Motorola in move to combine units

Schaumburg, Illinois: Motorola is combining its mobile-phone and set-top box units into one company to set it apart from rivals Apple and Research In Motion.

“It’s definitely a differentiator,” said Sanjay Jha, Motorola’s co-chief executive who will head the new company. Consumers want access to content “across three screens – TV, desktop, mobile,” he said.

Motorola, which developed the first commercial mobile phone in 1983, is splitting itself into two publicly traded companies.

In addition to the phone and set-top box tie up, a second company will combine the enterprise mobility unit, with the wireless networks business Motorola said.