Motorola Inc., the world's second-largest cell phone maker, is planning to upgrade its Korean branch into its Asia-Pacific research and development headquarters. The company's chief operating officer recently visited Seoul and made clear the company's determination to expand its Korean operation into a regional R&D center for core code division multiple access (CDMA) technologies.

He vowed to continue to carry out relevant investments in Korea. At present, over 90 percent of the company's mobile handsets available in Asia-Pacific region are developed by Motorola Korea. The company's latest popular handset models, sch as Spin Moto, Show Moto and Slim Moto, that sell well in China North and South America, have all be developed in Korea.

In what appears to be a counter move, the world's No. 1 cell phone producer, Nokia, has recently announced a decision to set up a global CDMA R&D center in China. The Finald-based company is planning for about 40 percent of all its mobile handset models to be designed by its Beijing R&D center, scheduled to begin operations in June 2004.

Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung in the third place are expected to further intensify R&D and marketing activities in the Asia-Pacific area.