Japanese Cellphones in the US

[Gan]

First question is do Japanese cell phones work in the U.S.?
If they do will they work with U.S. carriers like alltel, AT&T, cingular, T-moblie, N-telos, etc. Do you have to have a special SIM chip? I really want a docomo, but I don't think that it would work in the U.S. or I don't think this phone would atleast
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GAO2PLDmIQg&feature=related.
And if it did work there, would it still be able to pick up TV sations in the local area?

[JaySee]

I dont think they will work; Japanese cell phones dont use SIM chips but some different kind of system. I'm not really an expert on how they do work though... I have 2 lying around and I've been trying to see if I could get them to work here in Holland, but as far as I know it's impossible.

[Wakannai]

Well, not all cell phones use sim chips. The main problem is the US government restricts the radio wave frequencies more strictly than other countries, so the frequency range of a Japanese cell phone will probably operate in a military restricted frequency here.

At least, I know this frequency problem does apply to many items brought in overseas that were not designed for our market. If you look at a radio frequency map, You will see big chunks of it blocked off for military use only.

[Oracle]

it works the other way too..
US Cordless Devices Cut Into Japan Emergency Frequencies

[Chris Hart]

Part of the problem with this is there are 3 regions of the world, with different international reservations for frequencies. North America is in ITU (International Telecommunications Union) Region 2. Japan, Southern Asia, Australia... are in Region 3, with Region 1 being the former USSR, Europe, and Africa. Individual countries can make minor modifications to these international modifications for well within their borders.

Example, I live in Toledo, OH, USA, on the coast of Lake Erie. I am an Amateur Radio operator. The US government (more specifically the FCC (Federal Communications Commission)) allocated extra spectrum to the Amateur radio service between 420 and 430MHz.This range is internationally reserved in ITU R2 for Government (IE military) use. Canada did not make this additional allocation. Therefore, since I am so geographically close to Canada (I am North of what the FCC calls line A) I can't use this extra spectrum.

[chikara]

There is also the issue of which network type the phone uses, PDC, CDMA, GSM or 3G.

From the Japanese Cellular Phones FAQ;

NOTE: The fact that a Japanese person can use his/her Japanese phone in your country does not mean that you can also use one. Japanese phones are designed for their respective operators (except some SoftBank 3G phones) and will not work with your local operator's subscription. In other words, whether or not Japanese phones work technically in your country is one thing; whether or not you can practically use them with your operator is another.