iphone in japan with docomo

[VIP KING]

UPDATE 01-11-10:

Went to Docomo today, spoke with the rep that helped me out. Here is what I found out.

1.) Got rid of the Blackberry plan, and also lowered, my cell minutes and plan. Now I have Biz Hodai Double and Mopera U (I still have questions with this combo, more on that later).

2.) Ron, don’t know what your settings are so I wish you would share them because here is the deal when I asked about just having Pake Hodai Double plan. Per the rep, PHD plan is specifically made to work as an unlimited plan with ONLY i-Mode capable phones. Biz Hodai plans are made for non-i-Mode Docomo or non-Docomo phones.

3.) Using the mpr2.bizho.net APN with my new non-Blackberry plans DOES NOT WORK.

4.) Using my current mopera.net and username and password APN settings still does work.

5.) Per Docomo rep, mpr2.bizho.net APN settings are specific to be used with Docomo HTC type phones as they are specific to the phones. I asked about that APN, hence the answer I got. Which is what I had basically concluded in my prior posts regarding sim/ and IMEI numbers.

6.) Ran into a work buddy, he has an i-Mode Docomo phone, (he's not sure of his data plan though) tried his sim in my iPhone, with a variety of APN’s, no go at all. Oddly by default, it changed APN to mopera.net with User as “dummy” and password as “dummy”. He stated that the Docomo rep told him that he can not have Mopera with an i-Mode phone; this was after I asked him about it.

7.) In addition to his statement, he mentioned that his wife has Docomo also, back in the day he got charged for emailing (having a Mopera email address) his wife’s Docomo email address (being a standard @docomo.ne.jp address), after being told that they would not get charged for email. Hence why he doesn’t have Mopera anymore.

8.) Going back to my SIM. Decided to change the APN to mpr.bizho.net, and discovered after a reboot of my phone earlier, that my APN changed to mopera.net but with dummy as user name and password. Things still worked, but now I am confused. Changed my user name and password to my settings, and it (internet) wouldn’t work at first, then it did after a few tries and a reboot.

9.) Changed APN to mpr.bizho.net, and left my user name PW there, and loaded the internet page just fine. But only once, probably a cached page to be honest, a fluke at best.

10.) Tried the following with user name and password as personal and as “dummy” and still no go. APN: mpr.bizho.net, mpr2.bizho.net. I also tried them with reboots of the phone, and still no go. Went back to my mopera.net with UN/PW and it was good to go!!

11.) Questions that remain: My wife has Softbank also, will our email between her and I (mopera.net) be charged on her end? What is a free way for us to communicate without charge? (Softbank users chime in please). Keep in mind I have a Gmail account as well. We’re looking for the best ways to mail each other at no cost.

12.) Docomo rep was very helpful, but when asking which APN to use, she couldn’t give me the straight answer. Got the felling it was a secret or she honestly didn’t know. And I totally forgot to ask her about the email situations.

As of right now, I do not know what my bill will be; hope that this works without a hitch. I will limit my use and check in a few days. So, as of now, my mopera APN still stands as king. Whether I still get charged or not, rep, again couldn’t guarantee and really didn’t know.

Stay tuned for the updates, I’m trying the best I can to break this code. Ron, please share what you got, because as of now, I am getting conflicting information.


Ron what is?
1.) Your APN and did you use a user name and or a password?
2.) Did you or do you have Mopera with your pake plane?
3.) What SIM card do you have?
4.) Is your plan i-Mode able, did you get an i-Mode able Docomo phone.

Thanks in advance.

 

[AndyJapan]

UPDATE 01-11-10:

Went to Docomo today, spoke with the rep that helped me out. Here is what I found out.

1.) Got rid of the Blackberry plan, and also lowered, my cell minutes and plan. Now I have Biz Hodai Double and Mopera U (I still have questions with this combo, more on that later).

That’s the same combination that I am using with my HT-03A and should theoretically work with smartphones.

2.) Ron, don’t know what your settings are so I wish you would share them because here is the deal when I asked about just having Pake Hodai Double plan. Per the rep, PHD plan is specifically made to work as an unlimited plan with ONLY i-Mode capable phones. Biz Hodai plans are made for non-i-Mode Docomo or non-Docomo phones.

