Wednesday, April 1, 1998 | 10:12 a.m.
Lost?
Don't worry. If you call and tell them where you want to go, Sprint operators will give you directions to get there -- for a buck and a quarter.
It's the company's proposed Locator Service, which is expected to be on line on May 14 pending approval from the Public Utilities Commission.
Commissioners are expected to issue an order approving the new service at their Thursday meeting.
The service, which would be available throughout Clark County, would provide directions from one location to another. Operators also will give information even if a caller doesn't have a specific name or address, such as directions to the nearest pizza parlor.
To access the service, callers would dial 567-8787 (LOST R US).
Sprint officials said they have safeguarded the service to ensure customer privacy.
"We won't give directions to people with unpublished numbers unless the person requesting gives us the specific address," said Vince Alberta, a spokesman for Sprint.
Alberta added that the deadline for the next Sprint directory, to be published in July, has an April 10 deadline for newcomers wanting to be unpublished.
The service will be available for Sprint residential customers and businesses with PBX switches that have individual agreements with the company. Service users will get a line item per call on their bills. The Locator Service won't be available from pay phones.
Sprint will equip two operator work stations with a personal computer with special mapping software to offer the service, according to a Public Utilities Commission analysis of the proposal. In addition to two software mapping programs, operators will use the Clark County Geographic Information System data base and a standard industry code data base to pinpoint addresses.
The PUC indicated there have been no complaints filed on the pending service, which was presented to the commission in February. The deadline for filing protests past last week.
Alberta said Sprint could begin operating the service 90 days from the Feb. 13 filing date unless the PUC calls for a hearing.
The service has been classified as competitive, since a number of agencies and service stations can provide directions. In addition, electronic mapping software is available in some rental cars and on the Internet.
The $1.25 charge per inquiry would only be assessed if the requested information is available.
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