Consolidated Communications announces plans to phase out Operator Services division
Bob Currey, President and CEO, said the decision to phase out the business was necessitated by industry trends and downward pricing pressure.
“We’ve been in this business for 116 years and it’s not easy to step away, but we have seen enormous change in the industry, especially in the last few years, and it is no longer a sustainable business for us. Our competitors are moving their operator centers off-shore, making it difficult to compete on price.
And, consumers today have more choices for directory assistance, with cell phones and the Internet, so usage of traditional operator services is down,” said Currey.
Along with providing directory assistance for Consolidated Communication’s local phone customers, COS markets wholesale services to long distance carriers and telephone companies and retail services to corporations, resellers and payphone operators. The business unit employs 30 full-time and 69 part-time people in
“We know the impact on our
Consolidated Communications residential customers should notice no changes as Directory Assistance and