Ziff Davis appoints Stephen Bye as president of its connectivity division

Ziff Davis, Inc., Ookla’s parent company, has announced the appointment of Stephen Bye as president of its connectivity division with effect from January 23, 2023. Bye will now report to Vivek Shah, chief executive officer (CEO) of Ziff Davis, and will be part of Ziff Davis’ executive leadership team, overseeing Ookla, Ekahau, RootMetrics, and related properties.

Bye is a broadband and wireless industry veteran, currently serving as the chief commercial officer of DISH Network’s facilities-based wireless network business. He has been instrumental in the development and deployment of DISH’s standalone 5G network. Prior to DISH, Bye was CEO of connectivity wireless, a provider of carrier-grade in-building and venue-based wireless systems. Previously, he served as the president of C Spire, a regional wireless and broadband provider.

Bye also served as the chief technology officer of Sprint where he was responsible for the deployment of its LTE-based network. He also held senior roles at Cox Communications, AT&T, Optus Communications, and Telstra. Bye holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree (Hons.) in electrical engineering from the University of Tasmania (Australia) and a Bachelor of Science degree (Hons.) in banking and finance from the London School of Economics (UK).

Commenting on the appointment, Shah said, “Stephen is a visionary in the telecommunications industry with three decades of experience across wireless, cable, and wireline providers. He’s ideally suited to lead our connectivity business which is a premier provider of network and service intelligence, network design and optimisation, and connectivity insights.”