


In 1962, direct-dialed long-distance directory assistance became available.
#411 MEANING FULL#
When long-distance numbers were needed, prior to the full introduction of direct-dialed long-distance service, callers would call either 4-1-1 or "0" ( Operator) and request a free long-distance connection to the directory assistance center in the distant city. In Canada and the United States, directory assistance was historically a local function, and most companies updated listings at their directory assistance centers frequently, sometimes daily. However, in smaller Bell System cities and almost all areas served by GTE and other companies where step-by-step equipment was the norm such as Los Angeles, 1-1-3 was used until at least the 1960s, and in some cases (the Pacific Northwest, for example) until the mid-1980s. The number has been used since at least 1930 in New York City, San Francisco, and other large cities where panel and crossbar switching equipment installed by the Bell System was prevalent. 4 Landline telephone directory assistance.2 The relationship between 4-1-1, 1-1-3, and long-distance dialing.