The information that you received from the rep is in line with the description on the DoCoMo website and how I understand the different plans. PHD for i-mode and BHD for Non i-mode phones.

3.) Using the mpr2.bizho.net APN with my new non-Blackberry plans DOES NOT WORK.

Because Docomo doesn’t want this gateway to be used with Non-Docomo phones.

4.) Using my current mopera.net and username and password APN settings still does work.

But you will get charged for it as they see it as PC tethering. No solution.

4.) Per Docomo rep, mpr2.bizho.net APN settings are specific to be used with Docomo HTC type phones as they are specific to the phones. I asked about that APN, hence the answer I got. Which is what I had basically concluded in my prior posts regarding sim/ and IMEI numbers.

That’s the official version. I don’t buy this story. There is nothing specific about this APN. HTC phones are standard smartphones. They simply don’t want ‘foreign phones’ to use this APN by putting some info on the SIM card or doing IMEI filtering (don’t beat me for the latter statement…).

6.) Ran into a work buddy, he has an i-Mode Docomo phone, (he's not sure of his data plan though) tried his sim in my iPhone, with a variety of APN’s, no go at all. Oddly by default, it changed APN to mopera.net with User as “dummy” and password as “dummy”. He stated that the Docomo rep told him that he can not have Mopera with an i-Mode phone; this was after I asked him about it.

Mopera is not needed for i-mode phones, but smartphones only (statement by a Docomo rep).

7.) In addition to his statement, he mentioned that his wife has Docomo also, back in the day he got charged for emailing (having a Mopera email address) his wife’s Docomo email address (being a standard @docomo.ne.jp address), after being told that they would not get charged for email. Hence why he doesn’t have Mopera anymore.

Not being charged for e-mailing each other under FamiWari only works with i-mode e-mail, not for standard e-mail such as mopera.net or Gmail as they see it as standard data traffic. However, sending text messages free of charge is possible.

8.) Going back to my SIM. Decided to change the APN to mpr.bizho.net, and discovered after a reboot of my phone earlier, that my APN changed to mopera.net but with dummy as user name and password. Things still worked, but now I am confused. Changed my user name and password to my settings, and it (internet) wouldn’t work at first, then it did after a few tries and a reboot.

9.) Changed APN to mpr.bizho.net, and left my user name PW there, and loaded the internet page just fine. But only once, probably a cached page to be honest, a fluke at best.

10.) Tried the following with user name and password as personal and as “dummy” and still no go. APN: mpr.bizho.net, mpr2.bizho.net. I also tried them with reboots of the phone, and still no go. Went back to my mopera.net with UN/PW and it was good to go!!

I am pretty sure that you will get charged for it.

11.) Questions that remain: My wife has Softbank also, will our email between her and I (mopera.net) be charged on her end? What is a free way for us to communicate without charge? (Softbank users chime in please). Keep in mind I have a Gmail account as well. We’re looking for the best ways to mail each other at no cost.

12.) Docomo rep was very helpful, but when asking which APN to use, she couldn’t give me the straight answer. Got the feeling it was a secret or she honestly didn’t know. And I totally forgot to ask her about the email situations.

The APN question might be too technical. She probably doesn’t know or doesn’t want to tell how to make an iPhone work.
My theory: When you buy a new Docomo phone or switch to a new Docomo phone, they prepare the phone and/or SIM card for usage with all the services you signed up for. They either write some info on the SIM card or register some phone-specific info on their system/servers. If they did the same procedure with the iPhone, mpr2.bizho.net could be used without any problems and one would not get charged for PC tethering.
However, Docomo will never ever do this for any customer. Their system might even reject any Non-DoCoMo phones during this process.

As of right now, I do not know what my bill will be; hope that this works without a hitch. I will limit my use and check in a few days. So, as of now, my mopera APN still stands as king. Whether I still get charged or not, rep, again couldn’t guarantee and really didn’t know.

Stay tuned for the updates, I’m trying the best I can to break this code. Ron, please share what you got, because as of now, I am getting conflicting information.


Ron what is?
1.) Your APN and did you use a user name and or a password?
2.) Did you or do you have Mopera with your pake plane?
3.) What SIM card do you have?
4.) Is your plan i-Mode able, did you get an i-Mode able Docomo phone.

