The booming mobile phone market - with its hundreds of deals, products and promotions - can be confusing at the best of times. But a website launched by Melbourne company MobileSelect plans to do what the mortgage market has been doing for years: help consumers find the deal that best suits them.
The free service has access to 74 different handsets and more than 450 plans from five service providers on its database, which is expected to swell once the website becomes more established.
Founder and managing director Kim Wingerei said when it comes to mobile phones, most consumers just want the phone to make calls and SMS - not to log on to the internet, take photos or watch music videos.
"All of those additional features can get very confusing and get in the way of the normal function of the phone," Mr Wingerei said.
The information on the site is free and covers all kinds of plans from pre-paid to low contract, with the company getting a fixed commission if customers buy from the website.
"Our business model is that of a broker in that the service we provide is free for consumers," Mr Wingerei said. "Our recommendations are unbiased and only based on what the consumer is looking for."
He said most consumers did not have an accurate idea of the value of a phone and were often swayed by additional features or functions. Mr Wingerei said the website would "demystify" the industry, which sells around 750,000 handsets nationally each month.
MobileSelect is working on getting Vodafone to sign on, but has secured Telstra, 3G, Virgin, Orange and SimPlus, a subsidiary of Optus.
The site, which took 12 months to develop, is also planning to launch a mobile phone plan calculator early in the new year. "That really is the holy grail for us as it will provide a recommendation, given the customer's calling habits," Mr Wingerei said.
Bridie Smith