Directory Enquiries are changing and have changed. As a part the drive for introduction of competition into absolutely everything, the old enquiry number, 192, ceased to exist in August 2003, as did 153, the international enquiries number. Now you have a choice of numbers to call for both national and international directory enquiries, provided by different telecoms and database service companies, at different prices. All the new numbers have six digits instead of three, and all start with 118. They can be reached from fixed and mobile phone networks (but not all from all!). And they all charge at different rates!
Charges are actually more complicated than you might think. Some have a fixed cost, some charge by the minute, while yet others charge a fixed amount plus a per-minute charge and some have a minimum charge.
Some offer additional services too: classified enquiries, business enquiries and the like, while others will connect you directly to the number you are looking for. But be warned - there is a catch - if you allow them to put you through to the number you want, you will be charged at their per minute rate - anything from 9p to 30p per minute!
So how do we find out the available numbers, and the cost of calls to them?
OFTEL has agreed that it is sufficient that a leaflet is sent out with new telephone books, but this did not happen with at least one of those dated January 2003, and the leaflet is incomplete.
Some of the new numbers are listed on the OFTEL web site - www.oftel.gov.uk; but for a more complete list you should go to www.newdirectoryenquiries.com which is hosted by some of the suppliers themselves, despite the misleading Oftel Logo at the top. This site lists several of the service providers, but some of those which are included on the OFTEL site are omitted. We have tried to compile a fuller list, which is as complete as we can make it, but the information sources are sketchy and how you are billed for the non "network providers" is not clear.
There are in fact some 427 118 numbers already allocated !!!. Not all are yet active and some may never be, but if you want to start up a DQ service yourself then you'd better hurry, nearly half of the available numbers have gone already!
We hope you find our table helpful, but be warned that the "fixed cost" providers normally limit you to one (or perhaps a few) searches each time you dial, again information is hard to come by. According to one provider a typical search call for one number takes about 45 seconds, we have therefore added both "time" and "number of enquiries" comparisons to are revised tables. Pease notify webster@ncf.info of any inaccuracies or changes you know about.