Thanks in advance.

I spoke with my friend who works for NTT and he will make contact to a colleague who is working with NTT Docomo. This will be my last attempt to solve this problem. I am fed up with the Docomo reps/tech support hotline. If it doesn’t work out, I will switch back to an i-mode phone (my wife’s old phone), sell my HT-03A and consider buying E-Mobile’s Pocket-Wifi. Screw DoCoMo…

 

[jmaurice]

I found a comment on an Android-related website that said that DoCoMo is using IMEI filtering for the mpr2.bizho.net APN. See below:
http://my.opera.com/wiz/blog/2009/06/16/how-to-install-japanese-ime-on-android

Hi AndyJapan, Thanks for inviting me to participate in your discussion.

I can assure you that if you want to use a non-docomo device on docomo's network with a pakehodai plan, it will not be easy.

As you guys have probably already figured out by now, there are several docomo APNs, such as mopera.net, 0120.bizho.net, mpr.bizho.net, mpr2.bizho.net, mpr.ex-pkt.net, open.mopera.net, etc.

And you also know the two *.bizho.net ones are used for the pakehodai plan.

I was told that mpr2.bizho.net is protected by IMEI filtering. Any non-docomo phones will be blocked after about 30 seconds of use.

However, mpr.bizho.net does not seem to be protected by IMEI filtering (I didn't ask about this APN) Instead, it seems that the connection is initially only open to docomo's network, at which point some type of "connection manager" software must be used to enable internet access.

Many docomo devices use the mpr.bizho.net APN, such as older S60 phones, Windows Mobile, etc. If you really want to use docomo on your iPhone, I think the only way would be to reverse engineer how these older devices use the mpr.bizho.net APN and have your iPhone do it.

I recommend you start by using IDA Pro to disassemble the Symbian version of docomo's mobile connection manager application. Just to download the Symbian application requires some hacking; you will need to spoof your User-Agent to a certain docomo-specific string used by the Symbian device, and connect to a certain https:// URL while using the mpr.bizho.net APN. It is the only URL you can connect to using the mpr.bizho.net until you do whatever magic secret is required to open up the rest of the connection. My guess is that the connection manager opens up a PPP connection using some hardcoded authentication values.

Then, you would have to have your iPhone emulate all this handshaking or whatever is going on, which would probably require writing an application from scratch. And after all this is done, you may find yourself filtered after 30 seconds if they do indeed do IMEI filtering on the mpr.bizho.net APN as well.

So, for 3G pakehodai internet in Japan with non-docomo phones, I recommend you to use a silver softbank UIM with the well-known iPhone APN settings. (smile.world dna1trop/so2t3k3m2a) I just hope Softbank doesn't do IMEI filtering as well. That would suck.

Good luck in your phone hacking.

 

[jmaurice]

The APN question might be too technical. She probably doesn’t know or doesn’t want to tell how to make an iPhone work.

Docomo's official policy is that they don't support non-docomo phones, period.

If you walk into a docomo shop with a non-docomo phone, they will tell you to go away.

 

[jmaurice]

Went back to my mopera.net with UN/PW and it was good to go!!

If you use the mopera.net APN, your docomo bill is going to be extremely expensive. I recommend you call docomo or visit a docomo shop immediately and ask them how much packet charges you have incurred so far on the mopera.net APN.

You can very easily rack up 100,000 yen or more worth of charges on mopera.net in a few weeks.

 

[jmaurice]

IMEI numbers are way to difficult to control and keep track of, I highly doubt that's what they control.

I know for certain that it's exactly what they use for control. HTC phones sold by docomo have the same group of digits at the beginning of the IMEI. They simply check if the first group of digits match their whitelist or not, ie. 3580XXXXXXXXXXX

 

[VIP KING]

If you use the mopera.net APN, your docomo bill is going to be extremely expensive. I recommend you call docomo or visit a docomo shop immediately and ask them how much packet charges you have incurred so far on the mopera.net APN.

You can very easily rack up 100,000 yen or more worth of charges on mopera.net in a few weeks.

UPDATE:

I just checked my docomo bill online, as of now for just one day of iPhone use on my new current data plan with mopera APN settings, with use of just 351001 packets of data, the charge is 10,747yen.

