TELECOMMUNICATIONS/UNITED KINGDOM: END OF MONOPOLY OVER DIRECTORY INQUIRIES.

As from August 24, BT Group (ex-British Telecom) no longer has a monopoly over directory inquiries. The British can now call any of 15 operators - all of whom have numbers beginning with the prefix 118 - to get the number they need. The change was decided (and imposed) two years ago by the telecoms regulatory authority, Oftel. The entry of new operators lowers prices, argues Oftel, since seven of the 15 newcomers charge rates lower than BT Group's. The range of services has expanded, with one of the operators providing a service in Welsh.

Consumer defence groups nonetheless claim that the change was not well prepared, that the public is poorly informed and that rates are hard to compare. "An information campaign conducted by Oftel would have clarified things", says James King of the National Consumers Council, who warns in particular against the cost of calls to the requested number put through by the operator.

BT Group estimates that the number of calls to the directory inquiry services of all operators in September plummeted 45% from a year ago. The press is having a wonderful time with the aberrations regularly reported. The Number, a firm that managed to corner around 50% of the market with a blitz advertising campaign, has just fired around 15 of its employees. Motivated by bonus pay for speedy work, the employees were not bothering to look up the number but simply giving...

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