Trai Plans To Ring In Integrated Directory For Fixed Line, Mobiles

[@ksh@T 20]

NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator TRAI has proposed the setting up of a National Integrated Directory Enquiry Service through which the public can obtain all details about any person in the country, including name, fixedline and mobile telephone numbers, address, business and classified information.

The regulator has also said this that this directory enquiry service will have an opt-out clause, where any mobile or landline subscriber can choose to not provide his name, telephone and other details to the directory services. The proposal is part of a consultation process initiated by the Authority on Monday with regard to publishing of an integrated telephone directory for fixed line phones and national integrated directory enquiry service for fixed and mobile connections.

Justifying the move, TRAI said: “Directory services are largely unavailable today for fixed line telephones and for mobile services provided by the private operators. Presently, the printed directory is also provided only by BSNL. However, in the present multi-operator scenario integrated directory services are required.”

“In the case of mobile customers, there may not be a printed directory. For directory enquiry services, there should be National Integrated Directory Enquiry Service containing both fixed and mobile telephones (both pre-paid and post-paid) to be managed by a separate agency,” TRAI added.

TRAI has also pointed out that in most of the European Union countries the incumbent sets up the database and end users are charged a reasonable fee for availing the information contained in this database. Besides, one must also pay to have additional data of themselves included in this database.

The regulator has also used the success of the directory in the United States to push for a similar system in India. “In USA, the Pierz Group’s 2005 forecast indicates American consumers are avid users of Directory Assistance (DA)/Directory Enquiry (DQ), with 55 billion US look-ups expected by 2010, generating revenues of $11.4 billion,” TRAI said. It also pointed out that according to The Pierz Group forecast, Americans looked for phone numbers over 43 billion times in 2004 and six and a half billion of those phone number look-ups in the US were calls to directory assistance.

“In the United States, consumers call directory assistance an average of 35 times per year from a home, business or mobile phone. The ability to quickly and easily obtain a phone number is very important to anyone, but apparently even more so to Americans.