COMMUNICATIONS specialist Equatel is poised to launch a revolutionary telephone globally.

Trials are being carried out in eight African countries on Equatel's public phone, which allows people to communicate in rural areas of countries in the developing world.

Now the Newcastle company intends to expand to other continents, including South America, Asia and the Indian sub-continent.

Equatel's public phone uses a mobile SIM card and can work in places where regular handsets do not have reception. It can use solar-powered panels for areas with limited electricity supply.

Stuart Bell, managing director of Equatel and co-founder of £130m computer components firm Mobilx, said the African mobile market was expanding rapidly, but handsets remained expensive.

He said: "Equatel's SIM Public Phone is really a global solution by bringing affordable and widespread telecoms into the daily lives of people who live in remote areas with no landlines.

"It will allow them to communicate with their family or, most importantly, begin to communicate and trade with the outside world to improve their local economy.

"Cellular operators can enable coverage across the globe, but these people have no means to buy a mobile handset as they are still a luxury item."

Equatel's phone was launched in Africa 18 months ago and is undergoing trials in Benin, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia.

Mr Bell said: "We are now ready to enter new markets and will begin visiting countries in South America and India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to promote the SIM Public Phone as the global answer to cellular communications."

For more information, visit www.equatel.com