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Well, since I can't seem to find any decent information about this, I figured I'd ask around a bit here. Does anyone know if I can use my phone in Japan? I'm going to be over there for the next four years and I have -no- idea what sort of network they use. Can I purchase a prepay SIM? If so, what companies do prepay? If not, what about plans, and what companies? And if you're really feeling adventurous, pricing on the above. Thanks for any information you guys can provide, I just need to know whether to sell my phone or hang onto it.
No it is not possible. There are no GSM networks in JP afaik. However there are a lot of advanced phone in JP for sure.
lovebeta said:
No it is not possible. There are no GSM networks in JP afaik. However there are a lot of advanced phone in JP for sure.
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You could check here:
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_jp.shtml
According to GSM World, NTT Docomo and Softbank have GSM roaming available. I'll be there next week, so I'll let you know!
jderas64 said:
You could check here:
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_jp.shtml
According to GSM World, NTT Docomo and Softbank have GSM roaming available. I'll be there next week, so I'll let you know!
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I could be wrong of course since I've never been to Japan. However I think the one your pointed out are 3G/UMTS/WCDMA networks. It is not downward compatible with GSM phones!
Yeah, I did some more searching around and from what I can tell it's all 3G. Sort of a shame, I'd rather take the hit and use my Excalibur on a prepay SIM rather than use what they offer. Yes, their phones are advanced, and all have videophone capability, high speed data, and can probably even whip up a banana split if you ask them to, but none of them have the sheer power of WM as far as I can tell. I think Softbank offers a Hermes derivative (X01HT?) though, maybe I'll pick up one of those.
No GSM roaming in Japan, however both SoftBank and DoCoMo offer the Hermes, called the X01HT and the hTc Z, respectively. You can't get them on prepaid, though. Prepaid service in Japan is very limited in terms of what types of handsets, etc. When I went back with my 802SE, I was able to use the WCDMA net for voice calls using my T-Mobile SIM, but data were limited to GPRS speeds, and video-call was out of the question.
~Cheers~
P.S. There IS another network there that you would be shocked to know about...
iDEN. They have Nextels in Japan. Why? I don't know.
Yeah I decided a day or two ago that I was going with the Hermes when I get over there.. it looks like Softbank has a $35 USD unlimited data plan as long as it's paired with a voice plan (which go as low as $8). I wonder if it's possible to use Skype for WM on it to call back to the States for minimal cost..? Seems like the phone itself is only $166 for Softbank.. I hear it's considerably higher for DoCoMo but I couldn't find a price for it.
As for iDEN, you couldn't pay me to use that system.
Can anyone tell me if it is possible to change the HTC from a Euro phone to a North American phone by perhaps changing a chip or programming to support 850/1900 here in North America? I live in an area where 1900 is a bit spotty and I lose signal, especially inside buildings. I love my Uni, but I have too many people complaining that I'm not getting their calls and I don't get signal where other's do.
I'm afraid I don't have enough hardware experience to be qualified to even venture a guess. But shouldn't it be as easy as changing a chip or a crystal or something?
It's just a matter of both the range of the tower you're near, as well as possibly your PRL. The priority roaming list tells the phone who's service you're allowed to use. So if there's a tower within range, but not in the PRL, chances are your phone won't use it OR it will show up as roaming.
I know you can affect the 3G part of Android phones by changing the modem firmware when using Odin, and even them I'm not sure what change is made if truly any. I don't have 3g yet with my provider, which uses the 850/1900 as well, but I currently have a Euro firmware on my phone using XW Euro firmware. I'm not sure how it will affect my 3g until my provider enables it.
Other than that, I think it's a limitation of the radio chip in the phone. It may be a firmware/software setting, or it could be hard coded into the chip.. again I'm not sure
Have you seen the previous post date? lol.
Anyway thanks for your reply
Lol, true it's old, but if anyone has a solution I'd accept it. However, I've since moved on with 3 different phones including the PPC6800, the Omnia II and presently on the iPhone 4.
Thanks anyway,
TS
No it is not possible, it´s a hardware related stuff.
