So...can my cellhpone work in Japan if I bring it?

Brackis

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Nov 14, 2004
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Two friends and I are heading to Japan for a month. Can one of us bring our cellphone and get reception overthere? I went to China with a friend who had these different chips you can pop in the back, but it caused the phone to be entirely in Chinese....


Ideas? experiences?

Edit:
The three phones we have are...
LG VX4400 with Verizon
kyocera kx414 with Verizon
(last friend is a moron and wont tell me)
 

smithdj

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Feb 3, 2005
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No it will not work (probably). I have a stupid cellular one contract and cheap kyocera phone when I go and it will not work. I ended up purchasing a prepaid cellphone from docomo.
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
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Depends, what cell phone do you have and is it unlocked?
 

ArmchairAthlete

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Dec 3, 2002
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Depends on your service provider. I *think* T-Mobile has pretty good global coverage (GSM?).

I'd call them up and ask. You're paying em enough anyhow.
 

Spike

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Aug 27, 2001
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If you have a tri-band or quad-band GSM phone you can roam in Japan. You need to either enable international roaming (an easy call if you have T-mobile) or get your phone unlocked (also an easy call with T-Mobile) and pop in a local prepaid sim card. The first option will allow you to roam but your calls with be at least 50 cents a min, probably more like $1. The second allows you to purchase a block of local min for fairly cheap. T-mobile will unlock your phone for free if you have been a customer for at least 90 days and have not had a phone on that line unlocked within the last 90 days. Usually takes 24 hours to get the unlock code.

If you have one of the other brands my suggestion would be to get a local, pre-paid phone, though you might be stuck with all the menu's in japanese unless it is a globaly available phone

-spike
 

Spike

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Aug 27, 2001
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As for my own experiences I just had t-mobile enable global roaming and have roamed with a tri-band phone in France, England, Monaco, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Columbia. Now my phone is unlocked so I am going to get a pre-paid local sim if I travel again outside to US.

-spike
 

vegetation

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Feb 21, 2001
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Negative. Japan's cell phone network is completely different from US, Europe, and the rest of Asia, and therefore GSM and CDMA phones don't work.

Best to rent a prepaid phone, easily available, with English menus if you ask for them.

 

Spike

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Aug 27, 2001
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Originally posted by: vegetation
Negative. Japan's cell phone network is completely different from US, Europe, and the rest of Asia, and therefore GSM and CDMA phones don't work.

Best to rent a prepaid phone, easily available, with English menus if you ask for them.

While I have no proof about what Japanese cell towers actually run on I am sitting next to a japanese exhange student who has full service with his japanese cell phone. Obviously something is compatable otherwise he would not be able to make any calls. I just assumed it was some form of GSM as thats pretty much what the whole world uses.

-spike

EDIT** It seems that Japan uses PDC instead of CDMA, TDMA, or GSM. Apparently alot of PDC phones are dual mode/multi band phones that also can run on GSM, explaining why they work in the US. Best be will be to get a pre-paid phone right at the airport for your stay in Japan.
 

Epic Fail

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May 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: Spike
If you have a tri-band or quad-band GSM phone you can roam in Japan. You need to either enable international roaming (an easy call if you have T-mobile) or get your phone unlocked (also an easy call with T-Mobile) and pop in a local prepaid sim card. The first option will allow you to roam but your calls with be at least 50 cents a min, probably more like $1. The second allows you to purchase a block of local min for fairly cheap. T-mobile will unlock your phone for free if you have been a customer for at least 90 days and have not had a phone on that line unlocked within the last 90 days. Usually takes 24 hours to get the unlock code.

If you have one of the other brands my suggestion would be to get a local, pre-paid phone, though you might be stuck with all the menu's in japanese unless it is a globaly available phone

-spike

What do you tell them when you want to get your phone unlocked, I will be out of the country soon.
 

Spike

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Aug 27, 2001
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Originally posted by: yamadakun
Originally posted by: Spike
If you have a tri-band or quad-band GSM phone you can roam in Japan. You need to either enable international roaming (an easy call if you have T-mobile) or get your phone unlocked (also an easy call with T-Mobile) and pop in a local prepaid sim card. The first option will allow you to roam but your calls with be at least 50 cents a min, probably more like $1. The second allows you to purchase a block of local min for fairly cheap. T-mobile will unlock your phone for free if you have been a customer for at least 90 days and have not had a phone on that line unlocked within the last 90 days. Usually takes 24 hours to get the unlock code.

If you have one of the other brands my suggestion would be to get a local, pre-paid phone, though you might be stuck with all the menu's in japanese unless it is a globaly available phone

-spike

What do you tell them when you want to get your phone unlocked, I will be out of the country soon.


You don't have to "tell" them anything, just ask to get your phone unlocked. When I called they did not ask for any reason, just wanted to know the serial number off the phone so they could send me the right code. If they ask tell them you are traveling, they do this for free so it's not like you cheating the system. Just make sure you have at least a dual-band phone otherwise it's not going to work much :)

-spike