Cingular Wireless has introduced new international calling and roaming plans for people who call or travel out of the country frequently.

“Our new Cingular World packages are designed to offer our customers cost- effective wireless calling solutions whether they are traveling abroad or calling people outside of the U.S.,” said David Christopher, vice president of product management for Cingular Wireless. “These packages, together with our global GSM network — the most commonly used wireless technology worldwide — allow our customers to take their Cingular service and compatible wireless devices with them as they explore the world.”

Cingular World Connect costs $3.99 per month and allows international direct dialing at discounted rates. For instance, calls to Mexico are $0.09 per minute and calls to the UK are $0.06 per minute ($0.25 to mobiles).

In addition, now you can take your Cingular phone with you when you travel out of the country. If you travel to Canada or Mexico, check out the Cingular Canada and Cingular Mexico plans. Cingular Canada package for $3.99 a month, customers pay just 59 cents per minute to roam in Canada and just 19 cents per minute to call Canada from the U.S. With the Cingular Mexico package for $4.99 a month, customers pay just 59 cents per minute to roam in Mexico and just 9 cents per minute to call Mexico from the U.S.

And the Cingular World Traveler package for $5.99 per month gives discounted international roaming rates. Customers can use their phone in many countries worldwide, using their same U.S. number, for discounted rates as low as 59 cents per minute.

Complete rate information for these plans is available on Cingular’s Web site. A phone which covers the GSM band for the country you’re traveling to is required; check with Cingular to ensure that your existing phone will work in the country you’re going to.