Alef, the edge internet leader, announced today the appointments of Mike Mulica to Chief Executive Officer and Ganesh Sundaram to Chief Executive Officer of Alef Innovations in response to the company’s accelerated growth and the demand for continued innovation in the 5GThe “G” in 5G stands for generation. 5G is the fifth generation of wireless technology. 5G is characterized by bigger channels (which improves throughput), lower latencies allowing for real time applications, and the ability to connect more devices (which is increasingly important as the number of devices has grown exponentially). More edge economy.
Mulica has served as Executive Chairman of the Board for Alef since 2018 and has advised the leadership team on the massive market opportunities within the emerging edge computing ecosystem and the impact on the decentralized internet. As CEO, Mulica will lead Alef into its next chapter of expansion, following the launch of the Private Edge Platform.
Mulica succeeds Sundaram, who previously served as CEO after founding Alef in 2014. In his new capacity as CEO of Alef Innovations, Sundaram will focus his expertise on work that will deepen Alef’s intellectual leadership as the pioneer of Mobile Edge products and technologies. Alef holds the seminal Intellectual Property in the Mobile Edge, and Alef Innovations will build depth and breadth to the original edge thesis with a focus on introducing new technologies that will drive the expansion of an open systems community of edge collaborators worldwide.
“Mike Mulica is one of the most experienced leaders in the telecommunications and mobility sectors and is well equipped to usher in the next evolution of Alef to further operationalize what an open, 5G edge infrastructure can do for enterprises and developers. What Mike achieved, in terms of introducing the Mobile Internet to the world and building it to a global scale, is what we intend to accomplish at Alef,” said Ganesh Sundaram, founder of Alef and CEO of Alef Innovations. “I am thrilled to bring my full attention to how we can continue to push the boundaries of research and development and make the promise of the edge and decentralized internet a reality for the creators, programmers, and developers who are hungry to explore the art of the possible.”
A mobile and internet industry veteran, Mulica has played a foundational role in pioneering the mobile internet and overseen the release of game-changing products and technologies to global markets. His leadership at both public and private companies spans the likes of Motorola, Synchronoss, Openwave, Phone.com, Unwired Planet, FusionOne, RealNetworks and Actility.
Sundaram’s achievements in the wireless space can be traced back to his influential time at Bell Labs, which resulted in him being named a Bell Labs Fellow in 2012. He has developed several foundational technologies, leading to new standards, products and deployments, and has authored over 50 patents relating to mobile data networking, security, cryptography, mobility management, and more.
“Ganesh’s contributions to the advancement of the edge internet — through his time at Bell Labs and with Alef — is nothing short of incredible,” said Mike Mulica, CEO of Alef. “Alef is poised to change the way enterprises do business by eliminating the complexities that have bogged down progress. By taking control back, companies can launch their own private networks and build edge applications on their terms. I am excited and honored to continue the journey at this inflection point for Alef with the support of Ganesh and the rest of the executive team.”
Also this year, Alef tapped Jeff Tennery to be Chief Commercial Officer to help lead the rollout of Private Edge and build the company’s edge developer community. The appointments cement Alef’s commitment to make the edge internet a reality and radically transform the way the world lives, works and plays.