Motorola Funds Surf Again

Motorola has become chummier with Israeli partner and telecom-startup Surf Communications Solutions. Motorola, along with Giza Venture Capital, recently led a second round of funding that raised an additional $21 million for Surf. Motorola's faith in its partner's technology comes in the midst of a weak telecom market and Motorola's own dismal performance-emphasizing the commitment even more.

Motorola isn't the only blue-chip, high-tech company interested in Surf, which was founded in 1966 by several former Israeli army communications experts. Intel and Texas Instruments contributed to the $8 million Surf raised in its first round in 1999.

Surf sells software that's embedded in digital signal processor chips to enable calls from conventional networks to be carried on next-generation digital networks. Motorola makes digital signal processor chips, which provide ultrafast instruction sequences.