AT&T has launched a new directory assistance service available across nine Southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The service, called AT&T 1-800-YellowPages, gives consumers free access to business listings while providing advertisers the opportunity to reach buyers at a critical moment in their purchasing decisions.

The new service, which was first launched in California in July, enables callers who dial 1-800-YellowPages (1-800-935-5697) to receive a listing for a specific business, or listings for a type or category of business, at no cost. Callers will hear short audio ads before receiving the number or, when available, before being connected directly to the business that they select. The service is accessible from landline and wireless phones of any type.

"AT&T 1-800-YellowPages works like an audio Yellow Pages to give callers free access to local and nationwide business listing information from any phone, 24/7," said David S. Huntley, senior vice president of AT&T Customer Information Services. "After our successful deployment of 1-800-YellowPages in California earlier this year, we are excited about expanding this service to residents in these nine additional states. For area businesses, we're helping them reach potential customers who are in need of a service and are ready to make a purchasing decision."