Accomplishments

In every industry I've stepped into — whether it's wireless, telecoms, entertainment, retail, multimedia, international business, energy, or healthcare — my vision and determination have consistently driven success. I bring integrity, creative strategy, relentless pursuit, and dogged persistence to every project I undertake. Over the course of my career, I’ve been the lead negotiator for five multibillion dollar deals. Here are just a few examples of the milestones I’ve achieved:

Shaping the Cellular Landscape: I represented my company in settlement discussions and pieced together cellular telephone franchises, all on a modest budget. These assets, when later sold, contributed $4 billion to a larger transaction.

Securing Landmark Investments: I crafted distribution deals and raised a $94 million strategic round from industry leaders like Microsoft, RadioShack, Cable & Wireless, and Global Crossing. This effort helped my company go public with a then-record valuation exceeding $6 billion — the highest of any Internet or competitive phone company in history.

Delivering Under Pressure: I promised a client that was raising a finance round that I’d close two strategic deals — one with a Tier 1 mobile operator and another with a leading cloud communications platform — within 30 days. And I delivered.

Driving Growth Through Innovation: I secured first-of-its-kind telecom services, including the industry’s first  number portability and colocation before these were mandated by Congress or the regulator by working directly with telecoms operators.  Obtaining and implementing these services doubled the company’s growth and earned it recognition as the fastest-growing service company in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine.

Transforming M2M Services: I negotiated a comprehensive M2M service agreement that slashed my client’s connectivity costs, increased reliability, and established a strong long-term relationship — all within six weeks.

Pioneering MVNOs: In 1996, I developed the wireless virtual network strategy and negotiated cellular service contracts with top network operators, enabling the launch of the first MVNO in the U.S. years before others launched in the U.S. 

Forging Strategic Mobile Partnerships: I introduced a mobile payment company to U.S. operators, leading to an investment from a leading mobile operator and two commercial deals that propelled the company to where it is today.

Unlocking Growth for Clients: I convinced a major U.S. mobile operator to eliminate a critical calling feature charge for my client, resulting in a dramatic subscriber increase and enabling a key partnership with a national retailer.

Outmaneuvering Competitors: When a major prospect was leaning toward working with a competitor, I stepped in, outmaneuvered the competition, and secured a national distribution contract with the top consumer electronics retailer — all in less than two weeks. When the competitor asked the retailer why they lost the deal, they were told, “You didn’t have Whitey Bluestein working for you.”

Breaking into Healthcare Tech: I landed a mobile app company in the healthcare field its first contract — with the largest HMO in the U.S. — within 60 days.

Since the FCC first opened cellular license applications, I’ve been involved in more than 100 deals in mobile applications and wireless services. As both an advisor and principal, I’ve developed business plans, taken companies to market, and negotiated transformative deals, IPOs, mergers, and acquisitions with some of the biggest names in the telecoms industry.

Shaping the Mobile Industry

As part of MCI’s Corporate Development group, I worked on the initial round of cellular filings for the top 30 U.S. markets and managed filings for 72 of the top 90 markets, including:

  • Managing the nation’s first cellular resale operation in Los Angeles, including an extensive agent distribution network.

  • Developing and managed more than 30 cellular joint ventures, all securing valuable stakes in top-market cellular licenses.

  • Spearheading MCI’s nationwide paging partnership with American Express, Metromedia, and Communication Industries.

  • Negotiating the full-market settlement for the Minneapolis-St. Paul cellular license, developed the business plan, and as general manager, launched the cellular system in a record seven months. I also negotiated a groundbreaking regulatory “cease-fire” with a Regional Bell to expedite competitive service in the Minneapolis and Denver markets.

  • Playing a central role in the cellular market consolidation of 1984 — a story chronicled in Wireless Nation: The Frenzied Launch of the Cellular Revolution in America by James B. Murray. My efforts assembled mobile assets later valued at $4 billion.

  • Leading due diligence and negotiating marketing and resale agreements for MCI’s then planned Nextel investment.

  • Developing the first Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) architecture in 1996, before the MVNO term was coined, and negotiating several groundbreaking wholesale deals.

  • Presenting MCI’s mobile strategy, including the MVNO concept, to a joint meeting of the MCI and British Telecom boards of directors, attended by Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. executives.

  • Leading and managing MCI’s investment in U.S. AirWaves, a key bidder in the FCC’s PCS C-Block auction, and making the tough strategic decision to exit when spectrum prices became unsustainable.

  • Negotiating a pioneering airtime deal with NextWave, creating a business construct for subsequent MCI agreements with young suppliers.

  • Negotiating wholesale agreements with major U.S. wireless operators, including AT&T, Sprint, BellSouth, PacBell, VoiceStream, and others, enabling MCI to launch the industry’s first bundled wireless service, MCIone.

  • Leading the joint global mobile strategy group as part of the due diligence when British Telecom sought to acquire MCI.

  • Helping launch the leading U.S. MVNO enabling company (MVNE) and developing key mobile operator relationships with Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T, negotiating initial wholesale deals for ESPN, Disney, and other MVNOs.

  • Advocating for pro-consumer changes in FCC handset unlocking rules.

Advising Companies

As a strategic advisor to new and established companies, I have:

  • Negotiated wholesale service agreements for an ethnic MVNO and for an Australian company entering the U.S. market.

  • Represented several MVNOs, securing wholesale agreements with three major U.S. mobile network operators.

  • Helped a mobile software company win its first major contract with Kaiser Permanente within 60 days and facilitated an innovation award to that company from Qualcomm.

  • Received recommendations from Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile to several prospective wholesale clients based on my mobile deal expertise.

  • Was sought out by a European company looking to expand into the U.S. market, after 7 out of 10 European mobile experts recommended me.

  • Helped an Australian mobile branding company enter the U.S. market, with the founder stating, "There's only one person to go to in the U.S. for mobile branding."

  • Negotiated a comprehensive M2M service agreement for an offender monitoring company, ensuring favorable pricing, international reach and a robust long-term carrier partnership.

Throughout my career, colleagues and industry veterans have recognized my contributions. One remarked, "Whitey Bluestein has negotiated more wireless deals in his career than anyone in the U.S." I maintain strong relationships with senior management at leading U.S. operators, as well as key players in the European and global mobile markets.

These accomplishments are more than milestones — they reflect a career built on strategic foresight, the tools from my legal experience to find solutions to business issues, and a passion for innovation. In the process, I’ve built a professional network of executives and colleagues who take my call, and help me and my clients get past the gatekeepers into the C Suites and boardrooms where deals are done.