Desi startups

The website also provides links to reviews on each phone and also multiple online sellers, listing the price differences on each website. "It has become very difficult to decide which phone to buy because of the overwhelming choice -- over 500 phones were launched in India by just the major brands in the last two years. I believe PhoneCurry addresses this basic problem," explains Sahil Bajaj, Founder & CEO, PhoneCurry. "We do not stock or sell phones, but provide 'buy now' links to nine top e-retailers. Because we get price feeds from all these retail partners we are also able to identify the 'best price' for every phone," says Bajaj, explaining that his revenue model revolves around ad tie-ups with mobile manufacturers and retailers.

3gsimplified

Once you have decided on a phone, the chances are you will be confused about which plan to go for. 3gsimplified tells you which data card or mobile phone plans are the best for you according to your usage parameters. The website is very easy to use and also tells you which service provider is more cost effective. You can even narrow down the search by omitting service providers or stipulating the price range. The searches are customised for all states in India and are hence very specific. The website also have a great blog which tends to clear common doubts on 3G services, wi-fi hotspots and so on.

"We had moved back from the US and were confronted by our first problem when we went out to get a mobile plan. Getting a mobile phone and a connection was really simple. However choosing the right plan was befuddling. There is the problem of many operators, But even if you decide on just one operator say Airtel – the number of plans, rate cutters, top-ups is confusing. Plus the pricing is complex – a simple phone call can be charged at 6 different rates based on who you call and when… We thus built an engine which can compare mobile plans and other telecom services," explain founders Ankit Chhajer and Jigar Doshi of Chennai-based Cheeni Labs.

... contd.

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