Perhaps smarting from the oblique rejection by Sony Ericsson and, today, LG Electronics, Motorola Chief Executive Greg Brown today told Mobile World Congress attendees that the company is “fully committed” to its mobile phone business, and that it is exploring “product-led” routes to financial recovery. 

“I don’t want there to be any confusion.  Motorola is fully committed to the mobile devices business and I am fully committed to mobile devices” Greg Brown, Chief Executive, Motorola

“The market had dramatically undervalued mobile devices. That was a concern to us.  We know [the cellphone division] can regain market leadership” Don McLellan, senior vice president for corporate development and strategy, Motorola

Nonetheless, McLellan refused to be drawn on whether a sell-off was on the cards, stating only that the company was being “as open as we can” to possibilities.  The ambiguity drew criticism from analysts, who have described the execs’ statements as “perfectly opaque”; they value Motorola’s cellphone business at between $9bn and $12bn, less than two-thirds of sales in 2007.