call japanese cell phone
call japanese cell phone
Can I use my Japanese cell phone in the US?
I have a Qualcomm 3G CDMA cell phone from the Japanese cell company called AU by KDDI. I am wondering if anyone knows if my phone is usable in the US, and if so with which companies.
I highly doubt it. Japan is one of the few countries in the world that does not use GSM, as you no doubt have pointed out with the 3G CDMA. Unfortunately, the only CDMA carriers here in the USA, Verizon and Sprint, will NOT activate your phone. They have a list of acceptable phones, and if you dont have one of their models, purchased from the respective stores or dealers or vendors of their companies, you will not be able to use your phone on their networks. Of course, you can always hack a solution, but I dont recommend this route.
BTW…most asian countries except Japan (though Japan does have I believe one GSM carrier) all use the GSM standards on the 900/1800/1900mhz frequencies, meaning that virtually any phone operating on at least the 1900mhz frequency will work in the USA. It just has to be unlocked, and luckily, most phone purchased overseas are unlocked because they are typically bought at full price and not that $39.99 sale price w/ two year contract (rediculous for a $150 phone), like they do in the USA.
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