A former Vodafone Australia executive has been appointed by OPTUS for the position of head of its network operations. He will have the responsibility to expand its 4G mobile footprint.

Vic McClelland will take the position of Managing Director of Optus Networks on November 4. He will have to report to Optus chief Kevin Russell, Mr. McClelland. His main tasks will be strategic investment in mobile infrastructure and day-to-day running of fixed, mobile and satellite networks.

According to Mr. Russell, Mr. McClelland is the perfect candidate for the position, considering his extensive local and international experience.

"His track record as a pioneer in the roll-out of Australia's first 3G network and recent work in Silicon Valley, where he has been at the forefront of technology innovation in network development and device ecosytems speaks for itself", Mr. Russell said.

Gunther Ottendorfer will be replaced by Mr. McClelland. Ottendorfer has gone back to his native Austria to take the position of Telekom Austria's chief technology officer.

Most recently, Mr. McClelland was the vice president of technology strategy for internet services with Ericsson in Silicon Valley in the US. He has also been the Vodafone Australia's head of technology strategy and planning and a CTO for Hutchison Telecommunications Australia.