SAN FRANCISCO- In two weeks, Japanese cellular customers will gain the ability to roam internationally for the first time, using their own phone.
GTE Telecommunications Services Inc. of Tampa, Fla., and Tokyo-based NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc., known as NTT DoCoMo, last week signed formal agreements in which GTE TSI’s GlobalRoam services will be available to NTT DoCoMo’s cellular subscribers and existing GlobalRoam subscribers will gain roaming capability in Japan.
The signing of the deal comes almost two years after NTT DoCoMo and GTE TSI initiated discussions about GlobalRoam, said Hironobu Takeuchi, executive senior vice president of NTT DoCoMo. He said the number of cellular subscribers in Japan has doubled each year since 1995, to nearly 20 million, and DoCoMo has half of those customers. Total penetration in Japan has risen to about 18 percent, noted Takeuchi.
Travel among Japanese citizens also has increased, and as such, so has demand for international roaming. Currently, Japanese who travel to Europe, the United States or other countries cannot use their own cellular phones but must rent handsets in their new destination.
Takeuchi said, noting NTT DoCoMo bills calls to the calling party, that the rate charged to a caller will be the same for a call to a DoCoMo subscriber in Japan or in a foreign country.
It is easy for carriers to start up GlobalRoam service, “without much up front preparation or investment,” said Ann Holmes, manager of business development for GTE TSI. For GlobalRoam, GTE TSI activates the mechanism that enables call delivery, validation and international call origination across international borders. The company maintains a database containing GlobalRoam subscriber information, provides clearing services and, if a carrier chooses, will handle all customer service, said Holmes. In the case of NTT DoCoMo, GTE TSI will provide customer service.
Starting March 24, Japanese subscribers will be able to roam to the United States. U.S. customers will be able to roam in Japan sometime during the fourth quarter. The companies noted that GlobalRoam service will be particularly valuable to those attending the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
The scope of the NTT DoCoMo-GTE TSI agreement is hard to gauge. GlobalRoam service has been offered since 1995 by GTE Mobilnet Inc. and T-Mobil, Deutsche Telekom AG’s wireless phone subsidiary. NTT DoCoMo has formed inter-standard roaming agreements with both these carriers, representing doors into North America, Europe and other regions of the world. Through GTE Mobilnet, T-Mobil and their respective roaming partners, wireless operators in nearly 50 countries support GlobalRoam today.
All GlobalRoam calls incur costs for cellular airtime, domestic or international long-distance charges and international tolls if applicable, noted Holmes. However, the structure for billing users varies by carrier, she added.
GTE Mobilnet currently charges about $8 per month to access GlobalRoam service, and airtime for international roaming is billed at a flat rate of $1.49 per minute.
“Japan is one of the world’s most significant business centers and travel destinations, which is why we’re excited to form this alliance with NTT DoCoMo,” commented Todd Eliason, president of GTE TSI.
GTE TSI and NTT DoCoMo have designed gateways that convert PDC and AMPS signals as well as convert billing information into each carrier’s network. Cellular Inter-Carrier Billing Exchange Record (CIBER) is the billing exchange record format for roamers in the United States and callers on other AMPS-based networks, and Transferred Account Procedure (TAP) is the format for GSM networks. Japan does not have a roamer exchange format set up as all carriers’ coverage in Japan is national.
NTT DoCoMo’s network is based on the Personal Digital Cellular standard, while GTE Mobilnet’s network is Advanced Mobile Phone Standard-based and T-Mobil operates a Global System for Mobile communications network.
NTT and GTE TSI currently are wrapping up tests for GlobalRoam billing transmissions.
GTE TSI also offers direct routing as an adjunct feature for GlobalRoam users. It allows international travelers from the same country to call one another without incurring international tolls and long-distance charges. Using GTE TSI’s routing option, the caller dials an 800 number, then the mobile subscriber’s own phone number and the call never leaves the area.
