I am posting this as I had trouble finding info using Ubuntu to connect to the
Internet via tethered cell phone. It is my hope that this post will aid
others.

Before you actually start with your Ubuntu loaded computer check with your cell
phone provider, to determine how much connecting to the Internet will cost.
Charges range from the minimal to the expen$ive. I am on Alltel with a Samsung
Hue. It costs me $10/month, but on my wife's phone it is $3/day, same company,
both with unlimited data transfer. A friend has another plan that costs him
$30/month. Many companies have limits and/or will charge more if you exceed
limits. In addition you will need your user name and maybe a password. My
user name was just my phone number with with an Alltel extension. For example
if my cell phone number was 989-555-1212, my user ID would be
9895551212@.... I have no password. This seems to be fairly normal.

You will need a USB cable for your phone. Local cell phone shops are generally
higher than cell phone shops on the Internet or ebay.com, which is a good source
for odd ball cables for many applications besides cell phones.

With Ubuntu 9.10, it is fairly easy. Go to Applications, Ubuntu Software,
download PPP, and install. Your cell phone connection will not work unless you
have this installed! Reboot your cell phone, then connect to your computer.
While this may not be necessary, things seem to run better with a fresh re-boot.
In Ubuntu 9.10, Karmic Koala, click on the Systems menu, > preferences > network
connections, go to the mobile connections tab > enter your info, country, cell
company, user ID and password, if any.

You are now ready to connect to the Internet. Right click on the antenna icon
in the system tray, next to the speaker icon. Your network connections will be
listed Right click on your cell phone company's name, and you will be connected
within a few moments. To disconnect, left click on your cell phone company, in
the same menu again.

If you have problems connecting or staying connected to the Internet via 3 G
cell phone, close down all other network connections, Ethernet and wireless.