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- Article 1743 of comp.dcom.telecom:
- From: covert%covert.DEC@decwrl.dec.com (John R. Covert)
- Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
- Subject: Cellular around the world
- Message-ID: <telecom-v09i0188m01@vector.dallas.tx.us>
- Date: 6 Jun 89 18:10:00 GMT
- Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US
-
- >Does Beijing have cellular telephone service?
-
- Most certainly. And not just available to the government -- it
- really is there for the use of the foreign business community.
- Beijing was really trying very hard to be a modern city. I agree
- that it is amazing that the phone service was not shut off, but
- it's equally amazing that essentially all international long
- distance service is still working normally.
-
- >Just how worldwide IS cellular telephone service implemented? I didn't
- >think it even was available all over Europe yet.
-
- We Americans tend to think we've got the best of everything, but
- we're often wrong. Cellular phones are much more common in some
- European countries (Sweden in particular) than here. And in many
- cases the systems are much more fully developed and quite
- sophisticated. The NMT-900 system operating in the Nordic
- countries works automatically in all four countries. Even for
- incoming calls, with no nonsense with "roamer ports." Germany's
- C-Netz (which I used during a recent trip) operates almost all
- over the country, even in some fairly rural areas. No matter
- where I was in Germany, I could be called from all over the world
- on the same number. Incoming calls were at no cost to me. The
- system in the U.K., which uses the same hardware as the U.S.
- system, but different software in the phones, is likewise a
- nationwide integrated system.
-
- In the 1990s, Europe is supposed to introduce a new pan-Europe
- system which will work no matter where you are in Europe.
- Cellular users in the U.S. can hope that our regulators will get
- their heads out of the sand and allow our systems to connect
- together by then. (We just got Follow-Me-Roaming here in Boston,
- and I refuse to use it, because NYNEX Mobile has decided to
- charge local airtime in addition to the long distance call and
- roamer airtime. Fortunately, I have a computer at home that can
- transfer callers to the roamer port.)
-
- The following table lists countries with cellular systems. The
- protocol used in the U.S. is "AMPS." Theoretically, a U.S.
- cellular user would be able to use his phone in any of those
- countries. In fact, local regulations often do not permit you to
- even bring your own phone into many countries.
-
- I do know that American visitors can sign up to use their own
- phones in the following countries: Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada,
- Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts &
- Nevis, and Zaire.
-
- American Samoa AMPS American Samoa Government (PTT)
- Argentina AMPS Companie de Radio Commun. Mobiles (CRM)
- Australia AMPS Telecom Australia (PTT)
- Austria NMT-450 PTV
- Bahamas AMPS Bahamas Telecomms Corp.
- Belgium NMT-450 PTT
- Bermuda AMPS Bermuda Telephone Co., Ltd.
- Brazil AMPS
- British Virgin Islands AMPS CCT Boatphone
- Canada AMPS Cantel (A) or Local Telco (B)
- Cayman Islands AMPS Cable & Wireless
- China (PRC) TACS/NMT PTT
- Denmark NMT-450/900 PTT
- Dominican Republic AMPS Codetel
- Finland NMT-450/900 PTT
- France Radiocom 2000 PTT
- NMT-450
- Hong Kong AMPS & TACS Hutchison Radio
- TACS Hong Kong Telephone
- AMPS-type Chinatel
- Iceland NMT-450 PTT
- Indonesia NMT PTT
- Ireland TACS-900 PTT
- Israel AMPS Motorola Tadiran
- Italy RTMS SIP
- Jamaica AMPS JTC
- Japan NAMTS NTT & others
- Kenya AMPS Kenya PTC
- Kuwait NAMTS PTT
- Luxembourg NMT-450 PTT
- Malaysia NMT-450 JTM
- Mexico AMPS DGT
- Netherlands NMT-450 PTT
- Netherlands Antilles AMPS East Carribean Cellular, N.V.
- New Zealand AMPS PTT
- Norway NMT-450/900 PTT
- Oman NMT PTT
- Panama AMPS
- Philippines AMPS 1) PLDT 2) Express
- St. Kitts & Nevis AMPS CCT Boatphone
- Saudi Arabia NMT PTT
- Singapore AMPS The Telecommunications Authority
- South Korea AMPS Korea Telecomms Authority
- Spain NMT-450 La Co. Telefonica Nacional de Espana
- Sweden NMT-450/900 PTT
- Switzerland NMT-900 PTT
- Taiwan AMPS
- Thailand AMPS CATS
- NMT-450 TOT
- Tunisia NMT-450 PTT
- Turkey NMT-450 PTT
- United Arab Emirates TACS PTT
- United Kingdom TACS-900 1) Cellnet 2) Vodaphone
- Venezuela AMPS CANTV
- West Germany C-Netz PTT
- Zaire AMPS Telecel
-