Electronics, IT & communications
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© University of Hull
England's electronics and ICT sector spans semiconductor design, high-end consumer electronics, sensor production and power electronics.
Around 95 universities in the UK offer electronics degrees including Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester. Bristol, Birmingham and York offer computer science.
The UK is at the cutting edge of electronics, with 300,000 people employed in 12,000 companies. Our consumer market producing blu-ray and DVD Players, MP3 players, HD TVs, mobile phones and games consoles is worth £8 billion. With the advent of the smartphone, there are now 80 million mobile subscribers in the UK.
We are also at the forefront of electronics design and technical excellence, boasting 40 per cent of Europe's design market. Technical hubs include Bristol with BT, Computershare, Hewlett Packard and Orange, and Birmingham with its start-ups and games technology. We also produce sensors for transport, healthcare, energy, environment and the home.
The UK is well known for encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises and university research, as well as working with international players in power electronics. ARM Holdings, the Cambridge-based multinational semiconductor and software design company, produces processors for big-brand mobile phones, tablets, GPS systems and gaming consoles.
With over 750 million lamps glowing in 25 million homes, the future is bright for lighting. The domestic and commercial markets are worth £1 billion with 1,700 related companies.
The future sees exciting new developments in security to combat increasing cyber crime. With increases in mobile commerce and more people bringing their own devices to work, mobile phone security is set to soar.