Motorola to Acquire Sendo Research and Development Team and Intellectual Property Portfolio

Engineers in UK and Singapore will join Mobile Devices business to focus on Wireless Operators' Value-Added Services

LIBERTYVILLE, IL - USA, and BIRMINGHAM, UK � 29 June 2005 � Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) announced today that it is acquiring key assets from British mobile handset maker Sendo Ltd.  A global leader in wireless communications, Motorola is purchasing Sendo�s UK- and Singapore-based research and development team and design and test equipment required by that team, as well as the company's intellectual property portfolio. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Sendo�s core research and development team comprises approximately 200 engineers � with nearly 170 of those based in Birmingham, UK, and the rest based in Singapore.  Motorola will integrate the engineers into its Mobile Devices business while preserving the team's focus on designing solutions that enable wireless operators to deliver value-added services to consumers.  In addition to the engineers, with today's transaction Motorola is acquiring the team's design and test equipment and will acquire Sendo�s entire intellectual property portfolio � including 50 existing and 40 pending patents.

"Motorola is thrilled to welcome the Sendo research and development team and their proven expertise in designing solutions for wireless operators," said Ron Garriques, president of Motorola Mobile Devices.  "With Motorola, this team will have a chance to flourish and help transform the way people experience mobile communications.  Motorola has had tremendous success in Europe over the last 18 months � particularly because of our commitment to helping customers deliver value-added services.  We're going to keep up the momentum � and this team will be a vital part of that."

Founded by CEO Hugh Brogan in 2000, Sendo Telecommunications Ltd. created a niche for itself by designing and delivering low-cost, highly customized mobile handsets for wireless operators.  During 2004, the company sold approximately 5 million handsets and had more than $420 million in revenue; however, today, Wednesday, 29 June 2005, the privately held company went into administration due to financial pressures. 

Under the agreement, Motorola is not acquiring the larger business of Sendo Ltd. or any of its manufacturing or supply relationships, or any of its capital or real assets, handset inventories, sales offices, liabilities or financial obligations.

Our friends over at The Enquirer seem to be keeping on top of this story far quicker than the rest of us, here's their latest update.
Motorola is to buy the Sendo R&D team and its portfolio of intellectual property, it's just been announced. No financial details were released.

Approximately 200 engineers, most of those based in the UK and the rest in Singapore, will join Motorola. Sendo has 50 patents and 40 patents pending, and Motorola will get those too.

Moto confirmed that today, as we reported in our original story below, that the company went into administration because of "financial pressures". Motorola doesn't buy the larger business of Sendo Ltd, or its manufacturing and supply relationships, capital assets, liabilities or sales offices.

What does this mean for X2? Well, while Motorola are a Symbian supporter, they have never developed a Series 60 phone, sticking instead to UIQ for their Symbian offerings. Therefore it's unlikely that Motorola would be interested in developing (or releasing) the Sendo X2 phone.

Whether there is still time for the phone to be released as a Sendo product is yet to be seen, however, I suspect it's unlikely to come out unless one of the networks which had previously agreed to take the phone were to take on the full support and warranty of the phone.

Our original story about Sendo entering administration is below:

Sendo have officially entered administration today. The following announcement appeared on their website a few minutes ago.

The affairs, business and assets of Sendo International Ltd, Sendo Holdings Plc, Sendo Telecommunications Limited and Sendo Limited are being managed by the Joint Administrators Simon Appell and Alastair Beveridge. The Joint Administrators act as agents of the companies without personal liability.

Earlier rumours had started to spread after The Enquirer posted the following article:

UK PHONE firm Sendo has gone into administration, its UK PR representative confirmed today.

At press time there were few details of the move. The phone at Sendo's HQ continues to be answered with people speaking at the other end.

How its assets will be distributed isn't yet known - it has a number of patents and designs that others would no doubt like.

Earlier this week, several UK nationals reported that Sendo might find a buyer. Motorcycle News reported earlier this week that Motorola was interested. Why MC? Because Sendo sponsored the Kawasaki superbike team.

What will this mean to us, this website?

We will not be shutting this site down (hardware permitting ;)) as a result of this - we intend to stay around and offer help to those who already have a Sendo smartphone and wish to continue using it. We're already taking measures to ensure we can continue to offer the best possible help to the community of Sendo users out there.

As ever, more information as we get it.