Google Looking To Sell Motorola's Set-Top Box Unit

Google bought a lot of stuff when it purchased Motorola Mobility, but it turns out that the company isn't interested in some of it. Bloomberg reports that Google is looking to sell off Motorola's Home Business unit, which sells set-top boxes to cable providers. Google doesn't want anything to do with set-top boxes, it seems, as the company has reportedly hired Barclays Plc to handle the sale.

Bloomberg spoke to two people familiar with the situation, with one of them claiming that the sale could potentially bring in $2 billion for Google. Such a sale has been rumored for a while, with one of these anonymous sources claiming that Motorola has been trying to sell off this division for a number of years – back in 2009, the source claims, Motorola tried to sell it for a hefty $4 billion.

It isn't hard to imagine why Google doesn't have any interest in set-top boxes. Google bought Motorola for access to its extensive patent portfolio, and building Motorola's smartphone and tablet business is one of the top priorities for Google. After all, Google has Apple to compete with, and it views this Motorola acquisition as a good way to do just that.

This sale is still at a very early stage, so it may be a while before Google can find a buyer for the Home Business division. Then again, that may not be the case at the end of everything, because Google will be trying awfully hard to sell off this division so it can take that money and focus on Motorola's smartphone business. Stay tuned, as we'll have more information on this potential sale when it surfaces.