Verizon Selects a New Public Sector Leader as It Chases Frontline Contracts

Verizon has appointed Maggie Hallbach as its new SVP for Verizon Public Sector, the U.S. telecommunications giant’s division responsible for securing lucrative government contracts.

Hallbach is a 25-year Verizon veteran and was most recently the VP of Business Development and Strategic Sales for the public sector unit. She also served as the VP in charge of the teams developing connectivity and digitization solutions to address the requirements of state and local governments, public safety and education clients.

In a press release, Verizon Business Chief Revenue Officer Sampath Sowmyanarayan called Hallbach “exactly the right person to lead and grow our Verizon Public Sector business and continue the incredible momentum we have experienced with our federal, state, local, education and Verizon Frontline customers.”

Sowmyanarayan added that “Maggie’s background, deep relationships and expertise in the public sector enable her to partner strategically with our customers to help them achieve their missions through innovation and digitization.”

In her new role, Hallbach will lead Verizon’s duel against AT&T to provide connectivity services to public safety organizations, such as firefighters, police officers and paramedics.

Over the past few years, Verizon’s Frontline product has come under pressure from AT&T’s FirstNet public safety network, which now covers over 2.81 million square miles in the United States—compared to Verizon Frontline’s more than 2.68 million square miles. This rivalry has only grown more intense with the rollout of 5G services.

“I am grateful every day to work with people who are all focused on delivering the most transformative solutions – built on the most reliable and secure networks – that modernize and safeguard critical infrastructure, and enable those in public service to achieve their missions,” Hallbach added in a press release. “It’s an amazing time in the public sector, and with this world-class team and the launch of Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, there are no limits to how we can partner with our customers to help them better serve their constituents.”