Former Telstra boss in line to head NBN Co.

Although no one's confirming it, word out of Australia is that Telstra's (ASX: TLS.AX) former CEO Ziggy Switkowski could soon become the new boss of the country's ever-controversial National Broadband Network (NBN Co.).

While declining to confirm the expected appointment, Coalition government leader Malcolm Turnbull had only good things to say about Switkowski.

"He's obviously highly qualified and I think most people would … regard him as an eminently suitable person," Turnbull told ABC in a story covered by Yahoo Finance. "But no decision has been taken by a Coalition government because we haven't even been sworn in yet."

Once Turnbull is sworn in--and he's expected to become Communications Minister--he'd have the right to recommend any appointment and, the paper speculated, it's likely that appointment would be Switkowski, who would replace retiring NBN Chief Executive Mike Quigley.

Turnbull has, the paper said, indicated his willingness to shake things up at the state-run fiber optic network.

"While I have no criticism to make of any of the individuals, it is remarkable that there is nobody on that board who has either run or built or been responsible for building or managing a large telecommunications network," he said. "And given that is the core business of NBN Co., that is a singular deficiency."

If nothing else, Switkowski has that. the one-time nuclear physicist, in addition to heading Telstra, also ran Optus and the Australian operations of Kodak.

For more:
- ABC carried this story

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