Quote:
Originally Posted by Kumabjorn
The previous time i was over, about six months ago, it struck me how insular they've become. It was particularly obvious in the cell phone market. The consumer has no freedom whatsoever. Only the phones carried by the operator, no unlocked phones, and absolutely no knowledge about how cellular markets work outside Japan.
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It was like this for phones ever since I've been here... almost 25 years now. The difference is that there are several different carriers. In the past it was only DoCoMo that handled mobile phones. Today there is SoftBank, Au, KDD, and Willcom. On the other hand, it seems that you can do more with Japanese mobile phones than can be done with western carriers. Even iPhone has different app for Japanese phones that aren't available in other languages.
Easiest must be Thailand. Walk into any convenience store, mom-and-pop shop or any place that sells phones and buy a sim card (choice of numbers and carriers) stick it in your phone and walk out. You then have the option of refilling that number later or buying a new card with a new number. NO contracts, no registrations. If one DOES want month-to-month billing instead, that's available too.
Stitchawl