New Buyer

**MocoChang** · 02-18-2011, 08:06 PM

Hello,
My friend and I are heading to Japan in October. (canadians)
We decided we'd love a Docomo phone so we can easily communicate if we get seperated.
We each are on different carriers: Telus and Bell.
We look through ebay on the different Docomo phones offered. I know nothing about the whole simcard thing. I have a Palm Pre with Bell and there is no simcard in a palm pre. I know on ebay it says you need a hypersim if you're using it overseas. Sooo how does this work? I dont want to have 2 phones to pay for, is there a way of getting your plan onto a docomo phone using a specific simcard that Bell (Or telus) can work with?
Guide me! xD

**eddieroolz** · 02-18-2011, 09:26 PM

If you're on Bell and don't have a SIM, then your best bet would be getting a SoftBank prepaid SIM, I think.

**IonNuke** · 02-18-2011, 11:16 PM

But it seems like the OP is just visiting Japan. They won't let them buy a prepaid anyways. They can probably make plans ahead of time "rent" the sim cards. I know softbank allows that.

**NeuroticallyYou** · 02-19-2011, 06:21 AM

OP will surely deliver more details, we just have to wait, but just in advance let me tell you that you won't be able to get any docomo phones since docomo does not have pre paid services and so SoftBank is your only option, if you don't have a SIM then you can't use your keitai in your carrier.

**MocoChang** · 02-19-2011, 09:33 AM

Yeah, I am onl visiting for about 3 weeks.
Do you think it is possible to buy a simcard from Bell and get them to put my plan on the simcard at the time of when I have the docomo and a hypersim?
I guess I could always buy another cheap smartphone that requires a SIMcard and then sell my palm pre Dx

**IonNuke** · 02-19-2011, 11:10 AM

But I thought Bell was CDMA and sim cards don't exist for that????

You can probably get a prepaid Rogers and see if it roams over there. But the roaming feels will deplete your credits faster than anything. But then again I roamed in Japan with my Vodafone UK SIM and it was fine with me

**qwerty1235** · 02-19-2011, 11:31 AM

Bell has SIM slots on their phones for CDMA2000.

**aw614** · 02-19-2011, 11:46 AM

i dont think they do

**someone173** · 02-19-2011, 01:30 PM

Nope. All Bell/Telus phones released until last year all have no SIM slots, they run entirely on CDMA. Even with the switchover to HSPA, they still release the occasional CDMA phone.

Edit: Softbank uses the 2100 band (that's why they're the only provider with the iPhone), so get any 3g phone with a SIM slot that has the 2100 band, then get a prepaid Softbank SIM over there.

**someone173** · 02-19-2011, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by IonNuke

But I thought Bell was CDMA and sim cards don't exist for that????

You can probably get a prepaid Rogers and see if it roams over there. But the roaming feels will deplete your credits faster than anything. But then again I roamed in Japan with my Vodafone UK SIM and it was fine with me

A rule of thumb for most Canadians: Never, ever consider thinking of roaming with a Canadian provider. The rates are simply unfeasible (3 dollars a minute on Rogers [!]).

**IonNuke** · 02-19-2011, 02:21 PM

I roam in the US with a Rogers sim...... then again that's before it expired and I lost it in my box of sims altogether.

**eddieroolz** · 02-20-2011, 12:20 AM

Like someone173 said, Bell and Telus do have SIMcards now but they're only 3G capable I believe. Besides, roaming with Canadian telecoms...that'll surely come back and bite you in the butt.

**MocoChang** · 02-20-2011, 08:58 AM

Soooo, what is my best option then lol

**IonNuke** · 02-20-2011, 09:34 AM

If you have friends in Japan that you may possibly be visiting get them to buy the prepaid sims for you so that when you arrive you can use the prepaid sims (of course they come with prepaid phone that you can use it with unless you have your own unlocked UMTS 2100Mhz capable phone). The other method is you can probably get it yourself @ Yodabashi Camera (tons of those stores in Japan). They sell prepaid softbank sims, but your Japanese has to be fluent enough to pass off as a location Japanese citizen or something like that. If it's choppy then they'd want to see more paperwork that you do not have so the easiest way is to have a friend buy it for you. Otherwise use a pay phone... they're still around.

**NeuroticallyYou** · 02-22-2011, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by IonNuke

If you have friends in Japan that you may possibly be visiting get them to buy the prepaid sims for you so that when you arrive you can use the prepaid sims (of course they come with prepaid phone that you can use it with unless you have your own unlocked UMTS 2100Mhz capable phone). The other method is you can probably get it yourself @ Yodabashi Camera (tons of those stores in Japan). They sell prepaid softbank sims, but your Japanese has to be fluent enough to pass off as a location Japanese citizen or something like that. If it's choppy then they'd want to see more paperwork that you do not have so the easiest way is to have a friend buy it for you. Otherwise use a pay phone... they're still around.

or you could always use one of these