In Brazil, a startup company, founded and funded by China, is helping customers save money when they make mobile phone calls.

CCTV America’s Paulo Cabral has the story of Mobocity.

Cell phones with multiple SIM cards are popular in Brazil. They give callers a choice of different services which can save them money depending on the network. But the phone number alone does not identify the cheapest network so people don’t often know which SIM card to use.

Chinese entrepreneur Zhen Zhang noticed the problem when he came to study for an MBA in Brazil – and saw a business opportunity in it.

Understanding the needs of consumers and fulfilling them is key for the success of pretty much any business, but probably even more so in the case of startups. And saving money is something every consumer wants.

He launched a startup company and created an app – called Mobobox – to help consumers decide which network to use for each call.

The business, aimed at lower middle class consumers, claimed to have signed up two million active users.

Mobocity’s software development happens in China and most of the investment comes from there. A local team handles operations and market development in Brazil for this and other projects.

Talita Lombardi, COO for Mobocity said at present the company is more interested in engagement with users than bottom line profit.

“We also have a second app, called Mobonus, in which our users get bonuses to make more phone calls if they complete tasks like using certain apps or visiting websites we suggest,” Lombardi said. “The most important thing for our Chinese investors now is how many users we manage to have connected to our platform.”

In these tough economic times in Brazil, every cent counts. And helping consumers to save them money can be a good business.