Illinois Telecommunications Industry
This combination of industries includes the manufacturers of computer/telecommunication equipment and related services. The Chicago area alone has 31,660 computer programmers, the largest concentration in the US and 235% more than in Silicon Valley. Over 650 telecommunications companies, employing some 32,000 people, are located in the Chicago area. The world’s largest ‘‘internet exchange point’’, handling more than 7 terabytes per day, is located in Chicago.
• Employment: 188,000
• Number of business locations: 15,600 (10,600 in computer/information technology)
• Value: $76.2 billion
Some of the largest companies headquartered in Illinois include: SBC Global Services, Motorola (over 20,000 employees in Illinois), Comdisco, Galileo International, and Tellabs.
Links:
Illinois Telecommunications Association: http://www.il-ita.com/
Illinois IT Association: https://www.illinoistech.org/