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Reports on the increase in the number of employees being laid-off by telecommunications companies in the United States. Reasons behind the companies' decision; List of firms issuing layoff announcements amid profit warnings; Statistics on job cuts in the industry; Suggested approach in corporate downsizing. INSET: Layoff Etiquette 101.

Presents an interview with Senator Ernest Hollings in the United States. Sponsorship of a legislation prohibiting foreign companies from acquiring a US telecommunication corporation; Concerns on the Deutsche Telekom AG deal; Sentiments on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Interviews elantic Communications Inc. chief executive officer Michael Gallagher about his company. Gallagher's career history; Basic strategy behind his company; Target market; Plans to target other major metropolitan markets along the East Coast of the United States; Primary competitors of the company.

Focuses on the shortage of labor in high technology industries and the manner by which companies compensate for the shortage. Growth of demand for information technology (IT) specialists; Efforts to hire and retain IT specialists; Projected number of IT jobs to be created in 2000; Move of the United States Congress to raise the quota for H-1B visas for overseas labor. INSET: Erin Goes High-Tech.

Reports on the entry of regional Bell operating companies into the long distance service industry in the United States. Bell Atlantic Corp., SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. as among the companies entering the long distance market; Bells' desire to enter the market since the approval of the Telecommunications Act.

Focuses on the convergence of telecommunication services with the Internet in an effort to improve customer service. Factors influencing the need to Internet-enable telecommunication services; Cost considerations; BellSouth Corp.'s investment in Internet-based customer service; MCI WorldCom's creation of a customer service Web site. INSET: Getting Fresh.

Focuses on the United States' Telecommunications Act of 1996 as of January 25, 1999. Background on the law's history; Provisions; Impact on telecommunications industry.

Reports on the steps taken by United States Internet service providers in digital subscriber line (DSL) format to reduce customer dissatisfaction. Price reduction; Simplification of installation; Evaluation of DSL providers based on provisioning, operations, support and service.

Reports on the struggles of telecommunication companies on bandwidth exchanges in the United States. Percentage of price decrease for connection costs; Stabilization of prices on bandwidth increments; Impact of bandwidth trading on the economy. INSET: SWITCHED GETS RICH.

Reports the availability of funding for telecommunications providers and vendors in the United States. Reasons for credit offerings; Enumeration of telecommunications industries presenting increased stock offerings; Comments of communications executives regarding initial public offerings. INSET: SIDE BETS.

Focuses on the entry of Munich, Germany-based Siemens AG electronic equipment corporation into the New York Stock Exchange. Launch of an advertising campaign; Acquisition of American companies; Reorganization of business units.

Focuses on Cogent Communications' strategy to differentiate itself from its competitors in the Internet service provider (ISP) market. Offering lower prices; Adding its dedicated long-haul optical network to its metropolitan fiber rings; Offering of end-to-end service on dedicated lines by assuring both quality and maximum transmission rates.

Focuses on issues on the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the telecommunication industry. Pros and cons of M&A; Concerns of analysts over companies engaging in M&A activity; Approaches adopted by companies to address the merger issues.

Reports the impact of Internet protocol-private branch exchange (IP-PBX) on voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services in the United States. Significance of the VoIP to the budgeting of service providers; Statistics on the traditional PBX market; Reluctance of users to invest in traditional PBX.

Analyzes the factors behind WorldCom Inc. chief executive officer Bernie Ebbers' ability to elude criticisms of investment analysts despite the fluctuating performance of his company's stock. Comparison with investment analysts' treatment of AT&T chairman Michael Armstrong; Credibility of Ebbers in the industry; Potential impact of WorldCom's withdrawal of its acquisition plans for Sprint Corp.'s wireless assets. INSET: ORGANICALLY GROWN?.

Focuses on the expansion of United States-based telecommunications companies in Latin America. Companies that are leading the building in communications infrastructure and services; Formation of a Latin American-focused company by Bell Canada International and Telefonos de Mexico SA de CV; Joint venture between America Online and the Cisneros Group to create online services for the Latin American market.

Discusses SBC Communications Inc.'s bid to offer long distance service in Texas. Status of the company's application with the United States Federal Communications Commission to offer the service; Request for a 90-day extension on its application; Pressure from competitors for SBC to expedite its application.

