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From: news@accuvax.nwu.edu (USENET News System)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: DTMF in Japan
Message-ID: <16153@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 17 Jan 91 07:08:53 GMT
Organization: Foretune Co., Ltd.   Tokyo Japan
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 45, Message 8 of 10


In a recent message, John Higdon mentions the relative lack of DTMF in
Japan.  Having been telephonically bouncing around Tokyo on and off
for some years (and now here for an indefinite sentence, until
released for bad behavior, no doubt), I might be able to add some
comments.

Yes, there are a lot of Crossbar exchanges, especially in the areas
outside the "Yamanote" loop (a railroad that circles central Tokyo).
At least, they SEEM to be crossbar; in my experience they are
invariably crisp and clean, with nary a "CLUNK" to be heard.

Inside the loop, and in the new exchanges outside the loop, DTMF is
the rule.  The rule of thumb is, if your exchange now starts with a 3
(the old exchanges before the great year-of-the-sheep-number-
expansion) you might have crossbar; otherwise, DTMF.  In fact, my
exchange didn't seem to appreciate pulse-dialing the one time I tried
it.

When dialing internationally from my girlfriend's house (3393
exchange) we dial 0062 in pulse to select our overseas carrier
(actually it is 0061, but 0062 selects the same carrier, and asks them
to call us back and tell us the time and cost of the call, a nice
touch), then we can use pulse or DTMF to tell the carrier the overseas
number.

In general, Japanese CO equipment is seems to be superbly maintained.
I've also yet to encounter a noisy line.  With respect to Hotel
equipment, venerable hotels seem to have venerable phone systems; it
seems that the Japanese adhere to the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it
philosophy.  I will preempt our estimable Moderator and note that a
certain Judge should do the same...

As for cheap phones, in Japan as anywhere else, you can get a junky
phone real cheap.  On the other hand, I just got a phone from
Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku with the following features:

Main station;

"100 meter" portable wireless extension;

Answering machine with:
  Remote access; commanded by DTMF
  Toll Saver
  Priority Messages
  Remote memo record/playback
  Remote answering message record
  Auto-turn on (if you forget to turn it on, call it and let
  it ring 20 times to activate the answering machine)
  Pager forwarding (it will call your pager # when you get a
  message)
  The usual memory dialing, plus an emergency button.

Price was about $220.  I think I got it cheap because by Japanese
standards, the feature set (some of which I am still deciphering) is
considered puny and obsolete [even though it's operating system seems
to be in some ways more complicated that UNIX ;^) ]


Robert J. Woodhead, Biar Games / AnimEigo, Incs.   trebor@foretune.co.jp