From VZW - Not Wanted: Wireless Directory

[Mobile Mike]

BEDMINSTER, NJ — Verizon Wireless, the wireless company committed to providing its customers with the best customer experience, today again called upon the industry to proactively protect its customers’ privacy and stop pushing a wireless directory on consumers who clearly don’t want it. A national survey conducted by TNS and sponsored by TRUSTe, the leading nonprofit online privacy certification organization, recently revealed that only one in 10 mobile phone users said they would want to be listed in a wireless directory, and just three in 10 support the creation of such a directory.

Earlier this year at The Yankee Group’s Wireless Leadership Summit in New York, Denny Strigl, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless said, “As an industry, we should be proud of our strong record to date to proactively preserve customers’ privacy in an intrusive world. Our industry has surrounded customers’ information with a wall of privacy. Why would we want to tear down that wall - that unique advantage we provide - that we have spent two decades fortifying? Let’s - as an industry - stop pushing something on customers that they clearly don’t want. It’s a dumb idea.”

The survey, conducted by TNS and sponsored by TRUSTe, also revealed that more than half of mobile phone users (53%) are against the establishment of a nationwide directory of wireless numbers. The survey, which polled 1,068 consumers, also indicated that 56 percent would opt-out of publishing their numbers.

Verizon Wireless has vowed not to publish or make available customers’ wireless phone numbers for a directory. And since Verizon Wireless’ customer base is 42 million strong and growing, a directory that does not include Verizon Wireless’ customers would be incomplete and of little value.

Verizon Wireless has long been the only consumer advocate in the industry to fight to preserve wireless customers’ privacy and control over their bills and unwanted calls. Customers view cell phones as one place they don’t face intrusions from telemarketers and other unwanted, unsolicited calls and messages. As its competitors continued to push for a wireless directory, Verizon Wireless is changing its customer contracts to proactively state that Verizon Wireless does not provide customers’ phone numbers for listing in directories.

Verizon Wireless is the industry leader when it comes to providing its customers with the best experience – from providing the most reliable wireless network in the nation to advocating for less wireless taxation and more customer choice. Last month, the company eliminated 100 percent of the portion of its monthly Regulatory Charge associated with Local Number Portability (LNP) – an industry initiative where Verizon Wireless paved the way for consumers to simply and easily switch their wireless or wireline phone numbers to another wireless service provider. The company also supports several ongoing efforts to fight extraneous taxation on its customers, such as www.stopaddingtomybill.com.

http://news.vzw.com/news/2004/12/pr2004-12-09b.html

[EdwardP]

This is an excellent move on Verizon's part.