Motorola started as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation in 1928. The name Motorola was adopted in 1947, but the word had been used as a trademark since the 1930s. Founder Paul Galvin came up with the name Motorola when his company started manufacturing car radios. A number of early companies making phonographs, radios, and other audio equipment in the early 20th century used the suffix "-ola," the most famous being Victrola; RCA made a "radiola"; there was also a company that made jukeboxes called Rock-Ola, and a film editing device called a Moviola. The Motorola prefix "motor-" was chosen because the company's initial focus was in automotive electronics.

Most of Motorola's products have been radio-related, starting with a battery eliminator for radios, through the first walkie-talkie in the world, defense electronics, cellular infrastructure equipment, and mobile phone manufacturing. The company was also strong in semiconductor technology, including integrated circuits used in computers. Motorola has been the main supplier for the microprocessors used in Commodore Amiga, Apple Macintosh and Power Macintosh personal computers. The chip used in the latter computers, the PowerPC family, was developed with IBM and in a partnership with Apple (known as the AIM alliance). Motorola also has a diverse line of communication products, including satellite systems, digital cable boxes and modems.

Motorola has been the largest single provider of radio equipment for public safety use, and this led to eager adoption by the Amateur Radio community. Motorola Handie-Talkies of the 1950s and early 1960s (along with other Motorola radios) were often loaned or donated to ham groups as part of the Civil Defense program, and when new models came, ham radio operators quickly bought older equipment at surplus sales. This popularity continues to this day.

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced its Point-to-Point (PTP) 49400, a wireless Ethernet bridge specifically tailored for use in the 4.9 GHz spectrum, which is exclusively used by the public safety sector. The PTP 49400, a component of Motorola’s MOTOwi4™ portfolio of wireless broadband solutions and services, gives different agencies the mission critical reliability and high bandwidth required to communicate during times of crisis and uncertainty.

In addition to 99.999 percent reliability, the new Motorola PTP 49400 delivers increased bandwidth for applications such as on-scene streaming video, Internet and database access, and transfers of large files such as maps, blueprints, medical files and missing-person images. The PTP 49400 also efficiently handles backhaul for wireless networks and temporary fixed point-to-point links, providing a cost-effective solution for T1 replacements and a 4.9 GHz solution for backhauling fixed video surveillance networks.