In telecommunications, directory assistance or directory enquiries is a phone service used to find out a specific telephone number and/or address of a residence, business, or government entity.
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Directory assistance systems incorporate a wide range of automation to reduce the cost of human operators. Almost all systems use custom database software to locate listings quickly.
Most directory assistance systems use automated readback systems to give out the phone number. This frees the directory assistance operator to move on to another caller as soon as the correct listing is located.
Some systems have "store and forward" technology which records "city and state" the caller is requesting and then plays the city and state speech to the operator before they come online and then say "Residential or business listing?" or simply "What listing please?"
Interactive voice response systems have been added to many directory assistance systems. These complex systems use speech recognition and recorded speech or speech synthesis to handle the entire call without live operator intervention.
Most systems recognize location and listing. If recognition confidence is high, the best result is played to the caller. If confidence is low, the caller's request is played back to a live operator, who locates the correct listing.
In the North American Numbering Plan (covering Canada and the United States), directory assistance may be contacted by dialing 4-1-1 (one of the N11 codes) or to get a listing in a remote or non-local area code, directory assistance is available at 1-area code-555-1212.
However, a 411 landline call will provide local listings as well as nationwide listings and sometimes international listings.
Most telephone companies permit up to two listings per 411 call. All wireless carriers offer nationwide listings with 411, and some offer additional Enhanced Directory Assistance services.
U.S. wireline telephone companies classify DA into four rate classes
In the U.S., directory assistance for companies with toll-free "800 numbers" (with area codes 800, 888, 877 and 866) is available from toll-free directory assistance.
Toll-free directory assistance is provided by AT&T as mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. Companies must request to have their toll-free number listed and pay AT&T each time their phone number is released to a Toll-free directory assistance caller. AT&T had applied for discontinuing this service[1] but it remains active.
Recently private companies have entered the directory assistance market by offering free directory assistance. Customers often must listen to an advertisement prior to receiving directory services.[2]
In the United Kingdom, directory assistance is called directory enquiries. The service is provided by a variety of different companies, reached by dialling 118 plus another three digit number. These companies supply information from the Operator Services Information System (OSIS), which is run by Directory Solutions, a division of BT Wholesale. OSIS accepts updates from telecoms providers seven days a week, and supplies that information to the enquiry companies six days a week.[3] There are currently over 200 providers. Three of these, 118 500 (BT), 118 888 (Conduit) and 118 118 (The Number), have over 90% of the market, mostly due to heavy advertising.
Directory enquiries used to be reached by dialling 192 (domestic numbers) or 153 (foreign), with the service supplied by the telephone company providing the fixed or mobile service to the calling telephone. These numbers were switched off on 24 August 2003 following the introduction of competition to directory enquiries.
A number offering a directory enquiries service allowing people to request to be put through to a mobile phone number was established in June 2009.[4] 118 800 proved to be controversial, however, when it was revealed that it was making available 15 million mobile numbers that it had bought from market researchers.[5] Its website has been temporarily suspended to deal with technical issues and improve the service.[6] The site was suspended within weeks of its launch so that the company could rengineer the site to enable the large number of ex-directory requests to be handled more efficiently.[5] Viral emails regarding 118800 are generally thought to be responsible for the deluge of unsubscribe requests. The virals spread panic by alleging that the 118800 service was about to give out phone numbers which would be available to marketers. The 118800 service have maintained that these emails are without substance referring enquirers to their website where the service is explained.[7] 118800 do not, at any time, release telephone numbers to callers but rather send a message to the mobile phone owner letting them know that the enquirer wishes to be connected to them. The recipient of the call retains the right to accept or refuse the call but either way the caller is never notified of the mobile phone number being contacted.