Focuses on the impact of tracking stocks of Internet service providers in the United States. Characterization of tracking stocks; Number of tracking stocks trading in the stock markets; Companies planning to set up tracking stocks; Reasons for the uncertainty of tracking stocks; Disadvantages of tracking stocks.

Speculates on the possibility of a merger between United States-based telecommunication firms BellSouth Corp. and Qwest Communications International Inc. Benefits of a merger between the two companies; Current level of business relationship between the companies.

Reports on the stock market performance of Bell Atlantic Corp. shares in the United States in January 2000. Entry of Bell Atlantic in the long distance market; US Federal Communications Commission approval for the company to offer long distance service; Need for Bell Atlantic to reposition itself, emphasizing its ability to offer any-distance communications services.

Presents an interview with Howard Finkelstein, president and chief executive officer of Metromedia Fiber Network Inc., focusing on Metromedia's dark fiber network for multimedia applications. Percentage of the network that is complete; Dark fiber lease agreement with Bell Atlantic; Assurance to customers in terms of security and reliability concerns.

Presents an interview with Charles McMinn, chief executive officer of Covad Communications. Career history of McMinn; Services offered by the company; Initial public offering of the company.

Reports the impact of metropolitan infrastructure providers across the United States. Existence of wholesale carrier's carrier in securing investments; Announcements of selling the wholesale transport services; Provision of value-added services.

Reports the sales strategies used by the competitive local exchange carrier market in the United States. Ability to build out networks; Existence of offerings to roll out the robust solutions; Availability of resources to evaluate upstart technology solutions.

Focuses on the partnership of applications service providers (ASP) and traditional telecommunication providers in the U.S. Forecast on global ASP revenue; Reorganization of the public offering of Interliant; Move of telecommunication providers to improve profitability.

Focuses on how telecommunication services providers and manufacturers are investing in wireless Internet technology to provide compelling data communication services. Amount spent by carriers at January 2001's spectrum auction; Development of third-generation networks; Wireless device platforms for wireless data access; Deal between Qualcomm and VeriSign Inc.

Reports the condition of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) in the financial market in United States. Growth in the DSL subscription; Percentage of expected DSL subscription growth; Utility of high-speed services in an economic downturn.

Reports on the partnership of security and wireless vendors to guard mobile transactions. Security of wireless Internet; Doing business over the airwaves.

Reports on the return of venture capital to finance the broadband telecommunications market of the Asia-Pacific region. Criteria for new venture financing; Projected increase in broadband users; Countries favored and avoided by venture capitalists.

Reports that Covad Communications Co. and AT&T have launched advertising campaigns to boost their stock prices. Estimated cost of the advertising campaigns; Distinction of the advertisements from traditional telecommunications advertisements; Target markets for the advertisements.

Highlights the findings of a study on the state of the Internet in 2000 conducted by the United States Internet Council and the International Technology & Trade Associates. Estimated growth of Internet users worldwide from 2000 to 2005; Expected number of users outside the United States; Impact of incorporation of the Wireless Access Protocol in cellular phones.

Speculates on what the telecommunications industry in the United States would be like if all the seven former regional bell operating companies were to merge and form a national local loop footprint. Market share of SBC Communications Inc. and Verizon Communications; Impact of such a merger on the competition.

Discusses the growth of online advertising. Annual compound growth rate (ACGR) of revenue from Net-based marketing; Several reasons cited for the growth; Descriptive statistics on the growth of Internet advertising from the Internet Advertising Bureau's (IAB) Internet Ad Revenue Report, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Focuses on the growth strategies of Reston, Virginia-based carrier Talk.com Inc. Exclusive provider of long-distance service for America Online Inc.; Talk.com Inc.'s plan to go head to head with BellSouth Corp.; Foray into New York City's highly competitive local and long-distance market.

Focuses on investors' interest in the stocks of regional Bell telephone companies in the United States. Appeal of technology and cutting-edge stocks; Promise of high returns on investments; Market corrections of stocks; Susceptibility of the Bells to swings in investor confidence.

Looks at the advantages offered by cageless colocation to both competitive local exchange carriers and incumbent local exchange carriers. Provision of more scalability over traditional physical and virtual colocation; Incumbents offering cageless colocation.

Discusses the advantages provided by so-called agnostic switches to local Internet service providers. Provision of cheaper alternative to the conventional multi-million dollar, mainframe-based telephone switches; Features of the Service Mediation Switch from Castle Networks.