T-Mobile UK Managing Director McBride To Join Amazon UK

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- T-Mobile International, the mobile telecommunications arm of Deutsche Telekom, Thursday said Brian McBride, the managing director of its struggling U.K. division, will leave the company at the end of the year.

McBride will be replaced by Jim Hyde, currently vice president of sales at T-Mobile USA.

Hyde will take up the position on January 1, 2006.

McBride, who joined the company in 2003 from computer maker Dell Inc., will become managing director of Amazon.co.uk, the U.K. arm of Amazon.Com, on January 1.

T-Mobile is spending GBP1.5 billion over 2006 and 2007 in the U.K. to reverse market share declines and boost its retail network.

T-Mobile has struggled to keep pace with rival mobile telecoms companies like O2 PLC, although it has increased capacity on its network by signing up mobile virtual network customers, like Virgin Mobile Holdings PLC, which offer branded services over T-Mobile's network.

Company Web site: http://www.tmobile.co.uk

-By Nic Fildes, Dow Jones Newswires; 44-20-7842-9264; nicolas.fildes@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires"

Posted to the site on 1st December 2005