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MobileNXT hopes to revolutionise mobile handset retailing in India through both backend efficiency and frontend service

Clumsy and cluttered display shelves. Dusty pamphlets. Small feature lists. Even smaller price cards. It's a bleak experience if you dare venture into the typical dingy shop selling mobile phones.

To top it all, that neat little phone on display often doesn't work. It may as well be tied down with some form of harness.

Now, just imagine walking into a store, and taking your own sweet time looking through a wide range of options, and that too without the presence of an over-excited salesman trying to coax you one way or the other.

Well, such things are known to happen in the real world. It's called organised retailing, something the Indian shopper has sorely missed all these years.

MobileNXT Teleservices, which aims to become India's largest chain of mobile stores, hopes to usher in a wave of change. Conceptualised by first generation entrepreneurs Romy Juneja and Vijay Menon, MobileNXT, as the name suggests, aspires to revolutionise the process of acquiring a mobile phone, mobile services, accessories and value added services.

It is a one-stop-shop that will offer a host of telecom products and services. Simply put, no more running from one priority dealer to another, collecting leaflets and prices and then haggling over the best offer.

Beginning with three outlets in Gurgaon, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, the plan is to cross the 150-outlets mark in three years. This would mean going all the way to India's tier II and III cities as well, where handsets are sold out of briefcases by the roadside.

Juneja and Romy have quit their jobs with Motorola to live their dream. "It was no small step," says Juneja, "Besides, India is a brand- and price-conscious market."

What sets MobileNXT apart is that it is not just another retail franchisee for Nokia, Sony Ericsson or LG. It is a "tier I" partner for manufacturers, which works on a distribution model of fewer layers. This spells efficiency; in fact, this market is waiting for a Dell-like business that thrives on fast throughput.

Also, there will be after-sales service, plus a handset exchange facility. But the best attraction of all, worthy enough to form the crux of its marketing pitch, would perhaps be its "cashless download" service.

"Each of our stores will have an interactive kiosk where you can listen to more than 18,000 ringtones and songs, and even download music via a Bluetooth network," says Juneja. The retail chain is also planning kiosks that would permit downloads from various other operators (though for a price).