South Korea's Samsung Electronics has launched a "Real World Phone" mobile handset designed to work nearly everywhere in the world.

The SCH-V920 model allows users to communicate freely in over 90 countries in America, Asia, Europe and Oceania regardless of communications network standards, Samsung said in a statement.

The company said it was the first mobile handset capable of roaming across the world.

"The Samsung mobile handset will serve as a channel that will enable its users to freely communicate anywhere in the world," said Lee Ki-Tae, president and chief of the firm's telecom division.

Samsung says the handset can work on both CDMA (code division multiple access) and GSM (global standard for mobile communications) networks. It is also available for use in Japan which has its own JCDMA standard.

It sells for some 500,000 won (520 dollars) in South Korea.