TRAI proposes Publishing of Telephone Directory and Directory Enquiry Services for Mobile subscribers

TRAI releases Consultation Paper on Issues Pertaining to Publishing of Telephone Directory and Directory Enquiry Services :

Presently, the printed telephone Directory is available only for fixed line subscribers of BSNL/ MTNL and the frequency of publication of these directories is generally three to five years. The private operators have so far not brought out printed Telephone Directories, even though the old Cellular Mobile Licenses and new Basic Service Licenses provided for publication of telephone directories of their subscribers.

Mobile subscribers now represent about half of all the telephone subscribers in the country. At present due to non-availability of directory, they are largely unreachable today, unless the Caller has the number. Now with intense competition in the telecom services market coupled with high growth rate and increasing use of telemarketing by the companies to sell their products, the issues involving publication of telephone Directory have increased manifold. This requires a comprehensive look into the whole gamut of the issues.

This Consultation Paper aims to raise a number of issues, one relates to publication of printed Telephone Directory and the other pertains to Directory Enquiry Services. The licenses for mobile and basic services mandate for provision of Directory Enquiry Services. In the present multi-operator multi-service scenario, a need is felt for Directory Enquiry Service across different network and different service areas.

If mobile and cells are personal communication devices then this is not a good idea. There should be option with the user to get him listed in these kind of services i.e it should exist as a opt-in service. But then what about the comfortable timing ? I have recieved tele-marketing calls in loos , hospitals, while travelling and even on sundays. But surely there is one advantage to the mobile operators : vale added services charges for Voice Mails ;-).