Instant Information by Phone

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By Rajkamal Rao 


Go back to India Live!

For many of us who grew up in the US using search engines to find information, this may sound really strange.

But when a friend recently demonstrated a phone directory assistance service on his mobile, I came away amazed.  In Bangalore, you can call 080.23333333 and an operator picks up instantly.  No waits.  No annoying Voice Response System.  No music.

Then the greeting.  If you have called before, you are addressed respectfully by your last name, such as, "What can I do for you, Mr. Rao?"

You say, "Pizza places near Mantri Mall".

He says, "Sure, Mr. Rao.  Anything else?  Other fast food outlets, perhaps?"

You say, "Sure, why not?"

And he says, "No problem, please check your SMS".

And Lo!  All the phone numbers you need are packed into an SMS that you see nearly instantly.

The information is not limited to directory assistance.  Want to know train arrival and departure information?  The bus route from the Airport to your suburban home?  The place to buy cricket match tickets for that upcoming IPL game?  Just dial this number.

The service is offered by a company called Just Dial and believe it or not, has competitors (although I haven't tried any yet).  The service exploits three basic infrastructure features of the Indian communications industry - not everyone has reliable 3G access to Google for information; not all information is available on a Google search, in any case; and incoming SMS messaging is generally free and universally popular.

This is the world of instant assisted searches for information in modern India.  Fast, efficient, reliable and convenient.  And free.