• The New York Times, Thursday, September 27, 2007 11:15 AM

Cubic Telecom, a small Irish company, is releasing what it's calling the first global mobile phone in early October. It makes calls to or from 214 countries for 50% to 90% off what the big carriers charge. Cubic is also offering a service at MaxRoam.com, where consumers can obtain phone numbers in up to 50 cities that overseas friends can use to call their cell phone at local rates.

Cubic's cheap global dialing has nothing to do with the $140 phone. The magic is in the SIM card, the memory card that determines a customer's account information. For $40, they can buy the card without the phone and slip it into any "unlocked" GSM phone, such as those used in the U.S. by T-Mobile or AT&T phone.

Cubic's plans are ambitious, disruptive and incomplete. Several pieces of its system have yet to be slipped into place, including tech support, customer service, documentation, data plans and domestic calling rates.

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