PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 28 -- While the telecommunications industry is mired in a vicious downturn, suppliers of wire and cable to the industry will realize continued growth through 2006. The telcos will continue purchasing these and other core elements to support their network upgrade plans, says a new report from INSIGHT RESEARCH. "Wire & Cable: Harnesses, Fiber, Copper Wire, and Coax 2001-2006," reveals that telecom companies will be spending $33.4 billion on core infrastructure components (including wire and cable) by 2006, compared to the $25.3 billion spent during 2001. According to the research study, expenditures for wire and cable by telecom companies will grow to become 28.3 percent of the overall core infrastructure components expenditures between 2001 and 2006. While growth in the wire and cable segment, including cable harnesses, fiber-optic cable, copper wire, and coax, will be modest in terms of the go-go growth rates enjoyed by the telecom industry during the late 1990s, spending on these components will continue, despite the current state of the overall telecom industry. Growth on any level is inevitable, since wire and cable buildouts and upgrades are necessary to support basic telecommunications services and cannot be delayed without drastic impacts on network reliability, INSIGHT said. For more information, visit http://www.insight-corp.com/wire.html.