THATS NOT GOOD! This is not the way to go.

Whatever Ron says he is doing, I am begining to think he is lying or is simply unaware of anything. He has provided no updates, and absolutely no APN settings to prove his claims.

Back to the Docomo shop I will go now. This is becoming ridiculous, and as of now, any one that is claiming that they have this working without extra charges, i'm calling BS to those claims until I see proper information which includes all that has been discussed here on this form. Either provide the required information or don't post at all!

I have personally been the guinea pig for the better of everyone interested, provided all my findings and have paid the price... LITERALLY. If you claim it works without extra charges, but provide nothing to prove it, YOU'RE SIMPLY LYING!! Don't waste our time!

 

[jmaurice]

Just a heads up. I just checked my Docomo bill and I have the cap set in place (finally).

So, right now, I have "unlimited 3G data" on Docomo. (Yes, the bill is high, ￥12800, for those of you who are wondering). But that is under the PC tethering cap, so for that price you can tether to your computer unlimted too!

This sounds interesting. What APN are you using on your iPhone?

 

[jmaurice]

I am rather considering E-Mobile's 'Pocket Wifi' in case the 'iPhone on DoCoMo network' problem cannot be solved. I would cancel my Biz-Hodai plan, purchase E-Mobile's Pocket Wifi and use it with my iPod touch and phone. Cheaper than Biz-Hodai and more versatile...

That's silly. Just put an e-mobile UIM card in your phone.

 

[sushi]

UPDATE:

I just checked my docomo bill online, as of now for just one day of iPhone use on my new current data plan with mopera APN settings, with use of just 351001 packets of data, the charge is 10,747yen.

THATS NOT GOOD! This is not the way to go.

Wow. At that rate, you would have over 300,000 yen in a month.

Definitely need to be careful.

On a side note, a few months ago I was in one of the base's SoftBank shops. Two folks came in and paid their $2,500 bills. Roaming charges killed them.

 

[kavik379]

Update

I went to Docomo shop last week after trying all the different settings. They couldn't help me either, but I did find out that if you want to used internet tethering, then the mopera.net APN is the one to use. If you do internet tethering,the 5700 yen BizHodai Double cap does not apply, but will be capped at 13,000 yen. I held off on posting until I could verify this. So after 11 days of usage for me, it did cap the fee at 13,000 yen. I verified this on mydocomo.com.

This is my setup:

moperaU
BizHodai Double
APN: mopera.net

This will cap at 13,000 yen.

Don't know any other way to do it.

 

[VIP KING]

I went to Docomo shop last week after trying all the different settings. They couldn't help me either, but I did find out that if you want to used internet tethering, then the mopera.net APN is the one to use. If you do internet tethering,the 5700 yen BizHodai Double cap does not apply, but will be capped at 13,000 yen. I held off on posting until I could verify this. So after 11 days of usage for me, it did cap the fee at 13,000 yen. I verified this on mydocomo.com.

This is my setup:

moperaU
BizHodai Double
APN: mopera.net

This will cap at 13,000 yen.

Don't know any other way to do it.

KAV, Nice info. Thanks for contributing. This appears to be my setting too.

I assume you use no user name or password either?

I ask because I have noticed that if I use the following, they all work:

User Name = personal
Password = personal

User Name = Dummy
Password = Dummy

User Name = left blank
Password = left blank


In addition, I have got the mpr.bizho.net to work, however as previously mention by "Jmaurice", it works for a limited time then drops you off the network via IMEI filtering.

Now the trick is getting it to see you as a Docomo IMEI.

I am going to try the Pake Hodia plan at the end of this month. Rep said to wait otherwise I would pay for both my BizHo and Pake in one month. She really is straight up with me and totally knows exactly what I am trying.

In anycase, if I cap out at 13,000yen, then I woun't feel so bad. She could not promise me a cap at that rate though. If you sat it does, then that good to know.
@KAV:curious though, what is your packet use at? And is it 13,650yen to be exact? My showed me that cap rate, but again, could not promise it.

Thanks again kav, for the proper way to help.

 

[jmaurice]

Now the trick is getting it to see you as a Docomo IMEI.

