City firms get new telephone directory

But unlike a traditional BSNL directory,there are no names of individuals in this version.

“We are circulating the directory free of cost to business establishments and traders in the city. We will distribute about 3 lakh directories in Pune region over the next couple of months with the revenue source being advertisements. The new Pune directory will be replicated in cities like Ahmedabad,Hyderabad and Vadodara soon,” said Anshum Mandore,head,marketing and business development,Indiacom Limited.

The new directory,not quite as thick as a regular city telephone directory,follows the same format as that of the BSNL – white pages and yellow pages – with only difference being that it has numbers of all the service providers,including cell phone numbers. “It was a difficult task to compile the telephone numbers of all business establishments and offices in Pune. It has numbers of almost all service providers. But we are not new to this business as we have been publishing directories for the BSNL for the past 15 years,” said Mandore.

There is an extra addition in this directory – Green Pages that has information and listings of organisations engaged in providing green technologies,products and services. “We got tremendous response from the companies and traders in Pune; especially in the backdrop of BSNL discontinuing the printing of its directory,” said Mandore.

However,BSNL is firm that it will not print the directory again; instead it has set up a call centre – 197 – with 40 executives where customers can get information.

“No other private telephone service provider is printing any directory or revealing their customer base to the public. Then why should we provide it? At least,with BSNL,people have the option of dialing the call centre,” said V K Mahindra,principal general manager,BSNL.

Indiacom though is not stopping with the business directory; they are now compiling phone numbers to come up with a healthcare directory – to be sold through medical shops.

“The directory on healthcare will have numbers of all hospitals,clinics,blood banks druggist etc. It will be ready next month,” said Mandore.