Picochip was a venture-backed fabless semiconductor company based in Bath, England, founded in 2000. In January 2012 Picochip was acquired by Mindspeed Technologies, Inc and subsequently by Intel. The company was active in two areas, with two distinct product families. Picochip was one of the first companies to start developing solutions for small cell basestation (femtocells), for homes and offices. These help combat reception issues such as: dropped calls, poor sound quality, delays, and slow downloads. The idea is to increase the capacity of cellular networks and to address coverage holes.