A MOBILE phone technology hopes to create more North-East jobs as it targets broadband markets.

Filtronic, at NetPark, in Sedgefield, County Durham, develops chips linking mobile smartphones to networks.

Its broadband division makes high performance radio frequency transceivers, allowing phone users to stream videos of live sporting events and YouTube clips.

Bosses told The Northern Echo new projects to boost data supply could lead to expansion at its Sedgefield base and across the company as a whole, with mobile phone data traffic expected to increase by 45 per cent up to 2019.

Alan Needle, Filtronic chief executive, said: “The broadband division is doing well and in terms of going forward, if we can do what we want to do, there is an opportunity to take people on.

“One of those areas is the e-band transceivers for the smartphones, which will come in as more and more people are using those phones and therefore more data.”

The company employs more than 80 workers in the region, and revealed the plans after announcing its full-year results to May 31.

The firm saw revenues fall from £40m to £32.9m in the period, with operating losses of £400,000 compared to £3.1m profit last year.

Bosses warned in April of predicted losses in its wireless division due to delayed operator changes and contract conclusions, including an end to work on filters stopping interference on televisions.

However, they said they were confident of improved performance across the company, helped by work on 40 initial project developments and lower operating costs at its Sedgefield broadband site.

Howard Ford, Filtronic chairman, added: “Investment in the 4G equipment infrastructure market continues to grow and offer significant opportunities for both wireless and broadband.

“The number, scale and quality of new opportunities continues to be strong.

“While the timing and volume of contracts from design wins remains uncertain, we expect wireless to return to growth and with the upturn we have seen in broadband, we are confident about the prospects for the business.”

Earlier this year, The Northern Echo exclusively revealed Filtronic was staying in the North-East after leaving the former RFMD microelectronics plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, when the US firm moved out of the region.