UK's 118 DQ services get better

'Still room for improvement'

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in Telecoms, 4th May 2004 14:40 GMT

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The UK's 118 directory enquiries (DQ) sector appears to be getting its act together in response to a rash of bad press following deregulation last August.

According to DQ industry research outfit, 118tracker.com, operators have begun to improve the accuracy of the information they're dishing out. The UK's 100 or so DQ operators have also managed cut the amount of time it takes to find and dish out information to punters.

In its latest report tracking the first six months of the industry since deregulation, 118tracker.com found that six in ten operators had improved the accuracy of the information they give consumers.

But despite the improvements, one in every four enquiry ends with the wrong info being handed out to customers.

Last November, there was outrage after research by then telecoms regulator Oftel and premium-rate watchdog ICSTIS found that four in ten calls to DQ operators ended in the wrong information being dished out.

Of course, these are industry averages and while some operators have improved, others are still failing to provide accurate services. Although the report's authors welcomed the improvements, they added that there was "still room for improvement".

According to the research, 118 247 (Yell) was the top operator followed by 118 008 (Eurotel / BT) and 118 500 (BT). ®