Quote:
Originally Posted by blimp
if you want something really cheap perhaps you should look at Willcom (phs). Only time I used it was over 15 years ago so my knowledge is a bit outdated but it is said that the quality is not very good. you get what you pay for.
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We used Willcom (back when it was H") before changing over to Docomo when they stopped catering all that much to normal customers and switched almost entirely to business oriented stuff... When we were going to change phones, they had no normal phones. The Air H" phones were amazing for their day - you could use straight midi as a ring tone, and it was rendered beautifully (in the day when other phones were still beeping)...
They were great while we used them though! Back in the days before packet plans and when a single photo sent to/from a phone could cost 3000+yen, you could get online, send tons between other people on the same service, etc, and still not have your bill go over 2000/month.
Enough reminiscing though...
The big problem with PHS though is that the system is a lot more touchy than the cell system. Wonderfully cheap, great for data, high sound quality... But the signal area for each antenna is smaller, they tend to drop calls when you`re moving (like in a car), and they have lower building penetration ability. And as it`s a smaller company, they tend to have a smaller coverage area.
You can use them while in the hospital or sensitive environments, though - it`s the same type of phone that doctors use. It doesn`t interfere with equipment.
They`re incredibly popular with businesses because it`s almost impossible to rack up a high bill no matter what you do on them. As employee phones, I have heard of 600yen a month per person as calls between Willcom phones are free.
If you`re only going to be making phone calls and using it as a mobile modem (ie. not getting online via the phone itself), aren`t picky with the model of phone, and will be in cities for the majority of your time, I`d consider them a totally valid option. If you are going to be travelling a lot or living in the countryside, I`d stay away as they are pretty useless once away from cities and major tourist areas.