CTIA announced that wireless industry veteran David Diggs will take on the role of vice president of Wireless Internet Development, a role previously held by Mark Desautels, who passed away in March.

In his new position, Diggs is responsible for CTIA’s Wireless Internet Caucus (WIC) and work with industry stakeholders to further accelerate the growth of wireless data. He previously served as the executive director of The Wireless Foundation, and he spent 20 years in the wireless industry before joining CTIA in 1995 as vice president of operations.

Among his roles in the industry, Diggs worked at American Mobile Satellite Corporation, Dispatch Communications (now part of Sprint Nextel), Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems (now part of Verizon Wireless) and the original Cellular One (now AT&T Mobility) in the Washington-Baltimore market. Diggs began his career as the market research and planning manager for American Radio-Telephone Service.

Desautels died March 30 during CTIA’s show in Las Vegas of an apparent heart attack. He had been with CTIA since 1998, overseeing WIC and developing educational sessions for CTIA’s annual trade shows.