TECHNOLOGY: MAXROAM SIM CARDS AND PHONES The iPhone may have grabbed the column inches this year but how innovative is it really? Phones that can surf the web, connect to Wi-Fi networks, play digital music and run computer-like applications may be relatively rare in the US but such devices have been in European shops for years.
Apple's real innovation was in marketing the iPhone - queues formed outside US shops in advance of its launch last summer even though there was no shortage of stock. As usual Apple also applied its skills in user interface to make the product far easier to use than the competition.
One of the real innovations in mobile technology this year came from Cubic Telecom, a Cork company that has garnered far less coverage in the mainstream press than Apple. Cubic this year launched MaxRoam, the brand name for a range of SIM cards and mobile phones which are designed to significantly cut roaming charges when travelling abroad. When you travel you simply swap one of the MaxRoam cards into your phone (or buy one of their Pirelli-manufactured handsets) and people can call you on a local number that you have registered in that country. Each card can have up to 50 virtual numbers and numbers are currently available in 42 countries from regular destinations such as the US and UK to more exotic countries such as Venezuela, Peru and Guatemala.
Cubic founder Pat Phelan has also taken an innovative approach to marketing. While MaxRoam was in development he took to the skys attending conferences and meetings in the US, Israel and Europe to meet other telecoms innovators such as JaJah, Global Roaming and Meebo. On his return to Cork he blogged regularly about what he sees as the great telecoms rip-off. As a result some of the leading commentators in the sector are referencing Phelan, his blog and his company. He even managed to score a slot for Cubic at Techcrunch 40, the coveted Silicon Valley start-up showcase which is hugely influential in securing funding and partnerships in the tech epicentre. When you have just €5 million in funding and are trying to take on the likes of Vodafone, Telefonica backed O2, and Deutsche Telecom's T-Mobile you've got to ensure you get the biggest bang for your marketing buck and Phelan has proven to be a past master at that.
MaxRoam is still very much a version 1.0 product and Phelan has sometimes over promised what the company can deliver. But for having a global vision, taking on the big boys, getting out there and delivering a product, Cubic Telecom deserves recognition. An honourable mention should also go to Google's applications for mobile - Gmail and Google Maps, which has just been released with a version that automatically guesses your location. By creating easy to use highly performing applications that any mobile phone with Java on board can run, Google have sent a signal to the mobile industry that it may be able to extend its dominance of the internet to the wireless world.
