Motorola Solutions

Motorola Solutions, Inc. is an American video equipment, telecommunications equipment, software, systems and services provider that succeeded Motorola, Inc., following the spinoff of the mobile phone division into Motorola Mobility in 2011. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

History
On January 4, 2011 Motorola Inc. split into two companies: Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions. Motorola Solutions, the public safety and enterprise security side of the business, began trading as a separate independent company under the NYSE symbol MSI.

In April 2011, Motorola Solutions and China’s Huawei Technologies settled a legal dispute over trade secrets, which cleared the way for Motorola Solutions to complete the sale of its networks business unit to Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) for $975 million in cash. As part of the transaction, approximately 6,900 employees, and responsibility for supporting customers of Motorola Solutions’ GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, WiMAX and LTE products and services transferred to NSN.

In 2012, the company released the LEX700 mission-critical handheld radio, the world’s first handheld public safety LTE device. The device combined rugged hardware with the ability to connect with public safety LTE, cellular, IP and P25 networks

In January 2014, the company announced its acquisition of Twisted Pair Solutions, a provider of push-to-talk over broadband applications for secure, real-time communication on any device. Twisted Pair created an integrated communications system that allows different devices (smartphones, tablets, and PCs) to talk to each other in business, public safety, and military applications.

Later than year, the company completed the sale of its Enterprise business, comprising rugged mobile computers, tablets and barcode scanners to Zebra Technologies for $3.45 billion in cash. As part of the sale, approximately 4,500 Motorola Solutions employees from locations throughout the world were transferred to Zebra.

In February 2015, the company acquired Emergency CallWorks, a provider of Next-Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) call-taking software for public safety. The company developed technology that consolidates information from multiple 911 calls reporting the same emergency into a single source that can be shared with emergency professionals. In April of that year, they acquired PublicEngines, a crime analysis firm. The company is based in Utah and provides cloud-based solutions for data analytics of crime, predictive policing strategies, and citizen engagement.

In August 2015, the company received a $1 billion investment from the private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, As part of the transaction, Silver Lake was granted two seats on Motorola Solutions’ Board of Directors.

In February 2016, the company completed its acquisition of Airwave Solutions, the UK-based operator of the British public safety radio network responsible for providing mission-critical voice and data communications to more than 300 emergency and public service agencies comprising police, fire, rescue and ambulance services across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Beginning in March 2017, Motorola Solutions filed a series of lawsuits against China-based two-way radio manufacturer Hytera in the United States, Germany, and Australia, as well as with the United States International Trade Commission (USITC). The complaints allege that Hytera is intentionally infringing on patents owned by Motorola Solutions and utilizing trade secrets stolen by three former Motorola Solutions employees who left to join Hytera. Motorola Solutions is seeking to stop Hytera from selling and importing its devices in these countries. In April 2017, the USITC announced that it had decided to institute an investigation into Hytera's trade practices.

In August 2017, Motorola Solutions announced it completed the acquisition of Kodiak Networks, a privately held provider of broadband push-to-talk (PTT) for commercial customers.

In December 2017, two-way radio manufacturer Hytera filed antitrust litigation against Motorola Solutions in alleging that Motorola Solutions is engaging in anti-competitive practices that are unlawful under the Sherman Act and Clayton Act. Hytera's complaint alleges that Motorola Solutions prevents Hytera from competing in the U.S. marketplace by enforcing inflated prices and engaging in a monopolistic scheme that includes forcing LMR dealers to drop Hytera's products.

In March 2018, Motorola Solutions acquired Avigilon for about $1 billion.

In March 2018, Motorola Solutions acquired Plant Holdings, Inc., which holds the Airbus DS Communications business, from Airbus Defense and Space, Inc., an indirect subsidiary of Airbus SE.

VaaS International Holdings, a data and image-analytics company, was acquired by Motorola Solutions in January, 2019. VaaS’s products include an image capture and analysis platform with fixed and mobile license plate reader cameras. The platform is driven by machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) and provides vehicle location data to public safety and commercial customers.