Changing the IMEI of your device is illegal, you can get in big trouble for this.

 

[sealab2021]

Well, I've finally got back from visiting the States. I had a chance to catch up on the forums, and I'm amazed how much "support" this forum has gotten, and no one chiming in "Why not use Softbank". Its quite refreshing.

All this info is a surprise to me, because this month I finally decided to retire my iphone because of the high tethering bill. I went to using the data only one for my PC, and I have to say that the internet speed is considerbly faster than what I was getting on mopera.net

I want to add here, (especially to Andy), that I orginally thought that Biz hodai double was the way to go. I intially used it, even though the rep advised me not to, because at the time (in September 2009), there was no tethering cap for the Biz Hodai double. Sure enough, I was charged a very high fee, above the tethering cap for packet hodai. And I imediately had to switch to packet hodai, and that month, I paid for both data plans, ranging over ￥35000.

I would love to know how Ron got his cap to stick. It is possible that he is on a legacy plan that is no longer offered via Docomo. Especially since he said he just swapped his sim from his docomo phone to another.

The APN I used is mopera.net. It is the same apn that is in the NTTDocomo settings pack that you can download via cydia.

 

[VIP KING]

@Sealab, good to have you back safely. I wish Ron would chime in. If what you're saying is true about him having an older account, he will need to provide that info when he started up with Docomo too, that would clarify your therory.
When did that legacy account go into effect and end?

What do you mean by this:
"I went to using the data only one for my PC, and I have to say that the internet speed is considerbly faster than what I was getting on mopera.net"

Do you still have calling abilities too?



@ Jmaurice, when you state
"And you also know the two *.bizho.net ones are used for the pakehodai plan."

Which .bizho.net, you actually mentioned 3 of them.

However, that still doesn't make sense as that Bizho seems to be an APN for a Biz Hodai plan, not a Pake Hodai.

Also wasn't planning to change my IMEI number, have no idea how to even do that, but how would they know any way?

 

[AndyJapan]

Originally Posted by AndyJapan
I am rather considering E-Mobile's 'Pocket Wifi' in case the 'iPhone on DoCoMo network' problem cannot be solved. I would cancel my Biz-Hodai plan, purchase E-Mobile's Pocket Wifi and use it with my iPod touch and phone. Cheaper than Biz-Hodai and more versatile...

That's silly. Just put an e-mobile UIM card in your phone.

First off, thanks a lot for joining this forum and contributing by posting useful info. We need guys like you!

I don't quite understand your suggestion to put an E-Mobile UIM card in my phone.
FYI, I am currently using an HT-03A and assume that a SIM card from any other provider than Docomo would not work as the phone is provider-locked.
I was posting in this thread as I considered buying an unlocked iPhone in Hong Kong for using it on the DoCoMo network. (FYI, I'd like to stay with Docomo because of FamiWari (free calls to family members)). However, I discovered that I would run into problems in regards to data traffic and the cap under Biz-Hodai. Therefore, I posted info on this forum that might be useful to solve this problem.

The admittedly strange idea to use E-Mobile's Pocket Wifi with my iPod touch and phone was born out of the fact that the problem that is being discussed in this thread most probably cannot be solved without some serious reverse-engineering, hacking or illegal manipulations (IMEI modification). While I will certainly not get myself into trouble by manipulating the IMEI of any phone, I might not have the skills to hack an iPhone and make it work on the Docomo network. Therefore, I considered buying a Pocket Wifi as I could keep my phone (and phone number), but have high-speed Internet access with my phone, iPod touch or notebook.

 

[AndyJapan]

I know for certain that it's exactly what they use for control. HTC phones sold by docomo have the same group of digits at the beginning of the IMEI. They simply check if the first group of digits match their whitelist or not, ie. 3580XXXXXXXXXXX

I can confirm that my HT-03A has a 3580XXXXXXXXXXX IMEI.
Actually pretty smart of Docomo to use IMEI filtering. Usernames and passwords can be stolen or given to another person, but an IMEI is unique and manipulation is illegal. Therefore, Docomo can make sure that paying customers (using a HTC phone) can only use one physical phone with their dedicated APN (mpr2.bizho.net).

Looks like the obstacle to make an iPhone work on the Docomo network is higher than we expected - at least if one is not ready to pay more than 12,000Yen per month.

