MCI's Sauer to head Infocomm US operations

The Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Infocomm has recruited Michael P Sauer, who is hailed as the 'father of hubbing transit voice', from the world's second largest telecom carrier MCI Inc, to head its US operations.

Sauer, an expert in international product and service contract negotiations, has been roped in as president of Reliance Infocomm's US subsidiary, Reliance Communications Inc, US.

The Falcon submarine cable system and the recently acquired Flag Telecom, apart from Reliance Infocomm's international calling card operations are being controlled by the US subsidiary.

He is slated to join Reliance Communications' senior management team and will be based in New York. His responsibilities include heading Reliance's submarine cable companies, Flag and Falcon, and its calling card operations in the US, according to sources close to the development.

At MCI, Sauer was executive vice-president of international relations and international carrier services, a division that handled business of $6 billion. He is also on board of many MCI subsidiaries.

When contacted, a Reliance Infocomm spokesperson confirmed the appointment of Sauer. He, however, did not divulge further details.

"This is a big catch for Reliance Infocomm due to his celebrity status in the telecom industry, apart from his vast experience and knowledge of the industry. He had built MCI from scratch and served the company during its 23 years of existence," industry sources added.

Sauer, who is better known as Michael in the industry, had implemented the first US voice operating agreement with Cuba in 1994, Internet Protocol agreements with India and China and had forged relationships with over 250 global telecom companies across the world for MCI.

A $20 billion company, MCI was incorporated in 1982 and has an internet backbone spanning six continents and over 140 countries. It has a presence in over 65 countries. Telecom major Verizon had acquired MCI in February 2005, with the merger process expected to be competed this month.