Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com Diciembre 2013 13 NegociosNow NegociosNow www.negociosnow.com Marzo 2017 13 NegociosNow NegociosNow By Tara García Mathewson T wo years ago, when Thad- deus Arroyo was asked to move to Mexico to lead AT&T's operations there, he hesi- tated. He liked what he was doing at the time and taking the posi- tion wasn't what he had in mind for his next step. But he says he would have been a hypocrite if he had turned down the opportunity. He rou- tinely advises others to step into uncomfortable situations, know- ing moments like that have always been the ones that most often contributed to his own growth and success. Arroyo just returned from Mex- ico in January, where he served as CEO of AT&T Mexico. There, he led the ongoing expansion of AT&T high-speed mobile network and distribution channels. "This transformation is prob- ably the most exciting one that I had an opportunity to lead," Arroyo said. "We were enter- ing Mexico during a historical moment for the telecommunica- tions industry. To be a part of that right on the heels of fresh reform measures turned out to be one of those experiences that contrib- uted not only to my professional but personal growth." Arroyo is now AT&T's chief executive officer for business solutions and international, over- seeing the company's operations in Mexico and DIRECTV in Latin America as well as serving more than 3.5 million business custom- ers in nearly 200 countries and territories. His client list includes almost all of the world's Fortune 1000 companies. And it's an exciting time to be at AT&T. Arroyo said the more than 140-year-old company is mod- ernizing its core capabilities and developing a new generation of tools to make its customers more competitive. "AT&T brings capabilities that help our customers not only respond to disruption, but cre- ate their own disruption," Arroyo said. While the ecosystem con- tinues to change because of tech- nology trends, AT&T has tried to build a foundation. "The one core element of this digital world is the need for a strong network plat- form. That's what AT&T is forging the future on." One of the latest fads in this digital world is ever-increasing network speed. AT&T plans to launch a 5G market in Austin and Indianapolis this summer. The wireless internet connection will provide speeds five times fast- er than what is available on the company's 4G LTE network today. But beyond speed, 5G is expect- ed to greatly expand the capabil- ity of different applications. The faster connection brings reduced lag time, or latency, from when a user presses a button and the app actually responds. Arroyo believes this improve- ment will have significant, posi- tive consequences for a range of applications, including virtual reality and autonomous cars. If someone is controlling a car remotely, he offers as an exam- ple, pressing a button to brake needs to correspond to an almost immediate braking of the car. "You can't push a button to stop the brake and wait a second," Arroyo said. "It has to be immediate." 5G gets the nation that much closer to eliminating latency. As AT&T evolves, Arroyo finds it important to make sure the skills of the team evolve with it. He is committed to helping employees master the skills they'll need to keep the company at the front of the pack for whatever comes next. Because it's coming soon. Every two years or so, there's a massive transformation in tech- nology and communications. 4G has only been around for a couple years and already 5G is waiting in the wings to replace it. That commitment to ever- evolving skills includes a focus on diversity and inclusion. Lati- nos are expected to make up 60 percent of total population growth between 2005 and 2050, and Arroyo says it is important for careers in science, technology, engineering and math to be made attractive to them. So far, Lati- nos are underrepresented in tech fields, but success of companies like AT&T as well as society as a whole may depend on fixing that. A driving question for Arroyo: "How do we ensure that our com- munity is oriented toward sci- ence, technology, engineering and math and taking advantage of education to be ready for these great skills of the future?" Cortesía Thaddeus Arroyo, AT&T's Chief Executive Officer for business solutions and international. Top AT&T executive considers the future of his company and society "Y ou can't push a button to stop the brake and wait a second," Arroyo said. "It has to be immediate." DALLAS LATINOS IN TECHNOLOGY NegociosNow NegociosNow El Especial

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