Minim, which makes and sells cable modems under the storied Motorola brand directly to consumers, appears to be on its last legs.
The website of the Manchester, New Hampshire, company, which also provides cloud-based WiFi management software in the home, is down, as Light Reading first noted. This follows a mass layoff of 78% of its employees back in September, leaving only nine full-time employees left. Earlier this week, it submitted a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it wouldn’t be able to file its quarterly report in time for the deadline.
Facing a cash crunch, the company also disclosed in September that it had received a letter of intent from a potential investor to provide an influx of cash to settle its debt, although it’s unclear if that happened. The company has also warned that it was exploring strategic options, which include bankruptcy or sale.
The various problems suggest a potential ignoble end to the storied Motorola brand when it comes to cable modems. While Motorola itself has long ago moved on to focus on telecommunications equipment through Motorola Solutions, and with Google acquiring the smartphone business in 2012, it had licensed out its brand to for cable modems. Minim obtained the license through the acquisition of Zoom Telephonics in 2020. Motorola still lists the modems on its site, although none of the devices are actually available.
While many cable customers typically use the modem that’s supplied by the provider, some consumers opt to buy their own modems to get around the additional monthly fees. This Motorola modem listed on Amazon, which comes with the advanced DOCSIS 3.1 standard (that cable companies are just rolling out now), costs $189.98, compares favorably to the $120 or so you would have to pay cable each year.
Minim’s troubles, however, come amid expected growth in the cable modem market, despite the cord cutting trend. Consumers are still expected to need cable modems due to the increased demands for faster internet service, with the market expected to grow to $11.3 billion in 2026 from $8.98 billion in 2022, according to Statista.
A spokesperson for the company couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.