications.
Mudesir, for his part, has been thinking about more than just today’s networks. He spoke with TelecomTV only weeks before he left Deutsche Telekom, discussing AI-native telco strategies, direct-to-device (D2D) satellite communications, a post-quantum world and much more.
Russo and his team still have immediate responsibilities, and they aren’t small. Verizon is the “Official Telecommunication Services Sponsor” for the 2026 football (soccer) World Cup. held in the US. Canada and Mexico. running from 11 June to 19 July. In Verizon’s role for the tournament. the company’s cellular service performance becomes part of the world’s live spotlight.
That backdrop sits alongside recent internal change: only months earlier, Verizon made key changes to its senior technology and networking team, including the addition of former Vodafone executive Yago Tenorio. Tenorio joined Verizon as CTO in late 2024 after 30 years at Vodafone.
For Mudesir, the stakes will be technical—and public—almost immediately. For Verizon, the question now is whether the handoff in leadership will arrive with the same speed as the transition that brought Mudesir out of Deutsche Telekom in March.
Abdu Mudesir Verizon Joe Russo Deutsche Telekom T-Mobile US global networks and technology AI-RAN 6G quantum-safe communications World Cup 2026