Alphabet picks former cable exec to run its Google Fiber division

The Alphabet division behind Google Fiber finally has a replacement leader 5 months after its former chief left. The tech giant has hired Dinesh Jain, most recently Time Warner Cable's former chief operating officer, as the Access team's CEO.

He'll watch over business in the nearly 20 markets where both Fiber and Webpass operate. There aren't any indications as to whether or not he'll usher in a change of direction, but his career may speak volumes about Alphabet's intentions.

Jain has had over 20 years of experience working at telecoms. Before TWC, he had multiple leading roles at the American cable company Insight and the European provider NTL. Alphabet is picking someone who's intimately familiar with the telco world and a rock of stability, which it probably wants given the abrupt departure of former CEO Greg McCray.

The Access unit could probably use the help. Access has been on shaky ground ever since Alphabet changed Google Fiber's direction to pause actual fiber rollouts and focus more on wireless internet. This doesn't mean you'll witness a renaissance, but you might see Access regroup and push forward after a year of uncertainty.

(ENGADGET)