Originally Posted by
nmenaker
any gsm phone will works as well as another, as long as it uses 850, 1900, which is what docomo uses, for their 3g 2100 platform. Roaming on GSM in japan is a bee.ch though.
Um, what? I cannot find any way to parse this that either is correct or makes sense.
Capite, if you want a handset that works in Japan, Korea, US and the EU, you must have a handset that supports both:
One or more of these:
WCDMA/UMTS2100 (required)
GSM900 (optional)
GSM1800 (optional)
AND:
One ore more of these:
WCDMA/UMTS850 or 1900
GSM850
GSM1900
Period. There is no GSM service in Japan. DoCoMo and SK Telecom use WCDMA2100, which is also used in Europe. So any WCDMA2100-capable handset will get the job done in those regions. If you want it to work in the US as well, you need coverage on the 850 and 1900 bands.
Basically, any European 3G phone will meet these conditions (it does not have to have a triband 3G radio). A few weeks ago I purchased an unlocked
Samsung Z150 for 149€ that would suit your needs perfectly.