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Sprint Names Michel Combes President And Financial Chief

NEW YORK (AP) — Sprint named Michel Combes president and chief financial officer, months after it called off a merger with rival T-Mobile.

FRANCE-FINLAND-TELECOM-ALCATEL-NOKIA
Telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent's Chief Executive Officer Michel Combes gives a press conference, on April 15, 2015 in Paris, to formalise the merger of Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent. Nokia has struck a 15.6-billion-euro deal to buy its rival Alcatel-Lucent to create the world's biggest supplier of mobile phone network equipment. The merger of two companies will produce a European champion able to take on Nokia's Swedish rival Ericsson or fierce Chinese competition. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS SAMSON / AFP PHOTO / THOMAS SAMSON (Photo credit should read THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Combes replaces Tarek Robbiati, who will remain with the Overland Park, Kansas, company to help with the transition until the end of the month. Combes most recently worked as CEO of telecom company Altice N.V. and is a longtime telecom industry executive.

Combes will join the Sprint board later.

In November, Sprint and T-Mobile said they couldn't come to an agreement that would benefit customers and shareholders. The companies have been dancing around a potential merger for years, but most recently said they would call off negotiations for the foreseeable future.

A merger would have given the combined company better footing in competing with its much larger rivals, AT&T and Verizon.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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