Companies to predict change in mobile use

Two Adelaide companies have joined forces to develop patented systems that will help the telecommunications industry predict the changing habits of mobile phone users in Australia.

Mobile services company m.Net Corporation and the University of Adelaide's commercial development arm, Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty Ltd (ARI), have signed an agreement to commercialise the jointly developed intellectual property.

The team received an Australian Research Council (ARC) linkage grant in 2004 for a project valued at $458,000 to develop new approaches to psychological user profiling in the telecommunications industry. The results are now the subject of a provisional patent.

m.Net Corporation Director of Research Dr Marisa Mackay said the new approach to user profiling would eliminate labour-intensive manual coding and identify a more personalised, multi-category approach to identify user behaviours.

Research Fellow Dr Dan Navarro, from the University of Adelaide's School of Psychology, said the new technology incorporated innovative psychological modelling.

"When completed, the components of the research should make it possible to provide accurate product recommendations based on how specific users behave over time," Mr Navarro said.

ARI Deputy Director Dr Elaine Stead said that the commercialisation agreement illustrated the benefits of collaboration between the private and academic sectors.

"The m.Net work has real-world commercial applications," Dr Stead said. "The project provides our students with an opportunity to work at the leading edge of a global industry that is moving at a fast pace."

Story by Candy Gibson