"I think people find directories typically useful, but directories are only useful when the people they are looking for are in it," said Roger Entner, an analyst with Yankee Group Research Inc. "You already have a carrier with 25 percent market share opting out." He said Verizon Wireless may be attempting to reflect the sentiment of most of its customers but also may be wary that cell phone directory assistance may invite state regulation of the industry.
Other carriers, including Nextel Communications Inc., Sprint Corp. and Cingular Wireless, say many of their customers want to make their numbers available -- especially professionals such as taxi drivers and real estate agents. The idea is particularly appealing to the 8 million cell phone users who rely on the portable devices exclusively and don't have a traditional home line, according to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, which organized the directory assistance effort.
"There were literally millions of subscribers who were asking for this," said Steve Largent, president and chief executive of the CTIA. "I really believe at the end of the day that everybody will be participating."
He said 5 million to 6 million people already pay to list their cell phone numbers, typically paying a local telephone directory company $10 to $15 extra a month to do so.
Under the new system, listing a cell phone number with directory assistance would be free, as would be keeping a number unlisted. Consumers' numbers wouldn't be listed without their written consent, the trade group and participating carriers say. Numbers would be available only by calling directory assistance and wouldn't be published in a printed or online directory.
The industry says adding cell phones to the directory system wouldn't lead to more telemarketing calls because the database wouldn't be sold. Also, it's illegal for telemarketers to call potential customers' cell phones, although wireless companies acknowledge their customers sometimes get such calls anyway.
A caller seeking someone's cell phone number would call directory assistance, which would cost between 50 cents and $1.25, depending on the carrier. That's roughly what directory assistance charges to look up a conventional home or business number.
There's a catch: Callers would be charged the directory assistance fee even if the person they are seeking has an unlisted cell phone number. To get their money back, callers would have to call their phone company's customer service line, which could mean waiting on hold to request a credit, the CTIA said.
Some analysts doubt that cell phone directory assistance will become popular. Already, roughly 20 percent of U.S. households pay between 28 cents and $4.95 each month to keep their traditional phone numbers unlisted. Another 60 million numbers, both traditional and wireless, are registered with the federal government's do-not-call list, which is designed to block telemarketing calls.
But the directory service could become a big business, said Kathleen Pierz, managing partner of the Pierz Group LLC, a Clarkston, Mich., market research firm that studies the directory business.