Timeshell said:
Lol, true it's old, but if anyone has a solution I'd accept it. However, I've since moved on with 3 different phones including the PPC6800, the Omnia II and presently on the iPhone 4.
Thanks anyway,
TS
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you have to change the part which contains the Radio hardware
Boy Genius report "Not wanting to be extremely late to the show like they were with 3G devices for GSM networks (bringing up painful memories, anyone?), the folks over at RIM HQ recently decided to create a work team that’s been specifically entrusted with the task of creating an LTE BlackBerry. The intention of the RIM execs is to have an LTE BlackBerry ready at approximately the same time that LTE begins worldwide deployment, something that could come as early as late 2009 if Motorola has their way. Motorola’s seemingly overly zealous ambitions aside, 2011 is the year when LTE is generally expected to be available with the major carriers of the world. In case some of you are wondering what the hell LTE is, it’s also known as 4G network technology and is the heir to 3G and 3.5G networks. Think of it as an IP-based network in which voice and data connections are streamed together without distinction and are broadcasted through a ridiculously fast connection that has up to four-times the efficiency at delivering data-packets than the 3.5G networks of today. As with all of our scoops, we’ll be sure to keep monitoring this situation and keep you updated with the latest news."
Wow, now imagine some Windows Mobile devices having this speed for data and voice, I know that the blackjack II has great speed in ATT network, but seriously, why don't carriers have a more unified network, look at Tmobile, with there obscure frequency, instead of having the same frequency as ATT and being able to have those folks that defect to Tmobile and would like a fast connection, they don't realize that ATT's 3G connection keeps a lot of customers happy, its just fast as hell and like me and I'm sure there are a ton of us out there but oh well, enough ranting
blackjack2 said:
Boy Genius report "Not wanting to be extremely late to the show like they were with 3G devices for GSM networks (bringing up painful memories, anyone?), the folks over at RIM HQ recently decided to create a work team that’s been specifically entrusted with the task of creating an LTE BlackBerry. The intention of the RIM execs is to have an LTE BlackBerry ready at approximately the same time that LTE begins worldwide deployment, something that could come as early as late 2009 if Motorola has their way. Motorola’s seemingly overly zealous ambitions aside, 2011 is the year when LTE is generally expected to be available with the major carriers of the world. In case some of you are wondering what the hell LTE is, it’s also known as 4G network technology and is the heir to 3G and 3.5G networks. Think of it as an IP-based network in which voice and data connections are streamed together without distinction and are broadcasted through a ridiculously fast connection that has up to four-times the efficiency at delivering data-packets than the 3.5G networks of today. As with all of our scoops, we’ll be sure to keep monitoring this situation and keep you updated with the latest news."
Wow, now imagine some Windows Mobile devices having this speed for data and voice, I know that the blackjack II has great speed in ATT network, but seriously, why don't carriers have a more unified network, look at Tmobile, with there obscure frequency, instead of having the same frequency as ATT and being able to have those folks that defect to Tmobile and would like a fast connection, they don't realize that ATT's 3G connection keeps a lot of customers happy, its just fast as hell and like me and I'm sure there are a ton of us out there but oh well, enough ranting
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T-mobile and At&T can't have the same frequencies unless they were the same business. Since they are separate entities, if they used the same bands, there would be interference and the present 3g would not work on either network. I wish that wireless carriers would simplify aswell, however there is the fact that they are businesses, and businesses want more money. They are not parts of the government.
skyler17 said:
T-mobile and At&T can't have the same frequencies unless they were the same business. Since they are separate entities, if they used the same bands, there would be interference and the present 3g would not work on either network. I wish that wireless carriers would simplify aswell, however there is the fact that they are businesses, and businesses want more money. They are not parts of the government.
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Well, if THAT were true, how do you explain the fact that Tmobile and ATT use the same regular GSM frequencies (850, 1900..) ? Or, how would explain the fact that there's SEVERAL carries throughout Europe that ALL use 3G bands at the same time ?
NRGZ28 said:
Well, if THAT were true, how do you explain the fact that Tmobile and ATT use the same regular GSM frequencies (850, 1900..) ? Or, how would explain the fact that there's SEVERAL carries throughout Europe that ALL use 3G bands at the same time ?
