Your mobile phone bill will never be the same again

Mobile network operator Orange has promised to shake up billing by next month introducing a price plan which lets users tailor their own package of services.

'Your Plan' will offer combinations of a set amount of time for voice calls, discounted bundles of SMS text messages and MMS messages, specific WAP page access and related services such as insurance and the Wildfire virtual PA.

David Taylor, UK commercial director, told silicon.com: "This is a radical overhaul but it is all about making things simple for our customers."

In the UK at the moment there are several hundred price plans on offer from the five network operators, with additional mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) set to create more options.

Orange denied its new plan will actually mean several million unique price plans. For one thing, if existing users don't customise their accounts - done by phoning a free customer service number - they will remain on their current plans.

Fast data services will still be sold as add-ons, which in the case of GPRS will mean so many MB for a set fee per month.

Orange's Taylor said the new structure should increase all important ARPU - average revenue per user - by getting callers to use features such as WAP and MMS available with their handsets.