fgk@lll-crg.llnl.gov (Frank G Kienast) (03/28/89)
I am curious as to why the phone companies do not offer directory assistance by modem. Seems like it would cut down on the cost of providing this service, especially when the directory assistance operator punches your request into a computer anyway. I realize that many people who call directory assistance may not even know what a modem is, but wouldn't it be worthwhile even if only a relatively small percentage of people used it? What would be even better would be a single modem number that would provide directory assistance for any city in the US. This would save time, in that you would only have to make one call to get all the numbers you need. I wonder why some private information company hasn't thought of this. Seems to me that people would be willing to pay for a service like this. Or are there major legal, etc. problems that would be encountered? In real life: Frank Kienast Well: well!fgk@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU CIS: 73327,3073 V-mail: 804-980-3733 [Moderator's Note: Illinois Bell has tariffed this service, known locally as 'Directory Express' for about three years. They sell Directory Assistance by the hour rather than by the call. The last I heard, they only had about four or five customers using it: a couple of collection agencies and credit services. They call via modem and get the same data base DA uses. PT]
johnm@uts.amdahl.com (John Murray) (03/29/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0112m02@vector.UUCP>, well!fgk@lll-crg.llnl.gov (Frank G Kienast) writes: > I am curious as to why the phone companies do not offer directory assistance > by modem. Isn't this what the French Minitel system was initially established for? - J. Murray, Amdahl Corp.