Australian telco Optus has announced the appointment of Stephen Rue as its next CEO.

Rue, who is currently CEO of Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN), will take on the role from November 2024.

The appointment of Rue brings an end to the telco's search for a CEO, following the resignation of Kelly Bayer in November after a network outage, which left more than 10 million Australians without Internet earlier this month.

Optus noted that their six-month search explored internal, external, and international options.

Michael Venter has been the company's interim CEO since November, and will continue in the position until Rue takes the reins.

“Stephen was chosen after a rigorous process that involved a slate of high-quality candidates. We’re extremely pleased to have someone of his caliber to lead the next chapter at Optus," said Optus chairman Paul O’Sullivan.

"His experience in setting up the digital backbone of Australia will serve us well as we reinvigorate Optus as Australia’s leading challenger telecommunications brand. We expect Stephen’s operational and financial background to lift service standards significantly for the benefit of our customers.”

Rue joined Australia's NBN in 2014 as CFO, before becoming CEO in 2018.

During his tenure at the company, he has led the nation’s broadband rollout to completion, connecting more than eight million Australian homes and businesses with broadband access.

Last week, Optus signed a network-sharing agreement with TPG Telecom to extend their respective network coverage across the country.

Optus said it expects to receive total service fees of approximately AU$1.6 billion ($1.06bn) over the 11-year term of the agreement with incremental cash flows of approximately AU$900 million ($595m) expected over the same period.