A power amplifier (100) suitable for use in mobile telecommunications equipment has a first stage (2) and an optional second stage (2), each stage being provided with a bias circuit (4, 5). To provide a well-defined gain characteristic, in the first stage (1) a bias current (Ib1) is fed into a signal amplifying transistor (T1). The first bias circuit (4) comprises non-linear a voltage/current converter (41) coupled to a current mirror (40). To suit alternative applications, such as GSM and UMTS requiring a different bias, plural voltage/current converters (41, 42) may be provided in parallel.