Motorola's handset biz to go it alone
Having watched its shares lose nearly half of their value in the last year and its cellphone business continue to languish among the also-rans in a crowded field, Motorola said Wednesday, 26 March 2008, it will split into two publicly traded companies, separating its mobile devices business from its broadband and mobility solutions group.
Motorola, whose Razr phone has been left behind by market-changing products from Nokia and Apple, has been trying to fend off pressures from outside and inside the company.
Billionaire Carl Icahn, perhaps best known for his hostile takeover of now-defunct airline TWA in 1985, is said to be putting pressure on Motorola as he gained ownership in the company.
