IDC says telecom woes will continue

Canada’s beleaguered telecommunications sector may have to wait until 2003 for any big turnaround, according to a report from IDC Canada. The report flies in the face of recent statements from industry stalwarts Nortel Networks and Cisco Systems, which both announced expectations of a rebounding telecom market in the second half of 2002. Spending by Canadian service providers is expected to drop 40 per cent this year compared to 2001, said Toronto-based IDC Canada analyst Lawrence Surtees.