T-Mobile US turned to former Ericsson executive Ulf Ewaldsson (pictured) to lead its 5G evolution strategy, hiring him as SVP of Technology Transformation ahead of a planned launch of next generation services later this year.

Ewaldsson will relocate from Sweden to T-Mobile headquarters in Bellevue, Washington at the end of this month, and report to CTO Neville Ray.

In a statement, Ray said Ewaldsson’s hire was a “total win” for the operator, adding the latter is “the perfect addition to our consumer-first Uncarrier team to drive our 5G evolution strategy”.

“Adding Ulf’s passion and track record for driving innovation to the Uncarrier mix is going to take us to the next level. Ulf has achieved so many firsts and truly supported the evolution of technology for telecommunications across the globe.”

Ewaldsson worked at Ericsson for nearly three decades, starting in 1990 and serving in various roles including CTO, head of Digital Services and most recently adviser to CEO Borje Ekholm. He left the company in December 2018.

His move to T-Mobile makes him the latest former Ericsson executive to land a top gig at a US operator.

Rima Qureshi, who served as CEO of Ericsson North America, assumed a role as Verizon’s CSO in November 2017. Former Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg famously followed a few months later, taking the reins from outgoing Verizon chief Lowell McAdam in August 2018.