 

[kavik379]

Docomo Bill Breakdown

First off, I have used the mopera.net APN with all three usernames and passwords and they all work: personal, blank, and dummy.

I also can connect to the bizho.net APN for a while but then get kicked off.

Regarding my bill, here is the breakdown in the Packet section:

372 Biz Hodai Double (this is from when I was still using my Docomo phone; maybe also when it connects for a few seconds from the iPhone)

13,000 FOMA Packet (total)

7,300 FOMA Packet (not sure, but I think it says something about useage not included in the 5700 cap; 'special' or 'other' useage) This has a total of 710346 packets so far

5,700 FOMA Packet (this is the normal BizHodai Double cap amount) 93856 packets

-372 BizHodai Double discount (for the usage above 5700 yen that falls under BizHodai Double)

This was as of 1/12/2010. If you would like me to update on my useage later, just let me know.

 

[AndyJapan]

Half Off-Topic: Docomo N-02B as WiFi access point

[...]
All this info is a surprise to me, because this month I finally decided to retire my iphone because of the high tethering bill. I went to using the data only one for my PC, and I have to say that the internet speed is considerbly faster than what I was getting on mopera.net

I have just learned that one of the latest Docomo phones (NEC N-02B) can be used as Wifi access point (=tethering). The Yodobashi rep told me that it can be used under Biz Hodai Double with Mopera U - same as other Docomo smartphones.

I now wonder if this phone uses the same APN (mpr2.bizho.net) as Docomo HTC phones or another APN. While I don't think that they drop IMEI filtering, the fact that tethering is permitted with this phone under Biz Hodai is interesting.

If the N-02B uses the standard Biz Hodai APN (mpr2.bizho.net), it should be possible to use an HT-03A in the same manner and tether other devices using 'Android-Wifi-Tether'. Prerequisite is that the phone is rooted, which seems to be impossible or rather difficult with Android 1.6.

http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/

Would be interesting to learn more about the APN settings of this phone and if Docomo is taking any measures to limit tethering to this phone model only.

Update:
They seem to use the following APN: mpr.ex-pkt.net (max. 128kbps)
Reference link: http://www.remotekid.com/index.php?e=261 (Japanese only)

The above APN doesn't work with my HT-03A. So, they might use IMEI filtering for this APN as well and limit access to N-02B phones. 128kbps is anyway pretty slow which makes this phone uninteresting.

Here is an overview of Mopera APNs:
http://start.mopera.net/contents/noauth/access/accessPc.html

 

[kavik379]

Tethering

When I went into the Docomo store, I was told that any sort of tethering is still under the "BizHodai Double" plan, but would be capped at 13,000 yen and I would have to use the mopera.net APN. Using the HT-01A, USB and Bluetooth tethering only is possible, not WiFi, but I think the same would apply.

 

[VIP KING]

Question: Anyone hear or know of some sort of new Japanese law (similar to the US law) that states all Japanese cell network/Co. have to provide APN settings and or handset unlock codes? It's supposed to take place this month from what I have gathered on the net.


Another question: Where is Ron? I am looking to try his data plan at the end of month that he swears works like a charm, but he hasn't been around to confirm anything. I need to know what APN to try, or any other settings for that fact.
If this Paket Hodai Double plan fails, as much as I don't like them, I may be swapping over to Softy. I hope I can get away with not buying one of their iPhones and instead just get a basic phone with the unlimited data packet plan and pop that sim in.
My reasoning for this switch, I simply have tried all the options, paid the price, and have not seen anything that makes it worth it for me anymore. Paying 12,000yen or even more is ridiculous to say the least. In my opinion, which doesn't mean crap of course, Docomo is dumb. They could grab so much business it's insane. However their closed mind way of thinking will keep them in the dark I suppose.

 

[AndyJapan]

Question: Anyone hear or know of some sort of new Japanese law (similar to the US law) that states all Japanese cell network/Co. have to provide APN settings and or handset unlock codes? It's supposed to take place this month from what I have gathered on the net.

You have any sources? Would be great, but I doubt that this will happen soon.

Another question: Where is Ron? I am looking to try his data plan at the end of month that he swears works like a charm, but he hasn't been around to confirm anything. I need to know what APN to try, or any other settings for that fact.

