CubicTelecom global expansion sees it launch in Hong Kong

19 July, 2009

The Cork-based company, which sells discount mobile phone sim cards, is to embark on a series of product and partnership launches over the next three months, which include new services in Brazil and Thailand.

‘‘We have 20 new launches scheduled in the next three months, including a large deal with an Irish organisation," said Pat Phelan, founder of the company.

Cubic employs 15 people in its Cork and Dublin offices. It added two staff last week.

The Hong Kong service sees the launch of a new mobile phone sim card based on Cubic’s discount product, Maxroam. The new card, called Buzzroam, will be managed by Global Roaming Solutions.

‘‘The customers of business travellers to Hong Kong will now be able to contact them for the price of a local call," said Stuart Cloete, managing director of Global Roaming Solutions. ‘‘Americans get an American number, British customers get a British number and they all go direct to a single mobile phone, an international phone network all on one Sim card."

Phelan said that the company’s latest launch in Hong Kong would primarily target Asian travellers.

‘‘Asians are pummelled on their mobile phone bills when they travel to Europe," Cloete said.

‘‘They pay an average of between €6 and €7 per minute.

‘‘To that end, our partner, Global Roaming Solutions, has a strong relationship with the Hong Kong Airport Authority.

‘‘I would expect the sim cards to be sold in Hong Kong airport and other Chinese airports shortly."

Phelan said that Cubic Telecom was aggressively expanding its service worldwide.

‘‘Our next national launch will be in Brazil and we’re very interested in covering more of Asia, especially Thailand and China," he said. ‘‘We’re trying to turn CubicTelecom into one of the world’s biggest mobile virtual network aggregators."

‘‘Seventy-eight per cent of our business is outside Europe. We’ve done very well in the US. We launched in Australia seven weeks ago and, so far, it’s flying."

Cubic’s existing Maxroam product is a sim card designed to help mobile phone users save money on calls while roaming abroad.

The Sim card provides users with a Dublin phone number that they can only use with an unlocked phone.

The company has built a virtual platform that can be adapted to any brand. It offers its services in 200 countries, targeting individual consumers and corporate customers. It plans to expand its service range shortly to include mobile data usage.

Founded by Phelan, Cubic Telecom’s investors include Bernard Murphy, Declan O’Donoghue and Adrian McNamara.

Source: Adrian Weckler The Sunday Business post