Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Jim Gottlieb Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Phone Rates USA to/from Japan Message-ID: <11258@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 23 Aug 90 09:45:49 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Jim Gottlieb Organization: Info Connections, Tokyo, Japan Lines: 64 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 590, Message 3 of 12 In article <11085@accuvax.nwu.edu> normt@ihlpy.att.com (Norman R. Tiedemann) writes: > AT&T MCI US-Sprint Japan Time ^^^^^^^^^^ Note that the times listed are relative to Central time (U.S.). The time in Japan is different for those in other time zones. >KDD is the only one that offers operator assisted calls, This is true. >and appears to bill in six second increments. All the carriers's rates are based on six-second increments. But calls from public telephones must be charged slightly differently, as the phone can not collect 32 yen (or whatever) every six seconds. It can only collect 100 yen per X seconds. >KDD is the "standard" (until two years ago, national phone company). You are thinking of NTT, which was privatized two years ago. KDD (Kokusai Denshin Denwa [International Telegraph & Telephone]) has always been a private company (at least as private as big companies in Japan get). >ITJ is the International Telecom Japan (its slogan is "Digital > Optical Fiber"). Access 0041... >IDC is the Intrntl. Digital Communications Inc. (It's slogan is "The > Intelligent Choice"). Access 0061... (0062-0065 for feature calls) Likewise, ITJ uses 0042 and 0043 for some of its features. IDC is partially owned by, among others, Pacific Telesis. IDC, however, has inferior connections to ITJ. I don't know if they are using some kind of compression or what, but their calls to the U.S. always sound muddy. >MCI has a bulk rate plan to four Asian Countries including Japan which >costs $3.00/month and allows you to call between 10PM and 2PM (almost >the full two cheaper periods) for only $.79 per minute (including the >first minute). AT&T has an identical plan except that the rate is $0.81 per minute. I keep meaning to order that for the line my Telebit uses to call here twice a day on. >(It is interesting to note that Japan's Premium rate is during >their working hours, while USA's are when both countries >might have people in the office.) Yes, the rates from here to anywhere in the world use the same rate periods. AT&T figured out a few years back that they should base their rates on both time zones (and actual usage?). The cheapest time to call to Japan from the U.S. is the time when either _you_ are sleeping or the person you want to call is sleeping. Jim Gottlieb Info Connections, Tokyo, Japan or or Fax: +81 3 237 5867 Voice Mail: +81 3 222 8429