The move came to light yesterday in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, which indicated that on Jan. 28, and then serve as a consultant to the firm through the end of 2011.

News of his departure along with recent running Windows Phone 7 have provoked concern about Dell's ongoing commitment to the mobile market.

Dell's hiring of Garriques in 2007 from Motorola was seen as a renewed commitment by the company to building mobile products. While some fear the departure of Garriques could indicate retrenchment by Dell in the mobile business, a spokesman indicated otherwise.

"The combination of the company's mobility group [headed by Garriques] into our business units--Large Enterprise, Consumer/Small Medium Business and the Public Sector--is recognition that the opportunities in mobile have quickly grown beyond consumer-focused initiatives for Dell," the spokesman said in an e-mail to Computerworld.

The spokesman didn't offer specifics about how Dell will integrate the Communications Services Group into the other groups.