IBM unveils 'yellow pages' on mobile phones

New Delhi, Sep 17: IBM has unveiled its business finder technology, which offers live and dynamic 'yellow pages' for consumers who use mobile telephones.

The business finder technology empowers a consumer to find and use the nearest, most highly rated and available service vendors like plumbers, electricians, carpenters or doctors.

''The business finder technology combines sophisticated geographic information system (GIS) applications and data analysis with mobile telephone networks to provide information, wherever and whenever, to a consumer who is looking for a specific near-by service. This technology has the potential to provide significant benefits to both consumers and businesses of all sizes,'' said IBM India Research Laboratory Director Daniel M Dias.

It provides uniform search capability over both 'mobile' businesses and vendors such as taxis and plumbers and 'static' businesses and vendors including stores and gas stations.

It combines various attributes including location, reputation, dynamic workload and feedback from consumers to 'matchmake' consumers with the closest available service vendors.

The underlying technology, developed by IBM's India Research Laboratory (IRL), allows telecommunications service providers to track and update data sources including mobility, presence and reputation of service vendors.

In addition to service industries, the technology also has a potential to be applied to other industries including transportation and logistics, utilities, healthcare and manufacturing.

The technology's matchmaking solution brings various opportunities not only for telecommunications service providers but also for one-man businesses and consumers in India.

The technology could either be hosted by an individual network operator (telecommunications service provider) or can cut across different operators. In the former case, it can be marketed by the operator as a differentiating value-added service to its consumer base.

In the latter case, the business finder application would be a third-party service that draws its consumer base and its mobile vendor workforce from a number of telecommunications operators.

Located in Delhi and Bangalore, IBM India Research Lab (IRL) is engaged in advanced technologies and collaborative innovation initiatives with customers, academic institutions and other partners while deepening the understanding of social, cultural, economic and technological drivers around the world.

UNI