Monday, August 4, 2008

If everyone goes to cell phones, what will happen to the phone books?

People could chose to list their cell phone number in the traditional phone books, but according to snopes.com, there have also been efforts to create a separate directory of cell phone numbers. "Several national wireless providers banded together and hired Qsent Inc., now TransUnion, to produce a Wirelesss 411 service. Their goal was to pool their listings to create a comprehensive directory of cell phone customer names and phone numbers that would be made available to directory assistance providers." However, as of the last update of the Snopes article in February, the opt-in site had not come to fruition. An Internet search does reveal a site called 411txt that is free for those who provide their cellular numbers, and several cell phone directories that are accessible for a fee. Many privacy advocates, lawmakers and industry officials have spoken out against cell phone directories on the grounds that cell phone numbers should remain private. Only time will tell what will happen to the good old-fashioned phone book.

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