Tech pioneer honours for eight UK firms

Mobile and wireless seen as key technologies for 2006

Eight UK companies have been selected as Technology Pioneers for 2006 by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the second largest number from any country after the US.

Icera, mobileATM, Tao Group and The Cloud were chosen from the UK’s IT sector, while the rest were selected from the biotechnology and energy sectors.

The companies demonstrate the UK’s strength in the mobile and wireless technology markets. The Cloud provides large-scale wireless network coverage across much of Europe and the UK, while Icera develops specialist technologies for mobile phones.

But the US continues to dominate the list, providing 17 of the 36 firms selected this year.

Three firms were chosen from Germany and Israel, and one each from Canada, France, Hungary, Iceland and Sweden, with technologies ranging from 3D screens to intelligent prosthetics.

Peter Torreele, WEF managing director, says the innovations produced by the companies are likely to be capable of ‘significantly affecting’ the way that business and society operate.

The companies are selected by a panel of technology experts who regard them as proven technology innovators.