The imminent end of Deutsche Telekom’s telephone information service is raising concerns from the social association VdK. This leaves “mainly poor, older people and people with disabilities behind,” criticized association president Verena Bentele on Tuesday.
“There are still many who cannot afford a smartphone or computer.” Other people have difficulty using technology or there is a lack of barrier-free options. “These people will be cut off from important information and information by switching off telephone information.” The VdK calls for analogue alternatives to be made available in parallel to digital offerings and to be secured in the long term.
Telekom wants to discontinue its information and wake-up service on December 1, 2024 – domestically it is 11833 and abroad it is 11834. The company justified the shutdown with the rapid decline in demand – in 1995 it was said to have been 550 million There have been inquiries, but there are now fewer than two million per year. From the landline network you will be charged just under two euros per minute; in mobile communications there may be deviations from this per minute price.
The information business, in which people answer calls and answer questions, is, according to the company, “out of date” and loss-making; a service provider from Pasewalk works for the Bonn group. Telekom wants to invest the saved financial resources “in future-proof infrastructures such as fiber optic and mobile networks as well as in digital services”.
The Magenta Group points out that more than 80 percent of citizens in Germany now use a smartphone, and computers and tablets can also be used for online searches. However, from December onwards, anyone who is offline can call the competitor’s information services, such as 11880, or use the good old telephone book – provided you still have it and the copy for the city from which you have a number needs.
