4-1-1 Information
4-1-1 is the telephone number for local directory assistance in the United States and Canada. One exception is the Pacific Northwest, which used 1-1-3 until the mid-1980s. Until the early 1980s, 4-1-1 calls were free in most states.
4-1-1 has also been used for long-distance directory assistance in most areas in the United States and all of Canada. The traditional long-distance directory assistance number is 1-area code-555-1212.
4-1-1 is also commonly referred to as "D.A.", "Directory Assistance", or "Information". Prior to the introduction of Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) in the 1950s, which required dialing "1" to initiate a DDD call, the number for "Information" was 1-1-3 ("Repair" was 1-1-4).[1] All existing local numbers beginning with 1 had to be changed, so "Information" and "Repair" (and others) changed to 411 and 611, respectively. Outside North America, "1-1-N" numbers are still in use, for these and other services.
Approximately 6 billion calls are made to 4-1-1 within the United States every year.
Contents |
Landline telephone companies
- 411 LDA: local directory assistance. This is where callers can dial 411 and request the Operator to search for a listing in a group of area codes "LATA" local to him or her. For example, the caller lives in area code 630 (Oak Brook, Illinois) and request a listing for a business in area code 312 (Chicago, Illinois). In this case AT&T Illinois bills the call at $1.25 plus taxes.
- 411 NDA: national directory assistance. This is where callers can dial 411 and request the Operator to search for a listing in an area code not local to him or her. For example, the caller lives in area code 630 (Oak Brook, Illinois) and request a listing for a business in area code 213 (Los Angeles, California). In this case AT&T Illinois bills the call at $1.99 plus taxes.
The telephone companies also have another DA rate class for call completion called DACC. DACC adds another $.50 to $1.00 on top of the cost of a DA call.
Landline telephone directory assistance
4-1-1 landline service has been historically provided by local telephone companies, including those of the former Bell System or subsequent Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs).
Since the 1984 Bell System divestiture, the RBOCs in the United States have priced 4-1-1 use higher to an average of $1.25 USD per call, compared to $0.50 CAD in most of Canada, providing opportunities for competing services in the United States, including the free 1-800-BING-411 and ad-sponsored 1-800-FREE-411.
Wireless telephone directory
In addition to the local and long distance directory services, there is also consumer-choice and privacy-protected "Wireless 411 Service". As specified by the industry, the service will give consumers the choice of including their wireless phone numbers in voice 411. Consumers who choose to opt-in will not have their information disclosed for print, online directories, lists, or telemarketing firms. The service will allow any landline or a wireless phone user to call 411 and be connected to the wireless listing of a person who has chosen to participate in the service. Carriers who make up the industry LLC creating the service include Alltel (now absorbed by Verizon Wireless), AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile.
Some mobile carriers have tended to charge a lot for directory assistance calls placed to 411.[2] Given this, competitive carriers have started to providing free service as long as the customer will listen to an ad played over the phone before receiving his or her requested number (e.g. 1-800-FREE-411)[3]
See also
References
Further reading
- Recent survey from Tellme Networks, Inc. about 411 usage
- The Kelsey Group report on wireless voice search (10/2006)
|
|||||
Categories:
|