Sarasota wireless firm calls on new CEO

SARASOTA — Longtime telecommunications industry executive George Schmitt has been named CEO of wireless communication firm xG Technology.

Schmitt is also board chairman of xG, which develops and sells wireless communications and spectrum sharing technologies, mostly in rural communities. Schmitt will remain chairman, according to a release. He replaces former CEO John Coleman, who will retain a position on the xG board and manage the government and expeditionary side of the business, the release adds.

“The xG board wishes to thank John Coleman for his dedication and service as CEO of the company,” Schmitt says in the release. “Under his leadership, xG came a very long way: We have extended the development of our technology platform; developed the world's first cognitive radio platform which we then certified for compliance with rules for unregulated spectrum use; and launched it successfully in our test markets.”

Adds Schmitt: “I will work closely with the xG team to develop and close the growing number of revenue opportunities that are available to us.”

Schmitt has more than 45 years experience in telecommunications, with career posts in Germany, South Korea and the United States. He was president and CEO of PCS PrimeCo, a partnership formed by several telecommunications firm that's now a unit of Verizon Wireless. Schmitt was also president of Omnipoint, where he helped build the largest American PCS network at the time. The Wireless History Foundation inducted Schmitt into the Wireless Hall of Fame in 2013 for his contributions to the industry.

xG is publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol XGTI (Recent price: $0.43).