Does US Verizon work in Japan?
 

Hello,

My mother uses US Verizon cell service. Can she use this in Japan? If so, what (if anything) does she need to do to activate it?

Thanks,
Michael

Do, Verizon phones doesn't work in Japan. She either has to rent one upon entry or bring a UMTS phone with a roaming SIM.

I think he meant "no," not "do." :p

Absolutely not. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone with Verizon service (IME), since Verizon doesn't work in many US locations either. Including my US home.

That's a crock! VZW has one of the best networks in the nation.

kcvt750 has shared his wonderful sense of humour on this forum on many occasions and his advice and opinions (once sifted through the irony detector) have always been accurate and, often, enlightening (on a few levels).

I doubt his experience of VZW coverage is anything but truthful. Nothing 'potty' about his comments at all, your post on the other hand... :td:

Just to clarify:

1. Not the nation of Japan. Period.

And who cares, anyway?

A contractor friend of mine, who maintains signal towers, once went into a long explanation about the different networks. Verizon was best.

No, not even the global BlackBerry. I don't think any US cell phones work in Japan - they use different frequencies even on networks with the same basic technology.

There is a UMTS BB 8707 that do work in Japan. The BB 8830/8330 used by Verizon are CDMA+GSM so they don't work. I am using a Sprint 8830 while in the U.S. so I use either a local phone or an UMTS phone for roaming while in Japan.

The only alternative is to rent a cell phone. It used to be possible for visitors to buy a prepaid cell phone, which is cheaper than renting for a long stay, but this is no longer possible unless you can find a dealer who is willing to bend the rules.

You can get American cell phones that work in Europe and most Asian countries outside of Japan, but not in Japan itself. This is frustrating for those of us whose travels take us to Japan a lot.

I've HEARD that iPhones work in Japan, but I'm not sure if these are American iPhones or whether Apple has made a special version for the Japanese market.

My Nokia e90, which I use with T-Mobile's GSM network here in the USA, works in Japan. It includes UMTS (2100 MHz) capability. Your cellular provider also has to have a roaming agreement with a Japanese provider.

Korea is the other Asian "problem country" for U.S. travelers who want to use their cell phones.

Has anyone else heard of this? I have an iPhone on AT&T's network and I'm headed to Japan soon. I think its time to call AT&T.

Edited to add: So I spoke to AT&T Customer Care (if anyone else is curious). The iPhone 3G does work in Japan, but not the original iPhone.

The original iPhone will not work because it does not support UMTS 2100. iPhone 3G should work provided your plan allows international roaming.

http://b2b.vzw.com/international/Glo...vel/index.html

So even if one has a Verizon SIM for roaming outside the U.S., it won't work in Japan.

They have a rental program.

http://www.vzwrentinternational.com/

This one may be for outgoing calls only without "follow me" roaming.