Service Provider Confidence Index – Sage Gauge

Posted: 11/2003

SAGE GAUGE

The Sage Research Inc. September 2003 index of service
provider confidence in current conditions rose for the second consecutive period
and is edging toward the key metric of 50, which divides the low (less
than 50) from the high territory (greater than 50). The first three quarters of 2003
mark a significant upward trend in service provider confidence from the depths
of the telecom bust of 2001-2002. The Service Provider Confidence Index,
begun in January 2002, is a tracking study with data collected bi-monthly about
both current conditions and expectations regarding spending on capital
equipment, spending on product and service development, revenue, employment,
investor confidence and overall. In Septembers poll, the expectations index reached a new
high for 2003; it is up 8.6 points since the beginning of the year and 10.2
points over the past 12 months. In addition, the revenue expectations
subindex reversed its recent downward trend, jumping from a low of 67 in July to
a high of 80 in September. For more details about the methodology, visit Sage
Research at www.sageresearch.com.