Mobile Bill Advisor

Lets face it — with the multitude of plans and deals that cell phone companies offer, the confusion caused is limitless. Which plan do you opt for? Which service provider do you choose? Could you save a little on your bills by choosing something else? These questions always frustrate all of us to wits end. Most times you go by what a friend advises or by what you believe is the best plan depending on your usage pattern. But don’t you wish there was a scientific way to make an informed decision? Well, it looks like there is hope. Mathematicians and scientific advisers from Oxford University have helped develop a price comparison web site for mobile phone users. Of course, the web site and tool caters only to the UK mobile market, but something similar or based on it could easily be adapted for India.

The web site – BillMonitor – is accredited by the communications regulator, Ofcom. The UK market seems to be highly complex as it offers consumers over three million deals on over 1,19,078 tariffs. But the web site considers only a few of the plans on offer. Consumers supply their bill details and the web site churns out a recommendation. It makes money off the recommendation, but doesn’t charge the consumers anything. In UK too, numerous complaints related to cell phones and other services such as broadband and digital television are received. Ofcom, the regulator, has previously accredited web sites in these sectors too. Maybe the TRAI could take a cue and launch an unbiased web site for us too.