Communication in transition
Why the information will soon no longer be available
Outdated like the telephone? If you have any questions, 11833 will soon no longer be able to help you by phone.
© ddp images
The smartphone plays an important role in most people’s lives. Telephone information, on the other hand, is a relic from days gone by.
I was supposed to call Mrs. Schmidt again, but what was the number again? The various telephone information services in Germany have been able to help with such questions over the past decades. It doesn’t matter whether you contacted the “Helferline” 11833 or received help at 11880.
“Do you know this? You urgently and unexpectedly need information? No matter whether you are looking for a telephone number at home or abroad, need an emergency pharmacy near you or need an address: Call us,” it says at the moment still on the Telekom website. However, the telecommunications company will discontinue its 11833 offer at the end of the year. In a blog post Telekom recently announced the “end of an era”. It ends on December 1st.
Why will Telekom information soon no longer be available?
The reason for the discontinuation is very simple: the information service is hardly used anymore. Telekom also reports how much the numbers have fallen. In 1995, 550 million calls were received. Since then, demand has fallen by an average of around 20 percent annually – in around 30 years by a total of more than 99.6 percent. Today there are less than two million inquiries left.
“The offer is out of date,” says in-house expert Thomas Zähringer. “Digital services on cell phones have simply outstripped information.” As Telekom itself states, many younger people are probably no longer familiar with the information service. Why is it that the number of the pizzeria around the corner or the pharmacy emergency service can be found quickly in the browser – or are no longer needed at all, because many things can be done directly via the app. And a wake-up call is also becoming obsolete for many people, as the alarm clock app on their smartphone is just a tap away.
Older people also use their cell phones
But it’s not just younger people who rely on their smartphones, older generations are also increasingly turning to the devices. According to a survey by the industry association Bitkom last year, the proportion of people in Germany who can be reached via mobile is 87 percent. At this point, 48 percent of people over 65 were already using a smartphone, while 33 percent relied on an old-fashioned cell phone. And they didn’t just make phone calls with the devices either. “It’s not just about staying in touch with friends and family, but also about expanding your own knowledge and keeping up with digital progress,” explained Sophie Vogt-Hohenlinde, expert for digital participation at Bitkom, last week Summer in a press release.
What’s next?
People who continue to rely on telephone information will get help from competitors in the future. Telekom also openly refers to “the numbers of alternative information services”. The Federal Network Agency offers on its website a long list of assigned information phone numbers – including 11880, for which Verona Pooth (56) once crooned her legendary “You’ll be helped” slogan into the camera.
In general, however, demand is likely to have fallen sharply. As early as 2012 there were reports that the industry was continuing to shrink. According to one “SZ” article from September 2021 11880 still received around 6,000 inquiries every day. In 2018, media reports said there were an average of 10,000 to 12,000 callers per day; previously there were up to half a million. How long will such offers be worthwhile for other providers besides Telekom? The information center probably doesn’t have a solid answer to this at the moment.