Originally Posted by
littledude
just in Japan and no service on BlackBerry and Iphones for anyone that I was traveling with and we all had different carriers, ATT, T-Mobile, and Sprint.
Japan must block service for some reason, so WI-FI may be only choice.
You need a phone that supports WCDMA 2100.
I have ATT and last year I purchased a "Blackjack II" for use in Tokyo; I had an original Blackjack (which is also 3G) but it didn't support WCDMA 2100 so I had to "upgrade".
I actually did the text msg thing while I was there since it is cheaper. I bought a "MagicJack" - a VOIP device - to make calls back to the USA. It worked like a charm - you'd swear you were right next door.
This trip I'll be taking my new 3G iPhone (which supposedly also supports WCDMA 2100) - but I am solo this time so I really don't have much need. Again, the MagicJack will work for calling back to The States.