Dick Lynch saw the game-changing potential of wireless data early on and led the industry in the development of technology to harness that potential. His work paved the way for today’s wide range of mobile applications and services.
Dick began his career with New England Telephone in 1972 after earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the Lowell Technological Institute (now part of the University of Massachusetts). He held a variety of positions in planning, operations, and engineering at New England Telephone and at Bell of Pennsylvania before moving to Bell Atlantic Mobile as Chief Technical Officer in 1990.
He has been at the forefront of wireless data solutions ever since. Under his guidance Bell Atlantic Mobile built one of the largest early wireless data networks in the country in 1995 based on Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) technology. When Verizon Wireless was formed in 2000, Dick became Chief Technology Officer and also served as Executive Vice President. He led the 2004 wide scale deployment of EV-DO wireless broadband service, and was responsible for the key technology decisions that kept a focus on network quality and innovation. In 2007, he moved to Verizon Communications, serving initially as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, and then as Executive Vice President for Strategic Technology Initiatives. Dick retired from Verizon in 2011.
Many industry groups have benefited from Dick’s leadership and enthusiasm. He has served on the executive board of the CDMA Development Group, the board of the GSM Association, and as a member of the FCC’s Technical Advisory Committee. He also served as President of the CDPD Forum and Chairman of the Wireless Data Forum. Dick is an IEEE Fellow and has been honored for his leadership with the CTIA President’s Award. He has earned patents for advances in the area of wireless technology and is a frequent guest lecturer on technology and its business implications.
Dick is a keen observer of, and active participant in, today’s telecommunications world. He currently serves on the boards of BlackBerry, Cohere Technologies, CoreKennect, Sonus Networks, and iconectiv. Dick was inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame in 2012 in San Diego.