Boingo hires former Comcast exec to lead military business

Boingo Wireless hired Rebecca Gray, a former Comcast NBCUniversal and Southern Company executive, to lead its military business. She replaces Bruce Crair, who’s retiring after nearly 10 years with the company.

Gray will serve as senior vice president and general manager, military. Prior to her appointment at Boingo, Gray was an executive at Comcast NBCUniversal serving the military community. Before that, she worked at Southern Company, where she launched a military strategy and helped the organization grow its Department of Defense (DoD) business.

Serving in the U.S. military, Colonel Gray is currently the Vice Wing Commander, 111th Attack Wing at Biddle Air National Guard based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, responsible for supervising operations, medical, engineer and mission support groups. She also serves on the State Diversity Council for the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. 

“Rebecca is a proven leader who has excelled serving the U.S. military and in her civilian roles,” said Boingo CEO Mike Finley in a statement. “Her impressive background and unique expertise will continue to propel Boingo’s military business to keep our armed forces connected. I am pleased to welcome her to our leadership team as Bruce’s replacement."

Boingo started out as a Wi-Fi supplier at airports across the country and expanded over the years to cellular, distributed antenna systems (DAS), Citizens Broadband Radio Services (CBRS), 5G and more. Last year, it was acquired by Digital Colony Management in a deal valued at $854 million.

Boingo’s services for military bases started in 2013; its footprint now includes more than 75 Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Homeland Security Training Center locations across the U.S., Japan and South Korea.

Boingo’s solutions for the U.S. military include Wi-Fi and fiber network services for troops living in the barracks and on-base family housing; macro towers and small cells for cellular service; and private cellular solutions for connected operations and secure 5G and IoT deployments on base.  

“It is a privilege to join the executive leadership team at Boingo, a wireless leader committed to connecting the soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors who defend our great nation,” Gray stated. “As the world digitizes in the 5G era, the need for secure communication networks across our military has never been greater. Boingo fulfills this need, simplifying complex wireless challenges to improve communications and set the stage for future innovation. I am proud to help lead the team and look forward to accelerating our growth.”