Motorola ties up with Punjab firm

Motorola has tied up with Punjab Communication Ltd (PUNCOM) to manufacture telecom equipment catering for the Indian market at the Mohali-based plant by end of December.

The annual contract with PUNCOM, manufacturers of a broad range of state-of-the-art transmission equipment, will lead to an optimum utilisation of plant and machinery, according to a senior official of Punjab Information and Communication Technology Corporation Ltd (Punjab Infotech).

Motorola is planning to set up its research and development centre in Mohali in the second phase of its expansion in the state.

In the background of the Chinese equipment manufacturer ZTE Corp's indication that it would set up a manufacturing facility in Punjab, along with leading companies from North America including Cisco, Oracle and HP, Punjab Infotech Chairman S Randeep Singh Nabha said IT companies had sent a number of queries on developing units in Patiala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar .

"The Quark group needs 100 acres in Patiala to develop a Quark City .We are also in discussions with a US-based company looking to set up its unit either in Ludhiana or Amritsar," said Nabha.

After attracting leading firms like TCS, Wipro, Flextronics, and GE to Mohali, the corporation will now pursue small-scale companies to invest in information technology, IT-enabled services, business process outsourcing, electronics and communications.

With the Punjab government initiating the process of acquiring 5,000 acres for allotment to industries, Nabha said the area would be developed as a product-specific special economic zone.