Motorola has revealed it is considering spinning off its mobile unit, a division that has been losing market share to competitors in the last year. “We are exploring ways in which our mobile devices business can accelerate its recovery and retain and attract talent while enabling our shareholders to realise the value of this great franchise,” CEO Greg Brown said in a statement. The US manufacturer was keen to stress that a sale is just one of many options currently under review as the company seeks to return to profitability.

Motorola’s market share of the world’s mobile phone market has fallen from 23% to 13% in terms of units sold, according to IDC. Despite a major restructuring which involved cutting 7,500 jobs and the appointment of Brown to replace Ed Zander as CEO, the company posted an 84% drop in its Q4 profits and warned that it would still run at a loss in the current quarter. Suggested bidders for Motorola’s mobile unit have centred on Asian companies, including China’s ZTE and Korea’s Samsung, which last year overtook Motorola as the world’s third-largest mobile phone vendor.