gldngirl

My wife and I will be in Japan for two weeks in the end of March. I will need to be in communication with my business while away. I have a Blackberry with Verizon service. Once in Japan is there an easy way to purchase an International SIM card for my phone so I can use it for communication back to the States? Is that all I will need to do? We will be ariving at Narita. I have been looking online and have not found an answer. Please help-

hawaiiantraveler

short answer is no

see link for answers to your questions

http://euc.jp/misc/cellphones.en.html#tech

Aloha!

laurieco

Why is it that one of the most technologically progressive countries in the world is set up it so phones from other countries cannot be used? Does this mean that I cannot use my brand new quad band Motorola GSM phone there????

hawaiiantraveler

no sorry laurie Japan does not use the gsm technology

laurieco

Well, I guess that gives me a good excuse to not call anybody.

JannaG

When I was in Japan last year, I used my 3G phone (with my own GSM sim card) to roam there. But it would depend on whether your service provider has an agreement for 3G international roaming with a Japan service provider. I roamed on DoCoMo and Vodafone successfully, if I remembered correctly.

hawaiiantraveler

info about Japan's PHS technology from the site listed above. It's one of the ones used for Japan's phones

>PHS (Personal Handyphone System) is a low-powered wireless phone technology developed in Japan and rather different from other cellular phone technologies.

* Designed as dual-mode phone between public wireless network and home (or corporate) phone line.
* Data communication in 32k/64kbps circuit switching or 32k/128k/256kbps packet exchange.
* Can be used even in subway stations or underground arcades because cell stations are relatively small and can be installed easily.

PHS has been deployed in Japan since mid-1990's; now also in China, Taiwan, Thailand (where called PCT) etc. Today PHS is considered as low-cost data communication service rather than voice phone in Japan. Unlimited data communication plans are available.<

Aloha!

mdn

That's true. You cannot use your new phone there. It goes to the core of countries trying to establish their own preferred technology as the superior standard. Hence, after many billions have been invested in developing a certain technology & Europe goes in another direction & the US in yet another, you get left with incompatibility. Japan is still holding out... hope there'll be able to fix it soon.
I usually rent a phone from one of the booths near baggage claim at the airport once I land. Rates are very reasonable (some carriers cheaper than others).

laurieco

If the system used in Japan is also now used in Thailand, then how come my Nokia quad band GSM worked there last June?

hawaiiantraveler

laurie

you got phone service because thailand already uses gsm(your phone) and is only starting to get the phs(japan) technology

KimJapan

http://euc.jp/misc/cellphones.en.html#tech
seems to be pretty complete info. From what I've read in the adverts/newspapers, phs is being phased out. The only mainstream company which offers it anymore is NTT DoCoMo...and it may have stopped the service recently too...or is about to.

chicagoball

I was just in Tokyo and Seoul for over a week. I used my US Tmobile sim in my 3G mobile phone (you can rent a 3G mobile phone to use your own sim card at NRT - I think I saw the offer at the Hotel Kiosk in Terminal 1 - don't remember if North or South wing) and had no problems. Quad band phones are not enough, you need a 3G handset. I did not, however, find a solution for my Blackberry, again Tmobile (solution without buying another Blackberry phone).

gldngirl

Thank you for all of your advise. It will help me to figure out a solution.....hopefully.

W9London

No Blackberry coverage either in Korea or Japan. I simply had to use business centres at the hotels I stayed and Kinko stores in Tokyo just to access my emails via internet.