# Infone

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**Infone** was a service launched by [Metro One Telecommunications](/source/Metro_One_Telecommunications) in 2003.[1] The service was discontinued effective December 14, 2005.

## How it worked

Infone included [directory assistance](/source/Directory_assistance) and other services via a [toll-free](/source/Toll-free) phone number. A user could call 888-411-1111 to request directory assistance, directions, traffic information, movie times, call completion, dinner reservation assistance and other services.

Infone provided a number of innovative 411 '[concierge](/source/Concierge)'-like services, including movie listings from a live operator, and offered a feature where they could provide information from a linked [Microsoft Outlook](/source/Microsoft_Outlook) calendar when set up in advance. For a period of time they advertised heavily on U.S. television, featuring ads with then [Governor of Minnesota](/source/Governor_of_Minnesota) [Jesse Ventura](/source/Jesse_Ventura), emphasizing their use of all U.S. based operators. The price offered was $0.89 per call up to 15 minutes (for use when the operator connects you to the requested number, as well as for additional information requests afterwards), with $0.05 for each additional minute, making Infone also a competitively priced long-distance service. New users received 5–10 free calls.

Infone identified a registered user (along with billing information; the service was only payable by credit card) by caller ID (numbers were registered on signing up) and by an advanced voiceprint recognition system (VPRS) from [SpeechWorks](/source/SpeechWorks) that identified the user when the user called from an unregistered telephone number (or no caller ID) through the use of a personal phrase spoken by the user (e.g., "Hello Infone!") after the welcome tone.

## References

1. ["Metro One launches 'Infone' service"](https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2003/05/26/daily4.html). [American City Business Journals](/source/American_City_Business_Journals). May 27, 2003.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Infone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infone) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infone?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.