It appears to the Director that the conclusion reached by the MMC is still valid. It appears to the Director that operator-assisted classified directory services form part of the market for classified directory advertising services. Both offer the end-user the ability to locate the name and number of a relevant supplier free of charge. A business considering whether to advertise in one or both types of directory will know that the end-user will not face different costs in accessing either type. Both types of service are funded by charges to the advertisers.
Basic listing is free to all business users of both types of service.
It is only for a more prominent listing that additional advertising charges apply. With paper based directory services a prominent listing takes the form of a display or bold advertisement. Where a business has not paid any extra advertising charges and only has a basic listing, it will only have its name read out to an end-user by default. The payment of additional advertising charges appears to be equivalent to payment for an additional bold entry or larger advertisement in a printed directory, both are designed to attract the caller to that particular business subscriber. On the supply-side, it appears to the Director that the need for a database is common to both the printed and the operator assisted service.