With the proliferation of cell phones, I can’t figure out why no one has started a system where we could find a user’s number by providing his name and address. I presume there are many people who use cell phones that are billed to business addresses, but a system could surely be established where you could have your phone listed in Information according to your home, if you wished to. Seems like there’s a need for such a thing. Doesn’t capitalism make space for such?
Wag ahead:
Because it is not regulated like land lines and there are many companies providing the service - each not wanting to share their info.
THe more I think of it, If you owned lets say a lumber yard, would you like to publish all your customers #'s so maybe Home Depot can give them a call and tell them how much more your charging?
Other WAG: IMHO, the vast majority of users would opt out, because they don’t want total strangers calling them on their cell phones. This would leave an anemic directory.
There may be people who would opt out of such a service. But there are people who only use cell phones now, and are unplugged from Ma Bell or her surrogates. There are emergencies in which it’s of utmost importance to contact someone. There may be many reasons to have a phone number listed somewhere. It seems to be a business waiting to happen.
Like any business it depends on demand. My WAG is that the demand isn’t there; people share their mobile numbers with those individuals they want to have them, and nobody else. I don’t want anyone else calling me on mine – I like knowing that the list of people who can reach me at any time is limited. My gut feeling, and I acknowledge it’s nothing more than that, is that a mobile is a lot more personal an item than a fixed land-line. Because you can be reached at any time, and trust the person on the other end to be someone you know or are expecting to call, you don’t want it to be anyone else.
I find this thread incredibly interesting. The phone companies have insisted that most people WANT their phone numbers listed. That is why they charge for an unlisted number. I never bought this. I always said given a choice to opt out (at no cost) people would chose that.
In most cases cell phone users (including myself) do not want their numbers made public. My cell phone is for work and other important calls. I would be infuriated if a telemarketer called me on my cell phone.
So, maybe business phones should or could be exempt from such a service. And individuals who want could have their numbers listed. Look at all the people who spend their days with phones to their ears. They don’t look/sound like the kinds of people who want to have their numbers and whereabouts private. To me, many of these folks look desperate to stay connected, and I’d think such a service would facilitate that. Anyone want to start a business with me?
You kidding? The nicest thing about a cell phone is NOT being listed.
Isn’t (wasn’t) there legislation prohibiting the cell companies from divulging their cell numbers to avoid unsolicited solititations. [sub]BAND NAME[/sub].
Since the receiving phone is the one that is charged for the air time, I would imagine all hell would break loose if we started getting calls from insurance salesmen or the policemen’s ball.
Anyone who needs to connect with someone because of an “emergency” already has their number.
Most people I know are very picky about who gets their number. A directory of such numbers would be a telemarketer’s dream & a cellular customer’s nightmare.
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I think the fact that there’s no such business speaks volumes. It’s a non-starter.
Its really easy. No one wants their cell listed since you pay for total use, not just outgoing calls.
We have it here in Ireland. You have to register your phone(which very few do). I never use it as I’ve only actually got the right number once.
And, in Ireland, the caller pays the charge for calling a cellphone; the recipient pays nothing.
So if, in these conditions, people don’t choose to list their cellphone numbers, they are even less likely to do so if they will end up having to pay for the privilege of some stranger ringing them to sell them double-glazing.
I have the same resistance to having my phone called by non-invited guests such as telemarketers. And it would, indeed, be worse if I had to pay for each of those calls. None-the-less, I do list my number in the phone book and with information, because of the legitimate needs or desires of others to reach me. I am not a businessman, and if I were, I’d be hesitant to engage in an enterprise that would cause a lot of problems. However, I am willing to bet that there will soon be such a service, because there is a need for it, perhaps considerably smaller than directory assistance, but there is a need none-the-less. To those who do not wish to opt out, the option should exist, just as it does in virtually every other business enterprise. Thank you for your answsers.
Interestingly, on anywho.com they make the following claim:
“Remember: Cell phone numbers are not yet available on AnyWho”
Maybe they plan to do it for their AT&T customers who “opt-in”…