AT&T reportedly appointed company veteran Jeff McElfresh as COO, tasking the executive with driving a refocus on 5G and fibre connectivity following a merger of its WarnerMedia unit with Discovery.

The COO role has been vacant since John Stankey (pictured) was appointed CEO of the US operator in July 2020. McElfresh currently heads mobile and broadband unit AT&T Communications.

CNET reported the move was announced internally and forms part of a wider shake-up of AT&T’s leadership.

For example, Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO of AT&T’s consumer business, was reportedly named chief strategy and development officer.

The appointments apparently came just after AT&T revealed gains in mobile users and revenue during the opening quarter of the year, which Stankey credited to a steady approach.

But MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett previously argued AT&T’s subscriber gains were “coming at a high cost”, impacting ARPU.