Wanted: Top telecom talent to co-lead struggling carrier

Sprint Nextel's CEO Gary Forsee is looking for a No. 2, but first attempts have proven fruitless, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. According to the report, Sprint approached Alltel's president of operations Kevin Beebe for the COO position, but Beebe declined. Former BellSouth COO Mark Feidler also turned down the position two months ago. Sprint also considered AT&T's new group president of regional wire-line operations, Ralph de la Vega, but he's happy at his new role, apparently. The WSJ picked John Stanton, who serves on Alltel's board as a likely candidate. If you, or someone you know is qualified and interested, send us an email [1].

For more on Sprint's COO search:
- see this article [2] in the WSJ (sub. req.)