Carl C. Icahn, a shareholder and critic of Zander's, said he applauded the move as overdue and urged the division of Motorola into four parts, The New York Times reported Saturday.

A four-part split would free Motorola's wireless division to recruit top executives, Icahn told the Times.

The news of Brown's promotion from chief operating officer had little effect on Motorola stock as shares closed up 32 cents Friday at $1597 in regular trading.

Motorola's share of the cell phone market has fallen to third place, behind Samsung and Nokia, after a market surge a few years ago with the Razr phone. Motorola failed to refresh the product line and began to cut prices, which hurt profit margins, the Times reported.