Wireless Directory Assistance (DA) is a virtual directory that offers a fast way to get directory-dependent applications online. It is a multi-billion dollar industry that has a window of opportunity to develop and offer a higher value and more flexible services to subscribers. With billion of calls to DA, approximately a third of which generated by wireless users, it has become the cash cow of telecommunications carriers.
Virtual Directories
Virtual directories are not unlike meta-directories. User data can be accessed from different repositories. Meta-directories copy data into a new repository that needs to be created, maintained and synchronized. Updating data can be very difficult especially when there is frequent change in source directories data. Business units may find the idea of creating a second repository for customer data objectionable since it will be outside of their control. Virtual directories can access the attributes requested from each directory or database on the fly. A cache is used by the software to speed performance but data doesnt usually get to be scored locally. Virtual directory deployments cost substantially less than other...