Motorola Solutions Inc., the telecom equipment supplier to the enterprise and government sectors, announced Wednesday that its fourth-quarter sales climbed to $2.3 billion.
Compared to the fourth quarter of 2010, sales rose 5 percent at a company that formally split roughly a year ago from Motorola's consumer business (Motorola Mobility Inc.), which makes smartphones, tablets and other products.
Government sector sales ($1.5 billion) rose 6 percent over fourth quarter of 2010 while the enterprise segment sales increased 3 percent to $753 million. Enterprise mobile computing and wireless LAN, including managed services, fueled enterprise growth, Motorola Solutions Chairman and CEO Greg Brown said during a conference call with analysts.
During the quarter, Motorola Solutions paid $72 million in dividends and repurchased $366 million in stock under a $2 billion stock repurchase program the company announced last July. Motorola Solutions already has repurchased $1.1 billion in stock, Brown said.
Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola Solutions sells two-way radios, mobile computers and other products to enterprise and governments around the world. During the fourth quarter, sales rose 6 percent in North America, 4 percent in EMEA, 7 percent in Asia, and just 2 percent in Latin America due to a planned decline in the iDEN segment.
At an event in Las Vegas several months ago, Brown revealed that Motorola Solutions generates about $1.8 billion in annual revenues through its vast network of channel partners.
