Hold the Phone: Google Petrifies the U.S. Directory Assistance Business

With its newly (quasi-) released Google Voice Local Search, Google just killed the directory assistance business in the U.S.

Okay, maybe not killed outright, and the business was in decline anyway, but who in their right mind would pay for a call to directory assistance when you can call 1-800-GOOG-411 and get free service?

GOOG 1-yr chart

Comments

[akindman:]

Guess I'm old-fashioned, but I dislike having to talk to automated systems. I don't mind navigating with DTMF, but having to actually talk to a bot always makes me feel foolish and a little angry.

2007 Apr 09 04:39 AM

[David Lentz:]

I like it.

The "regulated" phone companies in the U.S. are fat with profits, poor on innovation, and much more concerned with expanding their regulated monopoly status than they are concerned with providing improved communications services and capabilities to their customers. Despite decades of supposed effort by the Congress and the FCC, there remains little or no competition in the domestic communications marketplace. Turnover of customers between "competitors" remains miniscule. Any company that can wrest away from the phone companies any stream of revenue by providing an acceptable alternative for less money is doing a great thing.

You Go, Google!

2007 Apr 09 10:16 AM

[magicus:]

WONDERFUL. THE PHONE COMPANIES CHARGE TOO MUCH AND THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE CHARGED AT ALL
THANKS GOOG

2007 Apr 09 04:42 PM