Motorola Opens Research Lab in Bangalore

Motorola Opens Research Lab in India
Associated Press

BANGALORE, India (AP) -- Communication equipment maker Motorola Inc. on Thursday opened a research center in Bangalore, India's technology hub, and announced an annual investment of US$17 million (euro13 million) in two existing software development centers in the country.

"We look at this country as a strategic hub for developing our technology products for the global market," Padmasree Warrior, Motorola's executive vice president and chief technology officer, told reporters in the southern city.

The new center will develop next generation wireless networking technology, she said.

Motorola, based in Libertyville, Illinois, already runs software development centers in Bangalore and southern Hyderabad city, employing 1700 engineers. Its Indian sales office employs 300 people.

Motorola also plans to hire 500 software engineers in India each year and invest US$17 million (euro13 million) to expand its development centers.

The company has so far invested more than US$150 million (euro116 million) in India.

Motorola, the world's second largest cellular phone maker, believes its future growth will come increasingly from emerging markets, such as India.

"India is a booming market now. We expect our sales to grow significantly here," said Amit Sharma, vice president for the region.

Motorola holds 15 percent of India's mobile phone market, where new subscription sales stand at 24 million a year.