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True, I agree with you, I'm sure its done on purpose so people like me who buy ATT phones can't use them to full specs on Tmobile and vice versa, If Europe can deal with tons of 3G towers, why can't we, MONEY, MONEY.
NRGZ28 said:
Well, if THAT were true, how do you explain the fact that Tmobile and ATT use the same regular GSM frequencies (850, 1900..) ? Or, how would explain the fact that there's SEVERAL carries throughout Europe that ALL use 3G bands at the same time ?
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Haha nice way to put it... they do use the same frequency as when you are roaming on t-mobile it will pick up at&t at times... therefore it has to be the same frequency...
Installed my first rom a few days ago, leedroid 2.2.2. Also installed the recommended radio for it. My phone was perfect on a T-Mobile Uk signal.
Today i had my number ported over to giffgaff which uses O2 network. But my signal has been up and down all day and disappeared at times. Other O2 users around me, including one with a Desire HD, had no signal problems at all.
So my question is, are different radios better for different networks, or just different radios work better with different roms?
As far as I have read and heard, different people will profit from different radios. you just need to try out some other radios and see which one goes well with your new provider and the places you go. location can also affect which radio is better for you too. just try it out
Tones1971 said:
Installed my first rom a few days ago, leedroid 2.2.2. Also installed the recommended radio for it. My phone was perfect on a T-Mobile Uk signal.
Today i had my number ported over to giffgaff which uses O2 network. But my signal has been up and down all day and disappeared at times. Other O2 users around me, including one with a Desire HD, had no signal problems at all.
So my question is, are different radios better for different networks, or just different radios work better with different roms?
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Yeah it's just a matter of trial and error, diffrent users get diffrent results from diffrent radio's. your best bet is to try a few, see which ones work best for you
Thanks for the replies. Going to try a few different radios now.
What's giffgaff?
If it's a carrier, sometimes even though they may use signal of major networks they might not necessarily be the same signal.
For example in UK, Virgin uses the T-Mobile signal but the signal strength is often different.
RobSimmo said:
What's giffgaff?
If it's a carrier, sometimes even though they may use signal of major networks they might not necessarily be the same signal.
For example in UK, Virgin uses the T-Mobile signal but the signal strength is often different.
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According to their site the signal is the same. The users say it is the same too. I think O2 actually own giffgaff, but just have this separate company for whatever reason.
RobSimmo said:
For example in UK, Virgin uses the T-Mobile signal but the signal strength is often different.
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Pardon my ignorance but how could that be?
ghostofcain said:
Pardon my ignorance but how could that be?
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Its easy and true, virgin dont own there own antennas, so they buy air time of other networks, these networks obviously value there own customers more, so when antennas become full, they will drop the signal partially or totally for the other company. The same happend with 3 when they first started. They were using o2's network. But eventually had to develop there own because of all the dropped calls, there customers were having
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Try the radio that's in my signature, it helped me some.
Tones1971 said:
Installed my first rom a few days ago, leedroid 2.2.2. Also installed the recommended radio for it. My phone was perfect on a T-Mobile Uk signal.
Today i had my number ported over to giffgaff which uses O2 network. But my signal has been up and down all day and disappeared at times. Other O2 users around me, including one with a Desire HD, had no signal problems at all.
So my question is, are different radios better for different networks, or just different radios work better with different roms?
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You can try a list of Radios from the the thread below. All credits goes to Drakknar.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=877295
AndroHero said:
Its easy and true, virgin dont own there own antennas, so they buy air time of other networks, these networks obviously value there own customers more, so when antennas become full, they will drop the signal partially or totally for the other company. The same happend with 3 when they first started. They were using o2's network. But eventually had to develop there own because of all the dropped calls, there customers were having
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
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i call shenanigans (spelled right?). and yes, i do work in the business. that's not how radio works in a cell network.
kendong2 said:
i call shenanigans (spelled right?). and yes, i do work in the business. that's not how radio works in a cell network.
