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Bluetooth chips

Crack open almost any Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone, laptop or wireless device and you'll probably find a CSR chip blinking back at you. Founded in 1998, and another product of the Silicon Fen, CSR has a 50% share of the global Bluetooth market, a position founded on innovation.

"CSR is held in very high regard across the entire industry for cracking a lot of the inherent problems posed by Bluetooth: namely the power drain it creates on devices," said Chris Green, editor of our sister website, ITPRO.co.uk. "It has extended the range of Bluetooth - in fact, it was one of the pioneers of the 100m Bluetooth chip, which made it very attractive

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to system makers."

So attractive, in fact, that CSR has begun signing deals left, right and centre with a host of device makers that will see its chips appearing in everything from digital TVs and cameras to cars, games consoles and MP3 players. The company is so confident of its product, it's predicting sales will increase by 15% to 20% in the next five years, hurtling past the £1 billion mark by 2012.

But Green doesn't think CSR will be satisifed with just dominating the Bluetooth market: "The market for Bluetooth is through the roof, but it will be looking at WiMAX right now, and almost certainly 802.11abg and n, and the next generation of wireless technology. I'd be surprised if it wasn't looking at so-called 4G and 5G mobile phone technologies. It's the companies that get in at day one on these technologies that ultimately succeed. CSR was very smart, it got in on the ground level of Bluetooth, and it'll want to do that again. "

You certainly wouldn't bet against it.

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