Brian McAuley is a wireless pioneer, entrepreneur, accountant, and businessman. His combined talent and energy uniquely equipped him to co-found a company that wove together a fragmented web of Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) frequencies into a wireless system to challenge the FCC’s cellular duopoly market structure.
His experience with start-up businesses in the wireless industry dates back to the days before cellular systems were operational. Brian served as Senior Vice President and CFO of Millicom, a company formed to pursue opportunities in the nascent cellular industry. As an accountant with considerable experience in strategic planning, investment banking, acquisitions and divestitures, he also served as a financial consultant, including a period as senior consultant to the investment banking firm Reinheimer Nordberg. It was through this relationship that he came together with Morgan O’Brien to found Fleet Call in 1987.
Although the initial purpose of Fleet Call was to build a national business providing radio dispatch services, the public demand for mobile service – and the opportunity to compete for it – drove the vision to create the next generation of mobile services. The transition of the company name from Fleet Call to Nextel later followed. To achieve this vision, the company took on the formidable task of convincing the FCC to waive rules that prevented Nextel from building a digital communications system to compete with cellular providers. In spite of fierce cellular carrier opposition, the FCC was convinced.
Between 1987 and 1994, Brian served as Nextel President and CEO. He was instrumental in developing financing and business plans, making acquisitions, raising capital, and executing day-to-day operations. The company went public in 1992.
Brian also founded Boston-based mobile radio systems operator NeoWorld Communications in 1999, and served as its President and CEO. Neo World was acquired by Nextel in 2003. Nextel merged with Sprint in 2005.
Brian is a recurring guest lecturer of the Executive MBA program of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Adelphi University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of United Rentals and Imagine Tile, and served as Chairman of the Board of pdvWireless (now Anterix), and currently serves as Director and Chairman Emeritus. Brian was inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame in 2015.