I don't think that Ron can provide any useful info on that topic and don't believe that he has a cap at 5,700Yen. Period.

If this Paket Hodai Double plan fails, as much as I don't like them, I may be swapping over to Softy. I hope I can get away with not buying one of their iPhones and instead just get a basic phone with the unlimited data packet plan and pop that sim in.
My reasoning for this switch, I simply have tried all the options, paid the price, and have not seen anything that makes it worth it for me anymore. Paying 12,000yen or even more is ridiculous to say the least. In my opinion, which doesn't mean crap of course, Docomo is dumb. They could grab so much business it's insane. However their closed mind way of thinking will keep them in the dark I suppose.

Not sure if Docomo is dumb as I assume that they make a lot of money with their current business model. Look at the ludicrous prices for handsets that are provider-locked forever. Any system that gives customers more choice or freedom to switch providers (without incurring high costs) is not in their interest. They want to lock in customers and make it difficult to switch.

 

[VIP KING]

Something to share with everyone:

Well, I did some searching on the net with Google translate. Found some
interesting information. Here are the best links I could find, you may have to use Google translate.

LINKS:

http://translate.googleusercontent....le.com&usg=ALkJrhgT53Iicg27gc-gCgxrVpVscAubvg

http://translate.googleusercontent....le.com&usg=ALkJrhiENtoSZJiz_qUglkMd3UUIO3Bjag

http://translate.googleusercontent....le.com&usg=ALkJrhiVxCRZjamoeahZbiabSkgEouBwFw

http://translate.googleusercontent....le.com&usg=ALkJrhh_fRQfOxmj76Idrw0S_OAXPCZZnA

This site is actually pretty useful. It appears that you can have Pake Hodia Double at a cheaper rate but the connection is 128k (maybe this is what Ron has). This is what I gather and I only looked
over the site just a little. This site appears to be dedicated to the use and configuration of an iPhone on the Docomo network. Completly cool stuff if you take the time to look over it all. This guy did his homework for sure.

@Andy, Docomo is dumb in the meaning that they could nab additional revenue by not being so closed minded, which in turn would force Softy to also compete some how to keep customers or force them to provide better signal strength, which is one of the main reasons and complaints of Softy customers... signal sucks for what you get and pay for.

In any case, that website looks to be pretty informative and I hope it helps, the Pake Hodia plan with i-mode and mopera @ 128k looks to be the answer we may have all been looking for, except for the slower internet.

 

[AndyJapan]

Something to share with everyone:

Well, I did some searching on the net with Google translate. Found some
interesting information. Here are the best links I could find, you may have to use Google translate.

LINKS:

http://translate.googleusercontent....le.com&usg=ALkJrhgT53Iicg27gc-gCgxrVpVscAubvg

http://translate.googleusercontent....le.com&usg=ALkJrhiENtoSZJiz_qUglkMd3UUIO3Bjag

http://translate.googleusercontent....le.com&usg=ALkJrhiVxCRZjamoeahZbiabSkgEouBwFw

http://translate.googleusercontent....le.com&usg=ALkJrhh_fRQfOxmj76Idrw0S_OAXPCZZnA

This site is actually pretty useful. It appears that you can have Pake Hodia Double at a cheaper rate but the connection is 128k (maybe this is what Ron has). This is what I gather and I only looked
over the site just a little. This site appears to be dedicated to the use and configuration of an iPhone on the Docomo network. Completly cool stuff if you take the time to look over it all. This guy did his homework for sure.

Hey VIP KING,
great stuff! I just skimmed over the site (http://sites.google.com/site/iphoneondocomo/) and it looks quite interesting. I will read it later and see whether this would re-spark my interest in using an iPhone on the Docomo network. I already gave up after IMEI filtering had been confirmed by JMaurice.

However, 128kbps is indeed pretty slow. Back to ISDN speed...
Pocket-Wifi still looks interesting...

 

[Espionage32]

Cool!!!


I sent that link to my friend in Japan. She has the N30ID with a FOMA 3G Sim card and says it works just fine in her unlocked iphone. And she will be trying those settings on the Pake Hodai Double and Mopera u lite plan.