High Speed Access Keeps on Growing -- In Spite of Nay Sayers

BOSTON, Feb. 18 -- There continues to be a chorus of those that want to ignore the facts about the demand for high-speed access. They keep telling us that demand for high-speed access does not exist, but the results keep showing continuing, significant growth. Results from last quarter have been released and the growth goes on! The latest figures for the major providers of xDSL and cable modems are shown in the table below.

     Cable Modems
                         4th Qtr        2001 Year
     ATT                 100,000        1,500,000
     Charter              99,100          645,000
     Comcast             155,400          946,500
     Rodgers              56,000          478,600
     Cox                 104,000          883,499
     Time Warner         256,000        1,956,000
     Total               770,500        6,409,599

     xDSL

     Bell South          157,500          620,500
     Covad                 5,000          351,000
     Bell Canada         132,000          757,000
     Qwest                43,000          448,000
     SBC                 146,000        1,333,000
     Verizon             200,000        1,200,000
     Total               683,500        4,709,500

This data shows a very strong quarter for both xDSL and for cable modems. More than that several (e.g., Cox and Charter) are talking about doubling their positions in 2002! Also, it was the fourth quarter was the biggest quarter ever for a number of the companies, including Bell South, Verizon, Bell Canada, Rogers and Time Warner. The true story is that high-speed access is growing and its growth continues to increase!

In reviewing this data, IGI President Paul Polishuk, commented to a recent meeting in Boston, ``We are extremely pleased with these results, because they foreshadow the end of the recession in our industry. In addition, I am pleased to report that this growth only slightly exceeded that projected by our recent report, 'Lightwave Post 9-11.' In this report we spell out how high-speed access growth will be the engine that will pull us out of the recession.'