As part of its WiMax effort, Motorola is already running an interoperability laboratory in Taiwan to test third-party WiMax devices, he said. These devices include dongles, traditional wireless phones, smartphones and even machine-to-machine devices that can be used, for example, to monitor thousands of utility meters, replacing the need for meter reader crews.

Brda wouldn't say which manufacturer's smartphones are being tested for WiMax, but said some are Asia-based device makers and some are more recognizable vendors in the U.S. Samsung is considered the most interested in developing WiMax smartphones, according to several analysts. It's too early for LTE interoperability testing on devices, Brda added.

Brda couldn't say whether Motorola would develop its own WiMax-based smartphone since the company is planning to spin off its consumer handset division. The spinoff, however, has been delayed by the recession and related economic factors. (Motorola's consumer handsets division chief Sanjay Jha is committed to in the next year, even while saying the spinoff of the division is still planned.)

Gartner Inc. analyst Ken Dulaney said in an e-mail that he doubted Motorola would develop a WiMax smartphone because the company "is stressed to get back on track, and you don't take on risks like that now."

Most of the questions analysts have raised over Motorola stem from the company's consumer handset division and not the wireless networks division, which Brda heads "As a business [division], we're doing well and are a significant profit producer, healthy and in a very stable state," Brda said.