Japan’s disastrous mobile bills
Yesterday I had the most shocking experience in my life looking at a bill sent to me by the mobile phone operator (au by KDDI). The bill was generated for 16days of time from 12/12/2006 to 31/12/2006 and carried the outstanding amount as 39,693JPY. I wouldn’t have seen any other service provider charging such a huge amount for no international calls and no domestic multi city call option. In fact nearly 28,500JPY charged for just for the WAP service.
This makes me even more affraid for using the same service in the last 10days in January, I may probably expect one more such a bill in the first week of February now.
First of all the mobile doesn’t have enough memory for downloading huge content, which means there is a limitation for downloading. Secondly typing through mobile phone is always considered as pain hence that rules out the effective use of internet via. mobile phone. Additionally no WAP site is been classified into image rich site that is another fact getting away from heavy data transfer. Also the tiny screen can only show a small piece of data at one stretch which are technically called decks in WAP technology and consumes more time for browsing even a text based site, now you know what would have been a average WAP usage.
In spite of these entire things, I got my moderatively used mobile WAP service charge for 15days is about 28,500JPY plus 11,000 for making local calls. I’m now wondering if such a facility in a tiny mobile cost a fortune then why should we call it as value added service. The technology should be made available to public in an affordable way not destructive manner. This made me to call all the readers of this blog to ignore au by KDDI mobile operator to all possible extent wherever possible. If you know, in India which is a developing nation provides mobile internet connectivity with unlimited usage for just as low as 400INR equal to 1000JPY. Are my Japanese friends are so ignorant to raise their voice against such unjustified pricing policy of a service providers? It’s one of the very bad day I have ever came in while visiting Japan.
Here by I request you guys please take extra caution while using mobile phone in Japan.
Visit Camera Friendly Objects at: http://www.camera-friendly.com
This makes me even more affraid for using the same service in the last 10days in January, I may probably expect one more such a bill in the first week of February now.
First of all the mobile doesn’t have enough memory for downloading huge content, which means there is a limitation for downloading. Secondly typing through mobile phone is always considered as pain hence that rules out the effective use of internet via. mobile phone. Additionally no WAP site is been classified into image rich site that is another fact getting away from heavy data transfer. Also the tiny screen can only show a small piece of data at one stretch which are technically called decks in WAP technology and consumes more time for browsing even a text based site, now you know what would have been a average WAP usage.
In spite of these entire things, I got my moderatively used mobile WAP service charge for 15days is about 28,500JPY plus 11,000 for making local calls. I’m now wondering if such a facility in a tiny mobile cost a fortune then why should we call it as value added service. The technology should be made available to public in an affordable way not destructive manner. This made me to call all the readers of this blog to ignore au by KDDI mobile operator to all possible extent wherever possible. If you know, in India which is a developing nation provides mobile internet connectivity with unlimited usage for just as low as 400INR equal to 1000JPY. Are my Japanese friends are so ignorant to raise their voice against such unjustified pricing policy of a service providers? It’s one of the very bad day I have ever came in while visiting Japan.
Here by I request you guys please take extra caution while using mobile phone in Japan.
Visit Camera Friendly Objects at: http://www.camera-friendly.com
2 comments:
Nice to read your experiences in Japan. I would like to add a point here. I am using a prepaid connection from AU KDDI. Ofcourse there is no WAP service. I paid only 10,000 JPY with a 365 days validity period. Callig rate is bit high. 10 JPY per 6 sec. I think even in India, I can not use a mobile phone for just 3700 Rs for one year!
I use international telephone cards to call back home. Just for 2000 JPY, I am getting 3 hours calling time to India.
You can also try for YahooBB connection, both for internet and telephone.
Hi,
Thanks for your comment, however in India you can get prepaid connection with full talk time validity for 6months about 1100INR(AirTel). The call charges in India are down to earth cheaper (should I say cost effective?) This works out lower than 3700INR as you stated.
You can also get Prepaid from BSNL for an year tariff about 2500INR (See http://www.bsnl.in/service/tariff_excel_pre.htm)
As I mentioned, I got 5410JPY for calling charges, remaining money goes for data service charges and which is a posion to fellow Indians in Japan.
Post a Comment