TDS, the company that introduced the Yellow Pages, has officially changed its name to Trudon.
With the new name comes a new direction and new services, and what the company's GM for online search and new media, Lionel Smith, says is a “fresh approach to business”.
“As we entered the online and new media space, we thought it important to also change our name as we start afresh, and thus Trudon was born,” says Smith.
According to Trudon MD, Thabo Seopa: “Trudon is a new multi-platform information company, with the aim to provide fresh and relevant information to customers 24/7, 365 days a week.”
The company has also unveiled Trudon Mobile, a localised information service combining directory services, weather information, news, sport, maps, as well as a host of other content in a single bundle accessible via cellphones.
Seopa says because mobile penetration in SA is higher than online penetration, the company had to adapt to service the needs of consumers and bring online content to handheld devices.
Trudon partnered with Stockholm-based MobilePeople to bring this service to local shores. Content is currently hosted on a database in Stockholm, but plans are to move it locally, as the services matures and adoption grows.
Seopa says the new services will not replace the current online Yellow and White Pages, or the 10118 business directory service, but will extend it to cellphone users, with more possibilities and functionality included.
“As we develop new services, we will unveil them - such as traffic alerts to inform users about congestion on the roads - as well as to give users the opportunity to even generate their own content from their WAP-enabled cellphones,” Smith concludes.
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