Holding(s) in Company

13 May 2011

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                          |        |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|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  |                                       |
|the                                   |            BlackRock, Inc.            |
|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     |           22(nd) March 2011           |
|reached:(v)                           |                                       |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|6. Date on which issuer notified:     |            13(th) May 2011            |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or|       Holding has gone above 9%       |
|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           |                                              |
|            +----------+-----------+------------+-----------------+---------------+
|            |Number    |Number     |Number      |Number of voting |% of  voting   |
|if possible |of        |of         |of shares   |rights           |rights (x)     |
|using       |  ares    |V ting     +------------+------+----------+------+--------+
|the ISIN    |          |Rights     |Direct      |Direct|Indirect  |Direct|Indirect|
|CODE        |          |           |            |(xi)  |(xii)     |      |        |
+------------+----------+-----------+------------+------+----------+------+--------+
|GB0009619924|41,764,142|41,764,142 |N/A         |N/A   |47,702,220|N/A   |9.12%   |
+------------+----------+-----------+------------+------+----------+------+--------+

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|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 be|rights       |
|instrument    |          |                       |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 voting  |% of voting   |
|financial    |price    |date      |Conversion   |rights instrument |rights (xix,  |
|instrument   |         |(xvii)    |period(xviii)|refers to         |xx)           |
|             |         |          |             |                  |              |
|             |         |          |             |                  |              |
+-------------+---------+----------+-------------+------------------+-------+------+
|             |         |          |             |                  |Nominal|Delta |
|             |         |          |             |                  +-------+------+
|             |         |          |             |                  |       |      |
+-------------+---------+----------+-------------+------------------+-------+------+

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Total (A+B+C)                                                                     |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|Number of voting rights             |Percentage of voting rights                  |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|47,702,220                          |9.12%                                        |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+


+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or  |
|the                                                                         |
|financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable:(xxi)             |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|.                                                                           |
|                                                                            |
|BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited - 47,702,220 (9.12%)           |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Proxy Voting:                                                               |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
|10. Name of the proxy holder:                    |                          |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
|11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will    |                          |
|cease                                            |                          |
|to hold:                                         |                          |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
|12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold|                          |
|voting rights:                                   |                          |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
|                             |BlackRock International Threshold Reporting   |
|13. Additional information:  |Team                                          |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
|14. Contact name:            |Andrew Manchester                             |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
|15. Contact telephone number:|020 7743 5773                                 |
+-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------+



IQE plc ([phone])
Chris Meadows

Phil Rasmussen

Espirito Santo Investment Bank (+ 44 20 7456 9191)
Richard Crawley

James Bromhead










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Source: IQE plc via Thomson Reuters ONE

[HUG#1515941]