BellSouth, SBC Communications purchase of YellowPages.com

<p>BellSouth Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. say the planned joint purchase of www.YellowPages.com, Inc. will help the two companies tap into the growing number of Internet-savvy customers who want to find phone numbers online.</p><p>Atlanta-based BellSouth and San Antonio-based SBC, which previously created a joint venture with the cell phone company Cingular, announced Thursday they have entered into another plan with their phone directory affiliates to purchase www.YellowPages.com.</p><p>"This venture will help us better meet the needs of today's growing pool of Internet users who are looking for easy, accurate, local services," said Dennis M. Payne, SBC president and CEO, in a statement.</p><p>While print yellow pages remain a major source of information, more and more people are turning to the Internet instead of phone books or dialing directory assistance, which charges a fee.</p><p>Advertisers also are noticing that trend and are buying both online and print media ads for phone directories.</p><p>The companies will be able to pool strong consumer traffic from www.YellowPages.com, SBC's SMARTpages.com and BellSouth's RealPages.com, Payne said.</p><p>Accuracy with online directories is key because many of the directories have been fraught with inaccuracies, said telecom analyst Jeff Kagan of Marietta, Ga.</p><p>That's because online companies, sometimes far removed from the phone companies that keep records of new listings or canceled numbers, don't always receive updated information for months and even years, Kagan said.</p><p>The new www.YellowPages.com likely will have very accurate information because the Web site will be in the hands of the two phone companies and could create pressure for other online directories to try to increase the quality of their listings, the analyst said.</p><p>"It's a good idea," Kagan said. "I'm sure it will benefit Cingular. Not every phone company is going in that direction."</p><p>The new venture will be headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., with operations in Henderson, Nev.</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x2864d04)</p><p>HASH(0x2864dac)</p><p>HASH(0x2864e90)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/11/157451