A recent market research study conducted by Freedonia Group Inc. has projected an annual growth rate of 5.3% for wire and cable from 1999 until 2003. The higher growth rate compared to 3.3 % achieved in 1994-1999 is mainly driven by demand for faster data transmission. Gain will be more in the developing regions due to an increase in telecommunication connectivity of long-distance trunk lines as well as extension of telephone networks. Fiber optic cables will achieve tremendous gains compared to metal conductor wires. While the average growth of the global industry is expected to be 5.3%, the fiber optic cable component of the industry is expected to achieve at least 11% growth. The prime driver of fiber optic cable business will be strong demand prospects in bandwidth-hungry applications of multimedia voice and data. An increased traffic of internet will also be the major driver.