Bluetooth boost gives UK firm a lead

Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR), a UK company that manufactures Bluetooth solutions, has won investment from Sony to complete a round of fundraising worth £30m-£33m, the company said Thursday.

The investment will be used to develop BlueCore, its single chip Bluetooth semiconductor based on a commonly-used microchip technology called CMOS. CSR says that this makes it simple for manufacturers to include their technology in their products.

Although major semiconductor companies such Intel are investing heavily in Bluetooth technology, CSR -- the first company to come up with a single Bluetooth semiconductor -- believes it can steal a march.

"The funds raised will help to further secure our leading market position and take full advantage of the opportunities in the single-chip radio market and the anticipated explosion in Bluetooth," said CSR chief executive John Hodgson in a statement.

The emergence of Bluetooth devices has been somewhat delayed although some are beginning to trickle through. In the autumn, Ericsson revealed a Bluetooth mobile phone and Motorola a Bluetooth PC card.

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