Tokyoites pay 2nd highest cell phone charge in world

Wednesday 12th August, 06:52 AM JST

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wibble at 01:20 PM JST - 12th August

Cities? So do you get a different phone rate in Osaka than in Tokyo, I don't think so. I'm fairly certain almost anywhere has national not regional billing plans - although I really don't know about the US since that market is so screwed up.
whitepocky at 01:45 PM JST - 12th August

Softbank may not have the best service coverage, but the JPY990 white plan is worthy of it's price tag. Me and my wife have a monthly bill of around JPY6,000 and we communicate on a daily basis over the mobile. The problem lies unfortunately with the monopolies here in Japan. It's not just the phone industry. Most other industries, especially the car industry, have been brought up with golden spoons in their mouths at the consumers expense!
clodhopperOne at 02:01 PM JST - 12th August

I think, of all the cities visited I felt India to be good coverage with lowest cost of maintaining cell phone. Per Min call charges are less than 2 yen per min.....

BTW these call charges are for call all over India
wanderlust at 03:17 PM JST - 12th August

I find it is best to use your mobile like a pager, and just check who is ringing you. Most of the time you don't need to talk back at once, or keep the call short, and you can wait until you have landline, skype or IP phone access.

They also pay around the second lowest charges for internet access, with amongst the best performing network system in the world.

And maybe India is not so cheap if you are earning an Indian salary!
societymike at 04:00 PM JST - 12th August

Some of you guys are missing the big picture. While they may have a higher cost per minute for their service, it's the fact that their service is VERY good. (depending on carrier) the signal strength is almost always excellent, dropped calls nearly never happen, voice quality is crystal clear, internet/mail speeds are lightning quick. Add in that the handsets are the best in the world, you can't be so quick to think other countries services are "better". I for one rather have a higher monthly bill and have excellent reliable communications then a super cheap monthly bill coupled with super cheap crap phones, connections, and data communications.
Beelzebub at 04:48 PM JST - 12th August

I save a bloody fortune by not owning one. Unfortunately I'm forced to put up with the rudeness of idiots who use them everywhere I go, from the second I step out my front door. Just yesterday I almost bumped into a nearly blind codger who appeared to be in his eighties who had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking it, while he tried to either read a message on the tiny screen or figure out some esoteric command. The cell phone companies should pay ME, for the unpleasantness I'm forced to endure.
herefornow at 04:55 PM JST - 12th August

societymike -- maybe its you that is missing the "big picture". First off, your earlier post about folks in the U.S. having to pay "way more" if they go outside their immediate area is just plain false. Most of the major carriers in the states now have plans that allow you to call pretty much from anywhere and pay the same rate. Second, if you believe Softbank's service is VERY good, then you really have no concept of good mobile service. Dropped calls, particularly long distance ones, are the rule with them, rather than the exception. And, they have more dead spots here in Tokyo than you can count. Respectfully, service here is not noticably better than other major cities, but the cost is.
lostrune2 at 04:59 PM JST - 12th August

I think much of the US now use national plans with a lot of minutes since the infrastructure has caught up to the widely dispersed yet mobile populace.
888naff at 07:17 PM JST - 12th August

herforenow" Second, if you believe Softbank's service is VERY good, then you really have no concept of good mobile service. "

... not sure he does think that? but go on.

dont softbank have one of the worsenetworks out of teh major players... maybe something to be ex british vodafone managed... where money is very important them - but in quite a different arrangement. ie focus on money on function.
jigjapan at 12:27 AM JST - 13th August

well expensive....200 yen/min calling to the philippines and singapore...sigh..softbank mobile...
PepinGalarga at 12:43 AM JST - 13th August

Mexico historically has had one of the highest telephone rates in the world. Carlos's Slim Telmex is a monopoly which has made him the richest guy in the world depending how you measure it.

In Mexico, if you get an international INCOMING call on your cell phone, you also pay the much higher rate of more than $2 a minute. Anyone that is or has recently operated a phone in Mexico please feel free to chime in.

This list of 7 cities is far from being considered representative of the entire world.

In Japan, you can get a perfectly good phone for 0 yen, so a 2-year "Total Cost of Ownership" analysis is more accurate assessment (simulating actual use), rather than just looking at rates by minute...
DXXJP at 01:29 AM JST - 13th August

Out of saudi anywhere in the world is 50 halla after 9:00, out of dubai is 1 durham for the same call almost twice the cost, yet these two have millions of subscribers hardly no competition and seem to be the cheapest in the world.
sfjp330 at 03:52 AM JST - 13th August

In California, with carrier Sprint, you can get 1000 minutes for $ 55 month (5.5 cents a minute), or unlimited to all states for $99 month. This is a bargain compared to Japan.
societymike at 11:40 AM JST - 13th August

herefornow at 04:55 PM JST - 12th August societymike -- maybe its you that is missing the "big picture". Second, if you believe Softbank's service is VERY good, then you really have no concept of good mobile service.

I wasn't referring to Softbank, I should have been clear, my bad. I've had DoCoMo for 10years, 7yrs in Tokyo and 3yrs in Okinawa for my personal phone. For my work mobile, I have had both Au and Softbank and I agree, in Tokyo, Softbank wasn't all that great but DoCoMo was always clear full signals. In Okinawa however, AU has 100% coverage, the best out of the big 3, then is Softbank fine, and DoCoMo is equally OK.
sharky1 at 10:43 PM JST - 16th August

Who named them "Tokyoites"??? I think tokyoyos would be more appropriate.