Using Docomo phones abroad in S.E. Asia

I'm taking a trip to South East Asia during the holidays and was wondering if I could use my Docomo phone while I'm abroad. I'll be in Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Taiwan. Is there a SIM card I can purchase somewhere that I can use while I'm there? Also, I was wondering if I can send and receive email with my phone's email address while I'm there, even if I don't get a new SIM? I'm going to need to call contacts that I will be visiting and/or staying with, most likely.

Regardless of international service you have with Docomo, only the satellite cell phone can receive & send,.. there are several cell phone that can receive but will not allow you to make a call - you will have to subscribe to their network (each country you visit).

The way cellular phones work they use zones or small base stations called �gcells�h. As you move from one area or �gcell�h your call is �ghanded off�h from the old to the new cell. The switch to the new cell is accomplished by the sending of a special signal to the mobile unit. The Mobile Telephone Switching Office or MTSO connects the cellular calls with the Public Switched Telephone Network or (PSTN). The MTSO also controls all the cell sites. All the cell phones are registered with the control channel so the system knows where to find the cellular phone.

Imagine in a perfect world the cells or zones looked like a large honey bee cone that covered the planet. But this is not possible. It is not cost effective for the cellular providers to put up cell towers in rural areas or many third world countries where there would be low usage. So this makes vast areas of the U.S. and other countries where a cellular phone does not have coverage because if you are not close to a cell tower your cell phone will not work. There is also the issue where your friend's cell phone may work in an area or �gcell�h and yours does not. That is because their phone is most likely using another cellular provider the uses a tower with a difference technology other than the technology compatible with your phone. Also it would be impossible to place towers out in the ocean far from land, again making your celullarl phone worthless when not close to a cell tower.

The most popular hand held satellite telephones use Low Earth Orbiting or LEO satellites. When you turn on your satellite phone the signal goes up to any number of satellites in a compatible constellation where it is then registered with the constellation. Globalstar has 48 satellites and Iridium has 66 that orbit the earth. When making a call the satellite signal goes to the satellites this it is directed down to a ground station or gateway where it is directed by the gateway the to the call destination. The call can be directed to a land-line or PSTN as well as a cellular network. The reverse is also true. Any land-line or cellular network can call satellite phones. The Gateway processes and takes care of the switching of the calls rather than the satellite network. This allows you to use your phone even when you are in the middle or no where far from any cell tower.

http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/service/world/roaming/index.html

Rob,

You can safely ignore stanfordgal's post as it clearly doesn't apply unless you plan on visiting the deepest jungle or remote islands. If you stick to urban centers then the short answer is that depending on your handset you should be able to roam over most of S.E. Asia, but the charges will be high. Prepaid sim cards will not be an option unless you are able to unlock your phone, which again depends on which model handset you have. Docomo will not unlock it for you so you should look into other means. The link .(guest) posted will give you an idea of the charges.

stanfordgal, you forgot to copy & paste the last sentence--the most important one:

"For more information on how this works go to this link http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/about.html"

http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/satellite/telephones/cell_satellite.h...

Thanks. Nice that you took the time. That remind me to slow down a bit.