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Siemens believed to be looking at Motorola's wireless division

Although TheDeal.com refers to Motorola's "wireless division" in its rumour about a possible deal with Siemens, the wireless technology involved is phone wireless, not local area network technology.

A report from TheDeal.com suggests that Motorola is keen to sell its phone business - not the handset side, but the infrastructure equipment, where it rivals Nokia and Ericsson.

The speculation (it doesn't claim to be anything more) is that if Motorola does find someone who was interested, it would sell. But it also suggests that nobody who might be interested at the moment is likely to be able to find the money it would take.

The name of Siemens is put forward simply because it would gain the most from gaining the market share Motorola's base station business would represent - if it actually did gain the business. It's no real secret that Motorola has been building its phone business back up after a disastrous episode earlier; and it wouldn't be at all surprising if it accepted an offer. What's in doubt is simply whether anybody would think the offer worth making.