Longtime Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) executive Mark Wegleitner is retiring from the company, Verizon announced today.

Wegleitner, who has held various titles from CTO to senior vice president of technology, has often been the public face of Verizon's technology unit and a guiding force for many of its initiatives, including its early deployment of fiber-to-the-home known as FiOS and recent tests of 10-Gigabig XG-PON technology, as well as pilot deployments of 100-Gigabit ultra long-haul optical networks.

The Verizon exec also was a key leader for Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) , serving on its executive board and regularly appearing as a member of the annual CTO panel that was a highlight of the now-defunct Supercomm tradeshow.

Wegleitner was a media favorite because he was often willing and available to talk about tough issues, and rarely ducked a question.

— Carol Wilson, Chief Editor, Events, Light Reading