Sage Gauges Telecom Moods

NATICK, Mass. -- Sage Research, Inc., a full-service market research firm, today introduced the Service Provider Confidence Index (SPCI) by releasing the results for May 2002. The SPCI is a bi-monthly gauge that measures and analyzes the current mood of telecommunications service providers. It signals to the companies that supply service providers with products and services what they consider to be the present condition of the industry and their optimism for the near-term future. To receive a free subscription to the SPCI, please visit . "The recent state of the economy has made it harder for suppliers to predict what service providers will do, especially regarding their near-term spending plans," said Kathryn Korostoff, president of Sage Research, Inc. "Sage has established the Service Provider Confidence Index to give a snapshot of the overall mood of service providers on everything from spending to employment to overall industry conditions. With this insight, the suppliers can make informed business decisions based on the real outlook in their industry." Sage Research began compiling the bi-monthly SPCI in January 2002. In the current SPCI, compiled in May, the current conditions index sits at 30.5 out of 100, virtually unchanged from the March SPCI. The accompanying optimism index, however, shows a precipitous drop from March, falling to 56.5 from 63.8. SPCI respondents expect their capital expenditure budgets to be decreased next quarter, and nearly 40% believe even those budgets will be further reduced before they are actually spent. Sage Research Inc.