Paid telephone directory services in Belgium will soon have to state the highest possible call charge at the very start of every call, with billing only beginning after a beep.
The new rule has been approved by Telecommunications Minister Vanessa Matz and Consumer Protection Minister Rob Beenders, the two ministers said on Saturday.
It will take effect a few days after it is published in the Belgian Official Gazette.
Under the measure, callers must be told immediately what the highest applicable tariff is, even when the price can vary depending on the telephone operator.
The introductory message must also make clear that charging starts only after the sound signal, giving customers time to hang up if they do not wish to continue and be billed.
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Paid directory enquiry services include numbers such as 1307, known as 1207 in Flanders, and 1313, known as 1212 in Flanders. The first is operated by Proximus and the second by private company EDA.
These services allow callers to obtain the landline or mobile number of a business, public authority or listed private individual. In some cases, they can also be connected directly to the contact they are seeking.
Although the rise of the internet and search engines has sharply reduced the use of telephone directory services, the ministers said they still serve an important purpose.
They said the services remain particularly valuable for many older people and for those who are less comfortable using digital tools.
Proximus, the long-standing operator in this market, said its 1307 and 1207 services are still widely used.
“There are around 750,000 calls a year if we include requests for national and international numbers,” said Proximus spokesman Haroun Fenaux.
He said callers range from someone in a car trying to reach a local pizzeria to customers who are unable to search online. He added that the company receives very few complaints about the service.
Citing a 2021 study by the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications, Beenders said an estimated one in four people still use paid numbers to look up contact details.
He warned, however, that the cost of a call can rise quickly if a person stays on the line for several minutes.
