The European Commission Monday approved mobile phone maker Motorola’s proposed acquisition of Symbol Technologies, a U.S. company specializing in building super-strong portable devices including computers.Motorola said last September that it would pay US$3.9 billion for Symbol, a leader in portable bar-code scanners and customized handheld computers.The deal expands Motorola’s stake in the market for business-oriented mobile devices, and if successful would be the phone maker’s largest acquisition since it bought cable TV-box maker General Instrument in 2000.The horizontal overlaps between the activities of Motorola and Symbol are limited, the commission said in a statement. “For all product categories concerned, the new firm would continue to face several strong, effective competitors,” it said. The commission also analyzed the effects of the proposed transaction arising from Symbol’s position on the market for data capture and scanning devices, which are incorporated in “ruggedized’ mobile computers. The regulator concluded that alternative and competing sources of supply would continue to exist and that there would be no particular risks of these markets being closed off. More information on the case is available on the commission website.-Paul Meller, IDG News Service (Brussels Bureau)Related Link: Motorola to Buy Symbol Technologies for $3.9BCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by FPT Software Time for New Partnership Paradigms to Be Future-fit By Veronica Lew Dec 06, 2023 5 mins Vendors and Providers brandpost Sponsored by BMC Why CIOs should prioritize AIOps in 2024 AIOps empowers IT to manage services by incorporating AI/ML into operations. By Jeff Miller Dec 06, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership opinion Generative AI in enterprises: LLM orchestration holds the key to success In the dynamic landscape of AI, LLMs represent a pivotal breakthrough. Unlike traditional AI, which demands frequent data updates, LLMs possess the ability to learn and adapt in real-time. This mirrors human learning and positions LLMs as essential f By Shail Khiyara Dec 06, 2023 10 mins Generative AI Artificial Intelligence brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks How gen AI is joining the holiday shopping season One year after the launch of ChatGPT, the retail industry is embracing generative AI to deliver a variety of benefits By Elliot Markowitz Dec 06, 2023 4 mins Generative AI Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe