DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE & ENHANCED INFORMATION SERVICES [print this page] [close window] April 5, 2006 INFONXX® Unveils 2-Way SMS Directory Assistance Enhanced TextDirectSM Suite Delivers Powerful Mobile Branding and Customer Loyalty Capabilities Las Vegas, NV—INFONXX, the world's largest independent provider of directory assistance and enhanced information services, announced today at CTIA Wireless 2006 the availability of the enhanced TextDirect Suite featuring the industry's first 2-Way Short Message Service (SMS) directory assistance. This allows wireless carriers and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO's) to offer branded 2-Way SMS access to INFONXX's directory assistance service to their consumers and enables new marketing opportunities for the wireless carriers and MVNO's. "Mobile-originated SMS messaging has forever changed users' perceptions of wireless data and will continue to be the dominant wireless messaging application. Marrying it with directory assistance creates an enormous marketing opportunity for wireless carriers and MVNO's," commented Yancy Oshita, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at INFONXX. "With the enhanced INFONXX TextDirect Suite, wireless marketing executives can exploit a trusted directory assistance channel with proven experience in SMS Directory Assistance to build their brand, grow data usage and reduce churn." INFONXX Trusted Franchise The enhanced INFONXX TextDirect Suite allows wireless marketing executives to offer a carrier-branded short code, trusted directory assistance listing accuracy, SMS ubiquity, and live directory assistance agent back up. Using a carrier-set branded short code, consumers can query INFONXX's industry-leading business, residential and government directory assistance listings by sending an SMS containing the category search or listing's information (name, address, city and/or state). Through a unique search system (patent pending), the consumer receives a return SMS with the listing information, with accuracy rates similar to those that INFONXX is known for in the industry. Also, INFONXX is looking to enhance 2-Way SMS directory assistance services with functionality such as multi-modality. The improved INFONXX TextDirect Suite provides wireless carriers with a key platform to exploit plain old directory assistance into a "Trusted Franchise," a ubiquitous gateway for consumers to obtain the same trusted directory information for everything from events to sports scores. The "Trusted Franchise" concept enables wireless providers to provide subscribers with relevant content. About INFONXX Information services leader INFONXX delivers customer-focused solutions through content driven technological innovations, flexible service transport options and industry-leading product offerings. As the world's largest independent provider of directory assistance and enhanced information services, INFONXX was ranked first throughout 2005 among third-party DA providers in the Paisley Group's National Directory Assistance Performance IndexSM in the key indicator of “Calls Passed” – the overall measure of customers cared for and fulfilled. INFONXX employs thousands of customer service representatives, support personnel, and technical staff, as well as one of the most reliable speech recognition and network architectures in the industry. [print this page] [close window]