Holding(s) in Company

15 April 2010
For immediate release

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



+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|TR-1: Notifications of Major Interests in Shares                              |
+------------------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|1. Identity of the issuer or the          |IQE PLC                            |
|underlying issuer of existing shares to   |                                   |
|which voting rights are attached:         |                                   |
+------------------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                                                              |
|2. Reason for notification (yes/no)                                           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+
|An acquisition or disposal of voting rights                       |Yes        |
|                                                                  |           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+
|An acquisition or disposal of financial instruments which may     |No         |
|result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting|           |
|rights are attached                                               |           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+
|An acquisition or disposal of instruments will similar economic   |No         |
|effect to qualifying financial instruments                        |           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+
|                                                                  |No         |
|An event changing the breakdown of voting rights                  |           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+
|                                                                  |No         |
|Other (please specify):______________                             |           |
+------------------------------+-----------------------------------+-----------+
|                              |AXA S.A, 25 Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris and   |
|3. Full name of person(s)     |its group of companies                         |
|subject to notification       |                                               |
|obligation:                   |                                               |
+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
|                              |                                               |
|4. Full name of shareholder(s)|                                               |
|(if different from 3):        |                                               |
+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
|                              |14(th) April 2010                              |
|5. Date of transaction (and   |                                               |
|date on which the threshold is|                                               |
|crossed or reached if         |                                               |
|different):                   |                                               |
+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
|                              |15(th) April 2010                              |
|6. Date on which issuer       |                                               |
|notified:                     |                                               |
+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
|                              |Decrease in total holding from 11.07% to 10.83%|
|7. Threshold(s) that is/are   |                                               |
|crossed or reached:           |                                               |
+------------------------------+-----------+-----------------------+-----------+




+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|8: Notified Details                                                           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|A: Voting rights attached to shares                                           |
|                                                                              |
+-------------+----------------------+-----------------------------------------+
|Class/type of|Situation previous to |Resulting situation after the triggering |
|shares       |the triggering        |transaction                              |
|If possible  |transaction           |                                         |
|use ISIN code+-----------+----------+------+------------------+---------------+
|             |Number of  |Number of |Number|Number of voting  |Percentage of  |
|             |shares     |voting    |of    |rights            |voting rights  |
|             |           |rights    |shares+------+-----------+------+--------+
|             |           |          |      |Direct|Indirect   |Direct|Indirect|
|GB0009619924 |49,150,000 |49,150,000|      |      |           |      |        |
|             |           |          |      |      | 48,100,000|      |10.83%  |
+-------------+-----------+----------+------+------+-----------+------+--------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|B: Financial Instruments                                                      |
|                                                                              |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Resulting situation after the triggering transaction                          |
|                                                                              |
+-------------+-------------+--------------+----------------------+------------+
|Type of      |Expiration   |Exercise/     |No. of voting rights  |Percentage  |
|financial    |date         |conversion    |that may be acquired  |of voting   |
|instrument   |             |period/date   |(if the instrument    |rights      |
|             |             |              |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   |
|financial   |price     |date (xvii) |Conversion    |voting     |rights (xix,  |
|instrument  |          |            |period(xviii) |rights     |xx)           |
|            |          |            |              |instrument |              |
|            |          |            |              |refers to  |              |
+------------+----------+------------+--------------+-----------+-------+------+
|            |          |            |              |           |Nominal|Delta |
|            |          |            |              |           +-------+------+
|            |          |            |              |           |       |      |
+------------+----------+------------+--------------+-----------+-------+------+


+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Total (A+B+C)                                         |
|                                                       |
+-------------------------+-----------------------------+
| Number of voting rights | Percentage of voting rights |
+-------------------------+-----------------------------+
| 48,100,000              | 10.83%                      |
+-------------------------+-----------------------------+



[HUG#1404203]