NEW YORK - Verizon Communications Inc said on Thursday that Chief Operating Officer Dennis Strigl, 63, plans to retire by the end of the year.

Strigl, a key deputy of Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg, was the former chief executive of Verizon Wireless, the company's joint venture with Vodafone Group Plc. He has 41 years in the communications industry, Verizon said.

Verizon shares were down 5 cents, or 0.17 percent, at $30.09. (Reporting by Ritsuko Ando, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)