Jobs boost for 192 challenger

By THIS IS MONEY
Updated: 19:00 EST, 2 July 2003

ONE of the new challengers to BT's directory enquiries business 192 is creating another 450 jobs, bringing its total to 1,000 in six months.

The Number, which operates the 118 118 service, said the jobs would be at a centre in Plymouth, which opened today.

'We've already taken millions of calls and we are extremely pleased with our progress,' said chief executive Chris Moss. 'Our task now is to continue to invest to provide an unrivalled directory assistance service.'

The company, a subsidiary of the global directory assistance group, Infonxx, is best known for its TV advertising campaign featuring a lookalike of 1970s runner David Bedford.

Next month, BT's 192 will officially be switched off as the service is deregulated. All directory inquiries numbers will then begin with 118, followed by another three figures. A recent Oftel report suggested that 20% of all directory inquiries calls - about 400,000 per day - were already being taken by companies using the 118 number.