The late 1990s stand out as a moment of rapid, almost chaotic, change for communications infrastructure worldwide. Nowhere is this more evident than in the sudden proliferation of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In 1997, “getting online” was still a novelty for many, but the groundwork for a global digital economy was being laid—one domain registration, one subscriber connection at a time. For analysts hoping to measure and map this shift, ISIC 6420—Telecommunications—serves as the formal gateway. The code, though broad, encompasses the growing universe of ISPs alongside legacy telephone carriers and new entrants pushing data over copper, coax, or even the earliest fiber.
The first step is to assemble a registry of firms under ISIC 6420 for the country or region of interest. In most cases, this registry includes a jumble of entities: state-run telcos, early mobile operators, cable companies, and the emerging class of ISPs. Isolating the true ISPs from this population often requires a mix of business description analysis, press coverage, and, if possible, regulatory licensing lists. During the late ’90s, telecom regulators in many countries published lists of licensed data service providers—sometimes in official gazettes, sometimes on fledgling web pages. Not all ISPs, especially in smaller markets, were officially registered as such. A few operated as “value-added service providers,” resellers, or in partnership with academic networks.
With a refined list in hand, tracking subscriber counts is the next hurdle. Some larger ISPs—often those angling for investment or media coverage—published user numbers regularly. In other cases, national statistical agencies or industry associations compiled estimates based on voluntary surveys or mandatory reporting. The numbers from 1997 tend to be imprecise, sometimes little more than marketing claims, but they give a sense of scale. Matching these figures with firm-level registry data allows for a first approximation of market share and, more importantly, market expansion.
Network expansion—how many cities, towns, or even villages were brought online—provides an additional layer. ISPs with ambitious rollout plans often touted their coverage footprints in press releases, advertisements, or investor presentations. Mapping these expansions, where data is available, helps analysts see not only where subscriber numbers grew, but where physical access to the Internet was made possible. In some countries, this meant tracking the spread of dial-up numbers, POPs (points of presence), or even the construction of early broadband infrastructure.
Correlating ISP growth with economic indicators adds another dimension. Economic development agencies, central banks, and international organizations like the World Bank tracked macroeconomic variables—GDP growth, employment, investment in technology—on a yearly basis. Overlaying ISP subscriber growth with these metrics, by region or sector, helps clarify the interaction between digital infrastructure and broader economic shifts. There is rarely a simple causal line: sometimes ISPs flocked to already prosperous areas, sometimes their arrival seemed to catalyze local innovation, new business formation, or changes in consumer behavior.
One persistent challenge is the lag between ISP entry and measurable economic impact. Some regions saw subscriber numbers soar, but economic growth remained muted, at least in the short run. Elsewhere, network expansion coincided with visible surges in new company formation, IT employment, or export activity in digital services. The relationship is complex, shaped by policy choices, local culture, and the vagaries of investment cycles.
Documentation of sources and decisions is critical. Each step—how ISPs were identified, how subscriber numbers were validated, what economic indicators were selected—should be logged with an eye to future revision. The sector’s boundaries are porous, and the data from this period is anything but neat. Yet, by layering ISIC 6420 firm registries, subscriber data, network maps, and macroeconomic variables, analysts can reconstruct the contours of a transformative era. The signal, though noisy, still points to the dawn of the networked world.