New Report Identifies Potential Growth Areas in the Rapidly Changing Telecommunications Environment

The Telecom Outlook Report: Millennial Edition (TOR), a new report published by the International Engineering Consortium and compiled by researchers in the fields of economics, business, and finance at the University of Southern Californias Center for Telecom Management in the Marshall School of Business, , with the input and participation of industry executives and professionals, sheds light on this and other fundamental questions.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Julie Brandt
Direct Line: +1-312-559-4609
E-Mail: publications@iec.org

New Report Identifies Potential Growth Areas in the Rapidly Changing Telecommunications Environment

CHICAGO--February 14, 2002--Current upheaval resulting from technological change and the worldwide economic downturn has engendered great uncertainty in the global telecommunications industry. In this environment, one of the more important questions is how can telecom companies best position themselves to take advantage of market opportunities?

The Telecom Outlook Report: Millennial Edition (TOR), a new report published by the International Engineering Consortium and compiled by researchers in the fields of economics, business, and finance at the University of Southern Californias Center for Telecom Management in the Marshall School of Business, , with the input and participation of industry executives and professionals, sheds light on this and other fundamental questions.

Among the key findings presented in the TOR is the prediction that broadband access to the residential consumer will grow slowly over the next two years. The report cites installation issues as a principal challenge to digital subscriber line (DSL) growth, while high costs for infrastructure are identified as a prime challenge to cable-modem growth. Also, business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce is not expected to grow substantially into 2002, although revenues are projected to reach approximately $144.6 billion by 2004. On the business-to-business (B2B) side, the ability to integrate technology with organizational processes will affect B2B commerce in the near term. The projection for B2B revenues in 2004 is about $881 billion.

This millennial edition of the TOR is the eighth edition of the most comprehensive report on the outlook for the telecommunication industry produced by an academic institution and is an unsurpassed tool for understanding the direction of the telecom and information industry.

[The] Telecom Outlook Report provides a timely and comprehensive perspective on the state and direction of the industry. It is an invaluable reference for anyone formulating business and investment strategy," says Casimir Skrzypczak, Former Senior Vice President, Cisco Systems.

The latest incarnation of this valuable resource focuses on potential growth areas in the rapidly changing telecom environment. To identify the fastest growing segments of the market-at present and in the near future-the views of top-level experts in the field have been collected and analyzed. The TOR contains an extensive examination of the prevailing views on the direction in which the industry is headed from the point of view of top industry executives, government authorities, and analysts from the worlds major telecom markets, including the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Building on the results of an extensive survey of experts from key sectors of the industry, the TOR examines the state of thinking in the industry across major issue-areas, providing the reader with a sweeping overview of the relevant debates and questions. For decision-makers, the TOR can serve as a validation for strategy and investment and a tool for calibrating estimates to standard thinking on a particular forecast.

Joseph S. Kraemer, Director of Law & Economics Consulting Group (LECG) says, The TOR is the single best source for data on the entire range of issues affecting the telecommunications industry. The critical advantage of the TOR is that it presents the opinions of the industry executives who are themselves making the critical strategic decisions for their companies. In that sense, the TOR is very close to a self-fulfilling prophecy."

This latest edition of the TOR focuses intensively on the application level of the telecommunications industry. It takes an in-depth look at the new services and applications in the residential and corporate market; wireless; e-commerce; globalization and the new telecom environment; mergers and alliances; research and development; the internal organization of firms; and the technologies and applications that may drive future revenue streams. In addition, the reach of the TOR extends beyond the United States to the European and Asia-Pacific markets, allowing for a comparison of estimates about the telecom market overall, as well as providing regional specifics.

For a full brochure of the Telecom Outlook Report: Millennial Edition, visit http://www.iec.org/pubs/print/telecom.html or contact the Publications Department at +1-312-559-4609 (phone), +1-312-559-4111 (fax), or publications@iec.org.

The International Engineering Consortium is a nonprofit organization that seeks to catalyze advances and education in the communications industry. The Consortium develops conferences, research publications, and Web-based educational programs designed to meet the needs of professionals in industry and academia for continuing education and strategic market information. The Consortiums Web site is located at www.iec.org.