Biography

Whitey Bluestein has more than 35 years in business development, building early-stage companies, growing new businesses, managing complex business relationships, negotiating commercial and strategic deals, and creating and managing ventures and alliances in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Canada. Bluestein is a globally-recognized expert in mobile connectivity. For the last 20 years, he has advised companies in the wireless, telecoms, entertainment, energy and healthcare fields through his own firm, Bluestein & Associates, LLC. Increasingly, Bluestein has been taking on Board Advisory and Board of Director roles in addition to his strategy advisory work.

Prior to returning to strategic advisor and deal-making, Bluestein was Executive Vice President for Corporate and Business Development at Visage Mobile, a San Francisco-based firm specializing in providing outsourced solutions to national brands providing private label wireless services to their customers. At Visage, he worked with The Walt Disney Company, including ESPN, on their mobile initiatives. When he left Visage Mobile, Disney immediately engaged him as a strategic advisor for global mobile opportunities.

Before Visage, Bluestein was Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer of NorthPoint Communications, where he:

• Negotiated strategic distribution deals (and investments totaling $94 million) with Microsoft, RadioShack, Global Crossing, Cable & Wireless, XO and others, and its acquisition by Verizon.
• Led the partner vetting process, then negotiated and managed international joint ventures for a Pan-European broadband company with Versatel, and a Canadian broadband venture with Sprint-Canada.
• Managed all key strategic relationships, and sat on Boards of Directors of VersaPoint and NorthPoint Canada.

Earlier, Bluestein held executive positions at (pre-WorldCom) MCI Communications Corp. From 1995 through 1997, he was Vice President of Wireless Strategy and Development for MCI, where he created MCI’s wireless virtual network strategy (including the first MVNO), negotiated wireless service arrangements with leading mobile operators, and managed strategic relationships with service providers.

From 1994 to mid-1995, Bluestein was BT/Concert Alliance General Manager, where he managed MCI’s strategic relationship with British Telecom and launch of the Concert joint venture, and implemented MCI’s BT/Concert strategy and direction. He reported to the CEO of MCI on this assignment.

Prior to rejoining MCI in 1994, Bluestein was Vice President of Strategic Business Development and Market Expansion at CENTEX Telemanagement. He managed geographic expansion for the San Francisco-based company, recognized as the fastest growing service company in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine.

From 1982 to 1988, Bluestein held various positions in corporate development, carrier relations, and business marketing with MCI in Washington, DC and San Francisco. His role and success in the cellular telephone market consolidation of 1984 is described in Wireless Nation: The Frenzied Launch of the Cellular Revolution in America, by James B. Murray (Perseus, 2001). Recently, an industry veteran observed that, "Whitey Bluestein has negotiated more wireless deals in his career than anyone in the U.S.."

Before joining the telecoms industry, Bluestein was a player in Clean Tech long before it came into vogue. He headed market development in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Renewable Fuels. He wrote an Executive Order signed by President Jimmy Carter mandating use of alcohol fuels in Federal vehicles. Bluestein was hand-picked by the U.S. Secretary of Energy to prepare a mandated report to Congress on synthetic fuel price guarantees. He wrote Congressional testimony on renewable fuels policy and incentives, and testified before Congress on international trade issues while at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Bluestein is an expert on the wireless market, distribution, trends, pricing plans and wholesale carrier deals. He is frequently quoted by industry publications on these topics, and has been an industry expert witness on several occasions.

Bluestein has appeared on CNBC's Fast Money, FM Halftime Report and SquawkBox, CNN and Bloomberg Television, has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor and other newspapers, authored articles appearing in Telecoms.com, GigaOM, Telephony, Wireless Week, Public Utilities Fortnightly and other trade publications, and is a frequent speaker on wireless topics at conferences, including the Informa MVNOs World Congress and North American Industry Summits. AlwaysOn named Bluestein as a 2013 Mobile Power Player. He was also selected as a Judge for the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 International MVNO Awards.

Bluestein received his B.S. in Business from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University (Bloomington) and his Juris Doctor with Honors from George Washington University Law School. He also completed the prestigious NARUC Advanced Regulatory Studies Program, at the Institute of Public Utilities, Michigan State University, in East Lansing. Bluestein is admitted to practice law in Indiana and the District of Columbia, and before the U.S. Supreme Court, but has focused his career on business strategy and corporate development.

Bluestein is committed to a safe and clean environment, and is on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Friends of the Earth. He also served as President and Board member of Bluewater Network, a San Francisco-based environmental group. In recognition of his environmental work, Bluestein was selected as a Judge for the Sustainability category of the 2014 Verizon Powerful Answers Award.

He enjoys photography, sailing and guitar. Bluestein is married, and lives in Sonoma County, California.