In July 2019, the company acquired WatchGuard Inc.

In July 2020, the company acquired IndigoVision.

In August 2020, the company acquired Pelco Inc., a California-based a supplier of CCTV cameras and components. Pelco was previously a Schneider Electric brand.

Callyo, a cloud-based mobile applications provider for law enforcement based in St. Petersburg, FL, was acquired in August, 2020. Callyo is a software as a service company (SaaS). It has two applications, 10-21 and Callyo, which were reportedly to be integrated into Motorola Solutions’ Command Central software suite.

In July 2021, the company acquired Openpath Security Inc., a cloud-based, mobile access control provider. Openpath is a cloud-based mobile access control provider and supported Motorola Solutions’ video security and access control offerings.

In November 2021, the company acquired Envysion, a provider of enterprise video security and business analytics for quick-service restaurant and retail industries.

In December 2021, Motorola Solutions acquired 911 Datamaster, Inc., a Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) data solutions provider. The company’s products help ensure the precise positioning of emergency calls for faster responses from first responders.

In March 2022, the company acquired Ava Security Limited, a UK-based global provider of cloud-native video security and analytics.

In April 2022, the company acquired Calipsa, a UK-based video analytics start-up.

In May 2022, the company acquired Videotec, an Italy-based video security manufacturer.

In August 2022, the company acquired Barrett Communications, an Australia-based HF/VHF communications systems provider.

In October 2022, the company acquired Futurecom Systems Group, a leading provider of radio coverage extension solutions for public safety agencies, based in Ontario, Canada

In December 2022, the company acquired Rave Mobile Safety, a Massachusetts-based public safety mass notification and incident management cloud platform.

In December 2023, the company acquired IPVideo, a New-York-based smart sensor company.

In February 2024, the company acquired Silent Sentinel, a UK-based rugged camera company.

In July 2024, Motorola Solutions acquired Noggin, a Sydney, Australia-based provider of cloud-based business continuity planning and  critical event management software.

Products
Motorola Solutions manufactures two-way radios and public safety radio systems for first-responders and law enforcement. It also provides software packages for command centers, mapping and drone surveillance. Apart from radios, it manufactures body cameras, the Watchguard Video brand for law enforcement, while others geared more towards private business and security surveillance under the Avigilon brand. On 3 August 2020, MSI acquired California based Video Security brand Pelco for US$110M in cash. With this acquisition Motorola Solutions now has 3 Video Security brands under the Video Security and Analytics business. Avigilon, Pelco and IndigoVision

Motorola Solutions also manufactures push to talk LTE devices under the LTE LEX line. The LEX series runs on Android.

Controversies
In August 2021, Motorola Solutions filed a 52-page complaint against Verkada with the United States International Trade Commission, alleging that Verkada cameras and software infringe upon patents held by Motorola Solutions subsidiary Avigilon. Verkada subsequently filed a lawsuit against Motorola Solutions in the California Northern District Court in September 2021, arguing that Motorola Solutions has "sought to effectively shut Verkada's business down". Later in September, the International Trade Commission initiated its investigation into Motorola Solutions' complaint, with Verkada stating in its response that it does not infringe upon any of Motorola Solutions' patents.

Involvement in Israeli settlements
On February 12, 2020, the United Nations published a database of all business enterprises involved in certain specified activities related to the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Golan Heights. Motorola Solutions, Inc. and its subsidiary company, Motorola Solutions Israel Ltd., have been listed on the database in light of their involvement in activities related to "the supply  of  surveillance  and  identification  equipment  for  settlements, the wall and checkpoints directly linked with settlements". The international community considers Israeli settlements built on land occupied by Israel to be in violation of international law.

On July 5, 2021, Norway's largest pension fund KLP said it would divest from Motorola Solutions, together with 15 other business entities implicated in the UN report for their links to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying it was "a very straightforward decision" given the use of the company's video security and software in border surveillance.