Access to the flows of information that underpin the knowledge economy is presumed to play an increasingly important role in the locational decisions of firms. My research hypothesis is that there is a concrete relationship between the way that firms use advanced telecommunications networks and where they choose to locate, but that the nature of this relationship is much more complex than typically suspected.

Although some aspects of this question can be apprehended indirectly, the literal and metaphorical invisibility of telecommunications traffic severely hampers our understanding of this interaction. Using switch-level calling data from AT&T’s long-distance and international networks in New York City, I hope to find evidence to support my claim that the analysis of telecoms data may yield an understanding of locational preference that is properly rooted in informational flows.