Times of India has launched Times Infoline, a teleinfo service in Bangalore. Like Justdial, the service will give you information about products/services etc via telephonic service and is currently available only in Bangalore (080-44333333).
The details of the service aren’t yet known (i.e. if the data is only from Times’ Yellow page service or includes other partners?), but one often wonders why launch of a service in a space which has been commoditized (and has scaling challenges). Most importantly, why is this being pitched as ‘Times of India’ service and not Times Group (just for brand awareness?)?
A look at the past and even after all the funding in technology startups, Justdial emerges as an unbeatable warrior in local search space, which is mostly dominated by voice search and less of Internet searches (though Google has shut down voice search in India). The truth behind online local search service is that they aren’t yet monetized to an extent voice search is (i.e. a track able lead generation model) and that’s probably why Times has taken the old school route.
If you have more info on Times of India’s service (especially the data partners), feel free to share in the comment section (or via the contact form).
Recommended Read: Facts & Myths in Indian Local Search Space [Insights from an Insider]
