Motorola Invests $10 Million in WLAN Developer

Schaumburg, IL-based Motorola has entered into a strategic partnership with Mountain View, CA-based Proxim, a developer of wireless local-area network (WLAN) boards and systems. Through this partnership, Motorola and Proxim hope to accelerate the deployment of wireless broadband Internet access in the home and small offices by developing products based on the HomeRF Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP) specification.

As part of the agreement, Motorola will make a $10 million equity investment in Proxim. In addition, Motorola will have the option to purchase additional shares in the future.

Motorola and Proxim will demonstrate broadband gateways that enable simple-to-install, wireless home and SOHO networking for PCs and Internet applications at the NCTA Cable show. This show will run from June 14 to 16 in Chicago.