Six to watch in 2006.

(From Western Daily Press)

Icera The best in Europe SERIAL entrepreneur Stan Boland is not backwards in coming forwards when he talks about the design team at fast-growing West microchip firm Icera.

"There's no question it's the strongest-ever chip team assembled in Europe, if not the world, " he says.

Such bravado may sound like arrogance. But Mr Boland and his fellow Icera directors have an enviable track record.

Mr Boland previously launched Element 14 which, although based in Cambridge, had its industry-leading design centre in Bristol.

It was bought by US firm Broadcom for GBP407million in 2000 after just one year in business.

Realising Bristol had a bedrock of successful chip designers, he decided to start up his next business in the city.

Icera, which designs and markets specialist chips for 3G mobile phones, was one of the top five investments in integrated circuit companies by venture capitalists in Europe last year.

The GBP12.14million funding - on top of a GBP6.14million investment two years ago - is allowing the firm to expand its staff to more than 100.

Its Livanto wireless software modem, which uses protocols known as high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), goes on sale this year.

Industry analysts predict that HSDPA will be in 70 per cent of all 3G handsets shipped in 2009.

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