Local search with mobile in India
You are driving back home and think of getting some flower for your wife. Now how do you find out a good florist at that goddamned place? Well a number of local search providers on the mobile are trying to solve the problem for you.
Local search can be accessed in 3 different formats: over the phone, through your mobile browser and through sms.
Voice based local search: Basically you call up a number and the service provider gives you the required information. This method is really helpful when you need the information right now. However you might have to wait for sometime to get to the operator.
The players
| Player | coverage | Contact Number | Call Rate | Service quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justdial | 220 cities | 69999999 | Local call rates | Excellent |
| 2 cities (Hyderabad, Delhi) | 1-800-41-999-999 | Toll Free | I don’t know |
sms based local search
Those times when you do not want to stand in a queue to talk to an operator, you should try local search through sms. You send the search string to a short code as sms and get back the results as sms. To use the service effectively, you need to know the short code and the format for sending the search string.
The Players
| Player | Coverage | Shortcode | Cost | Sample Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justdial | 42 cities | 53999 | Vodafone, Airtel, BPL, Idea, Aircel, Reliance, Spice - INR 3/- per message | MTNL Mumbai-INR 1/-per message, BSNL - INR 0.80/1 per message | |
| Asklaila | Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkatta | 58989 | VodaFone (Rs 3.00) and Reliance (Rs 3.00). | |
| Onyomo | Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkatta | 53456 | Rs1 - Rs 3 | FIND keyword location city |









Gyani is another SMS based service .. can be used literally for anything..
GYANI send to 56677
Thanks for the tip Ravi. I shall include it in the main post soon…
Leave your response!
Recent Posts
Blogroll
Categories