Holding(s) in Company

14 September 2010

IQE plc
("IQE" or the "Company")




+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARES(i)                             |
+----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
                                               |
+----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
|1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying   |                               |
|issuer                                        |            IQE PLC            |
|of existing shares to which voting rights are |                               |
|attached:(ii)                                 |                               |
+----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
|2 Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes):     |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+-------+
|An acquisition or disposal of voting rights                           |   X   |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+-------+
|An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which  |       |
|may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting|       |
|rights are attached                                                   |       |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+-------+
|An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic effect|       |
|to qualifying financial instruments                                   |       |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+-------+
|An event changing the breakdown of voting rights                      |       |
+-----------------------+----------------------------------------------+-------+
|Other (please specify):|                                              |       |
+-----------------------+--------------+-------------------------------+-------+
|3. Full name of person(s) subject to  |AXA S.A, 25 Avenue Matignon, 75008     |
|the                                   |Paris and its group of companies       |
|notification obligation:(iii)         |                                       |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|4. Full name of shareholder(s)        |                                       |
| (if different from 3.):(iv)          |                                       |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|5. Date of the transaction and date on|                                       |
|which the threshold is crossed or     |9 September 2010                       |
|reached: (v)                          |                                       |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|6. Date on which issuer notified:     |10 September 2010                      |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or|10%                                    |
|reached:(vi, vii)                     |                                       |
+-----------------------+--------------+-------+-----------------------+-------+




+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|8. Notified details:                                                               |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|A: Voting rights attached to shares (viii, ix)                                     |
+------------+----------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
|Class/type  |Situation previous    |Resulting situation after the triggering       |
|of          |to the triggering     |transaction                                    |
|shares      |transaction           |                                               |
|            +----------+-----------+-------------+-----------------+---------------+
|if possible |Number    |Number     |Number       |Number of voting |% of  voting   |
|using       |of        |of         |of shares    |rights           |rights (x)     |
|the ISIN    |  ares    |V ting     +-------------+------+----------+------+--------+
|CODE        |          |Rights     |Direct       |Direct|Indirect  |Direct|Indirect|
|            |          |           |             |(xi)  |(xii)     |      |        |
+------------+----------+-----------+-------------+------+----------+------+--------+
|GB0009619924|44,680,750| 44,680,750|             |      |44,280,750|      |   9.95%|
+------------+----------+-----------+-------------+------+----------+------+--------+
|            |          |           |             |      |          |      |        |
+------------+----------+-----------+-------------+------+----------+------+--------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|B: Qualifying Financial Instruments                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Resulting situation after the triggering transaction                               |
+--------------+----------+------------------------+-----------------+--------------+
|Type of       |Expiration|Exercise/               |Number of voting |% of voting   |
|financial     |date(xiii)|Conversion Period(xiv)  |rights that may  |rights        |
|instrument    |          |                        |be               |              |
|              |          |                        |acquired if the  |              |
|              |          |                        |instrument is    |              |
|              |          |                        |exercised/       |              |
|              |          |                        |converted.       |              |
+--------------+----------+------------------------+-----------------+--------------+
|              |          |                        |                 |              |
+--------------+----------+------------------------+-----------------+--------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial      |
|Instruments (xv, xvi)                                                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Resulting situation after the triggering transaction                               |
+-------------+---------+----------+-------------+----------+-----------------------+
|Type of      |Exercise |Expiration|Exercise/    |Number of |% of voting rights     |
|financial    |price    |date      |Conversion   |voting    |(xix, xx)              |
|instrument   |         |(xvii)    |period(xviii)|rights    |                       |
|             |         |          |             |instrument|                       |
|             |         |          |             |refers to |                       |
|             |         |          |             |          |                       |
+-------------+---------+----------+-------------+----------+---------------+-------+
|             |         |          |             |          |Nominal        |Delta  |
|             |         |          |             |          +---------------+-------+
|             |         |          |             |          |               |       |
+-------------+---------+----------+-------------+----------+---------------+-------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Total (A+B+C)                                                                      |
+------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
|Number of voting rights             |Percentage of voting rights                   |
+------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
|44,280,750                          |9.95%                                         |
+------------+++--------+-+--------+++-----------+++-----+--+-------++-----++-------+




[HUG#1444294]








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