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Who do you work for? I used to work in the online returns department for o2 and i can assure you thats exactly how it works. Each "cell tower" as you put it, can only carry a certain anount of calls, once this limit is reached, calls are deferred to another "cell site" or in the case as i explaned dropped completely, a simple google search will show you the same information, so please educate yourself in future before calling me a liar!
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
AndroHero said:
Who do you work for? I used to work in the online returns department for o2 and i can assure you thats exactly how it works. Each "cell tower" as you put it, can only carry a certain anount of calls, once this limit is reached, calls are deferred to another "cell site" or in the case as i explaned dropped completely, a simple google search will show you the same information, so please educate yourself in future before calling me a liar!
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
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so you work in customer care and think you know how the network works? interesting.
i operate an HLR/CNTDB (google HLR, you won't find infos about the CNTDB) for t-mobile germany (now deutsche telekom). i get payed for manipulating subscribers in this central database of every GSM, UMTS and LTE network. but i am sure your experience in customer service has tought you the details of subscriber administration and radio network operation better than the trainings i got...
btw, i never doubted that cells can resize themselfes (called "breathing cell" btw), it happens all the time, everywhere, every day. but the algorithms involved do not care which reseller sold the simcard to the customer. there are mechanisms that can kick out certain cards, but network operators will use these only if forced by higher powers, like catastrophic events. and even then it doesn't work as you described. network access is shut down, then reopened in this order:
1. network technicians (me for example)
2. EMT (police, medics)
3. politicians, secret services, other officials
(4. maybe other high prio subscribers)
5. everybody else, gradually and with a random distribution.
the mechanism that is used here is called the ACCESS CLASS of the simcard.
kendong2 said:
so you work in customer care and think you know how the network works? interesting.
i operate an HLR/CNTDB (google HLR, you won't find infos about the CNTDB) for t-mobile germany (now deutsche telekom). i get payed for manipulating subscribers in this central database of every GSM, UMTS and LTE network. but i am sure your experience in customer service has tought you the details of subscriber administration and radio network operation better than the trainings i got...
btw, i never doubted that cells can resize themselfes (called "breathing cell" btw), it happens all the time, everywhere, every day. but the algorithms involved do not care which reseller sold the simcard to the customer. there are mechanisms that can kick out certain cards, but network operators will use these only if forced by higher powers, like catastrophic events. and even then it doesn't work as you described. network access is shut down, then reopened in this order:
1. network technicians (me for example)
2. EMT (police, medics)
3. politicians, secret services, other officials
(4. maybe other high prio subscribers)
5. everybody else, gradually and with a random distribution.
the mechanism that is used here is called the ACCESS CLASS of the simcard.
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Look guy all im saying is when i worked for o2, that is what we were told, when our antennas were full, it automatically dropped the calls of 3 subscribers..... i really dont understand the in's and out's of this. So any kind of retort is feutile. Sorry if i offended you. I didnt mean it
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
AndroHero said:
that is what we were told
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there's your problem... and no worries, no offense taken
Traveling to China next week and I know CDMA networks are scarce outside of America. Is there any small chance that Ill be able to roam on some Chinese CDMA network for no extra cost? Im betting not but wanted to ask around anyway.
I think free roaming only applies on the US, PR and USVI. I would recommend getting a cheap GSM phone with their frequencies and get a prepaid SIM while over there.
The world will end.
In all seriousness, it depends on if China has a CDMA network setup that has roaming agreements with Sprint, which would result in international overage fees. Or you could just use google voice over a laptop.
Ancient Chinese secret .... LOL
But really i think they would charge the $#!T out of you....
really wish google voice's voip calls worked in android browser
Check out roamsimple.com and get yourself an unlocked quad band GSM phone. Was a great solution for traveling through about a dozen countries in Europe. Not sure on their coverage in China but they seemed like a reputable company to work with.
Once you leave the states CDMA is just about worthless in 90% of the world.
Agreed with insanity. When I was there you could get a sim for your gsm phone or look at the full bars on your phone and get pissed it wouldn't make calls I did the latter. Had alltel razr and had full signal the entire time I was there, but when I called it would never go through. I think that's why they make global phones
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Use skype in connection with wifi to make calls? Could be a cost affective way to be able to make calls over there.