The Number & BT in DQ supremacy spat

Hostilities between two of the UK's big directory enquiries (DQ) operators have broken out again over which one can claim to be number one. The Number has published independent research (which it commissioned incidentally) which shows that its 118 118 service has achieved a market share between 36 per cent in November 2003 to a high of 44 per cent in April this year.

During the same period, shows the research, BT’s market share has fallen to between 18 per cent and 34 per cent. "The results confirm that The Number has consistently maintained market leadership since the end of August 2003," the DQ operator said.

But BT has hit back, claiming that research - which was based on the quizzing of 28,000 consumers about their use of DQ services - is flawed: "A random market research sample merely picks up general awareness not overall market share and makes no distinction between heavy business users and light consumer users," said a spokesman for the telco.

BT claims to handle around 40 per cent of all DQ enquiries ,"making it very likely that we are the number one choice overall", said a BT spokesman. ®

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