Surprising news from AT&T today: It says that Vice Chairman Ralph de la Vega will retire at year end. The Cuba-born exec was an early proponent of wireless connectivity, and famously forged a deal with Apple’s Steve Jobs that gave AT&T first crack at offering the iPhone. Recently he has led AT&T’s charge for what’s known as the Internet of Things — wireless connections to devices other than phones and tablets. The telco has tapped AT&T Mexico CEO Thaddeus Arroyo to…