Motorola is leaving the door open to selling its mobile networking business or combining it into a joint venture with a rival vendor, according to a report in the Financial Times.
Motorola co-CEO Greg Brown, who will oversee the networks business and the company's enterprise mobility radio units when Motorola formally splits into two publicly traded companies next year, will run the two business units separately, the report said. Doing so will allow him to have the flexibility to pursue different options with the networking business.
"I think the network business will be viable for a very long time," Brown told the FT. "If there is an alternative configuration or partnership which provides more economic value to us, we will consider it." A Motorola spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Brown's remarks.
One potential suitor for the networking business is Chinese vendor Huawei, which has been working to establish inroads in the North American market. Motorola's networks unit lags behind larger rivals such as Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent, which analysts say could make it a prime target for acquisition as the network equipment industry further consolidates.
For more:
- see this FT article
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