I orginally posted this in skybar however was recommend to post it here.

Anyway:

I'm going to Japan at the end of the year and I'm trying to work out if I can get a mobile phone that can work in Japan and Australia, I understand that Japan doesn't have a GSM network luckly however Australia has a CDMA network in addition to it's GSM network and Japan also has it's CDMA network.

So I was wondering if this is a fezible idea, I purchase an unlocked CDMA mobile in Australia and use it on Telstra/Orange network, then when I go to Japan I purcahse an account on one of the Japanese CDMA networks for the time I'm there.

I understand that neither Telstra or Orange have a global roaming arangement with any Japanese companies for CDMA so I can't just use the mobile there, however if I could purcahse an acount with a Japanese phone company for the time I'm there, would this be a feasible solution is there anything I should watch out for or know about before I go ahead with this plan?

If this is fesible would a nokia 3105 work or would I need to go for one of the more expensive models.

The Nokia 3105 uses CDMA 2000 1x technology and supports the CDMA 800 network.

The more expensive models like the Nokia 3205 use the CDMA 2000 1x technology and support the CDMA 800/1900 and AMPS 800 networks.

I'm avoiding buying a 3G phone as I hear coverage is bad in Japan and I wouldn't have any GSM network to fall back on like in Australia + 3G phones are expensive so it would be cheaper for me to just rent a phone for the time I'm there and continue with my old mobile back in Australia.

I'm unwilling to rent a phone either as the cost (including insurance) would come to about $400-$420.

If you are living in Japan for work,pick up your Australian phone and throw it in Sydney harbour.The phones over here are about 5 years infront.They are either free or a very small cost.Somwhere between 100 AUD and 200 AUD for the most expensive and up to date.

The free phones are excellant and far exceed any phone found anywhere in the world.

If you are only in Japan for a short time then you cant rent from Vodaphone.I dont know the cost.

All my friends can ring anywhere on the world using a service provided by either Vodaphone,NTT docomo or AU.

Another thing.All phones,including free ones,have the ability to surf the net and to email and send photos to any computer in the world at a very small cost.About 2 US cents a mail.This is a very basic funtion thats been around for about 4 years

Heh cost of renting is about $400-$420 for the time I'm there. I'm not here for work though however I might just buy one while I'm there if I can get a CDMA/3G+GSM phone there I could unlock it and use it back in Australia + I would end up with a new phone number anyway using my previous plan. Thanks for the advise.

Also as far as I know the phones over here dont have simcards.

I was informed that CDMA phones don't use a simcard on the previous thread and after researching it I can confirm that it is only GSM or hybrid phones which use simcards.

jeeeb,

Where ya goin' in JP? Mainly because of the 3G comment. Surely the big cities would have it?

(OK, I have an ulterior motive - I wanna get a kewl one and use it both in Oz and JP :) )


I hear the Sony-Ericsson Z1010 is nice.

hehe that was my plan as well :), seems it would be easier to buy it in Japan and use it back in Aus than buy it in Aus though. You pay about $600-$800 for a good 3G phone :(.

http://three.com.au/

Is the only current 3G provider in Australia I think however Vodaphone, Optus and Telstra are all rolling out networks or creating sharing arangments.

I'm not actually sure of were I'm going in Japan yet, I'm going on a youth exchange so I will hopefully learn latter on.

Why you going to Japan?

Why you going to Japan?

For fun! :D

I want to see the Tokyo Anime Fair next March, and maybe run that on to a trip to Nagoya for World Expo 2005.

And my cousin is currently working in Tokyo, but hopes to be posted back to New York mid-next-year. So hopefully I get a bit of free accommodation :lol:

Japanese 3G cell phone
http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040925235335.bmp
http://900i.nttdocomo.co.jp/main.html

http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040927230832.jpg
http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040927123117.jpg
http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040927204224.jpg

OnQ (a concept mobile phone capable of showing terrestrial digital TV broadcasts)
http://www.nikkeibp.com/neasia/image2/200964_040513ne1.JPG
http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/wcs/leaf/CID/onair/asabt/news/307886

cell phone online game
http://www.square-enix.co.jp/mobile/game/bcff7/wallpaper/bc_wallpaper2_800x600.jpg
http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040927123249.jpg

i-mode felica (wallet phone )
http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040927122117.jpg
http://www.nttdocomo.com/corebiz/interconnected/felicaContent.html

Ez navi walk
http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040927125010.jpg
http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040927130506.jpg

QR-code
http://www.denso-wave.com/qrcode/images/index02.jpg
http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040927130154.jpg
http://nfg.2y.net/games/jphonegames/v601shqrcode.shtm

Hmmm none of that isn't available on the latest phones in the rest of the world, however based on previous coments its much cheaper than in Australia.

Plus the multiplayer Java game is nifty it is the first really good application of the technology which has been in phones for ages I've ever seen :). Here is Australia's first online multiplayer game developed by Sydney based developer vivamobile

http://games.ninemsn.com.au/img/newsreviews/badlands/badlands.gif

Some of the content services offered:
news and sport videos + text feed and weather feeds, downloadable zines (i.e. short magazine sorta), anomynous chat in chat rooms, speed dating, downloadable picture service e.g. celebrities babe of the week .etc., downloadable full length music videos and songs, downloadable comedy clips and strips, astral predictions (i.e. Virgo, Leo .etc.). They also have a catalouge of every play girl since 1960 which can be browsed through,

And of course video chat + the usual set of celephone functionality like picture messaging .etc.

Unfourtunanly Australia only has one 3G network atm however Telstra is talking about deploying one and vodaphone and optus have made an agreement to deploy one together :).