AT&T announces that it has shut down operator and directory assistance for its digital phone service.
. An AT&T spokesman said,"Nearly all of these customers have internet access to look up this information."
But that wasn't the case 100 years ago when the telephone operator was the person who connected calls, and passed along information."The operator was the internet before the internet. There’s a wonderful circularity there," said Josh Lauer, an associate professor of media studies at the University of New Hampshire. Throughout the 20th century, AT&T offered information to callers such as sports scores, weather forecasts, time and date, election results, and bus schedules.
In an ad AT&T ran in 1968, the company explained why it made the name change:"When she was called 'information,' people kept calling her for the wrong reasons. Now we call her 'directory assistance' in the hope that you’ll call her only for numbers you can’t find in the phone book." The number of operators in the system peaked at 420,000 in the 1970s. By 2021, that figure was down to less than 4,000.
The development of the automated switchboard was the beginning of the end for operators since they no longer had to make long-distance connections. Still, even in the smartphone age people call 411. In a 2019 report, the FCC stated,"411 usage is not insignificant," and estimated that 71 million calls annually were placed to 411. But even those whose livelihood depend on 411 know that the writing is on the wall-and has been since the start of the smartphone era.
David McGarty, the president of US Directory Assistance, says that calls to operators have declined 3% a year and by 90% since he started in 1996. McGarty says,"We’re content with riding the Titanic down."Get the most important news, reviews and deals in mobile tech delivered straight to your inbox
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411 is going out of service for millions of Americans | CNN BusinessThe operator is going off the hook for millions of customers.
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411 is going out of service for millions of AmericansStarting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won't be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance. AT&T in 2021 ended operator services for wireless callers, although customers with home phone landlines can still access operators and directory help.
Leer más »
411 is going out of service for millions of AmericansStarting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won't be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance. AT&T in 2021 ended operator services for wireless callers, although customers with home phone landlines can still access operators and directory help.
Leer más »
411 is going out of service for millions of AmericansStarting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won't be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance. AT&T in 2021 ended operator services for wireless callers, although customers with home phone landlines can still access operators and directory help.
Leer más »
411 is going out of service for millions of AmericansStarting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won't be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance. AT&T in 2021 ended operator services for wireless callers, although customers with home phone landlines can still access operators and directory help.
Leer más »
411 is going out of service for millions of AmericansStarting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won't be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance. AT&T in 2021 ended operator services for wireless callers, although customers with home phone landlines can still access operators and directory help.
Leer más »