The rapid changes in the telecommunications sector shorten the useful lifes
pan of many of the established telecommunications traffic indicators, creat
ing the need for constant re-assessment and improvement of existing indicat
ors and the development of new ones. This paper first reviews two prominent
publications by TeleGeography, Inc. that provide telecommunications traffi
c and Internet statistics. It then lists other data sources and discusses s
everal prominent measurement efforts that highlight the need for internatio
nally agreed upon measurement standards. Finally, it is pointed out that ma
ny of the economic and social statistics that are needed to help interpret
the impact of the information revolution, as well as the techniques used to
analyse them, are also in dire need of improvement. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scie
nce B.V. All rights reserved.