Until now, you may have been
unaware of the plethora of telephone carriers competing for your patronage, but the
arrival of MYLINE has upped the stakes. Previously if you wanted to opt for a specific
call carrier, you had to dial their prefix before the area code, but from May 1 you can
omit the company's four-digit access code if you've registered with MYLINE. The recent
deregulation of the telecommunications industry has opened up avenues for competition
among carriers, and increased competition promises savings for subscribers.
Local calls, formerly the exclusive territory of NTT East, can be dialed via KDDI, Japan
Telecom, TTNet or NTT Communications from May. Just register your preferred company with
MYLINE and the old prefix becomes unnecessary. Three other service categories -
in-prefecture long distance, out-of-prefecture long distance and international calls - are
also included in the MYLINE registration.
When it comes to dialing internationally, fingers will still be fatigued. As of May 1,
010, will become the international access code, preceding the country code. If you select
a carrier, their access code precedes international access number. For example
0082-010-1-312-555-1212 is: (carrier) (international) (country) (area) (exchange)
(number). If you register an international long distance carrier with MYLINE, you don't
need to dial the carrier's access code; begin your international call with 010.
Beware of scams and slamming
When the US opened competition to long-distance carriers in 1984, customers found
themselves being switched to new carriers without their consent in a fraudulent practice
called slamming. MYLINE says that changes must be processed on their application form.
Letters or other communications will not be honored. This is wise as it prevents fraud,
but the application form is available in Japanese only. However, the MYLINE Center
operators speak English and will help you if you're stuck. Although they have slamming
covered, MYLINE does caution against people telling you that your current telephone will
not work with MYLINE. "You wonJYt need any construction or extra installation work
performed to use these services," MYLINEJY's website (www.myline.org/index_e.shtml)
advises.
How to register
Registration for MYLINE is free until the end of Oct 2001, but will cost JY800 (plus tax)
from Nov 1 onward. Applications are available at all telephone company service desks, or
call MYLINE (0120-000-406) to have one mailed to you.
If you don't register
If you don't register, nothing changes. Your local calls will continue to be routed
through NTT East as will in-prefecture long distance. Out-of prefecture, long distance and
international calls will be handled by NTT Communications. You can dial any carrier's
access code to direct your call through their system instead of NTT. Cellular phones, PHS
and pay phones are not eligible for MYLINE and so you must continue to dial the carrier
access code to use a telephone company other than your default carrier. Kristen McQuillin
Let the rate wars begin The past few
months have seen companies slashing their prices, and you can expect to see further cuts
in long-distance rates from NTT Communications and KDDI before May.
Local Calls (yen/3min. Rates effective
May)
Japan Telecom JY8.8
KDDI JY8.8
NTT Communications JY8.8
NTT East JY8.8
TTNet JY8.7
Long
Distance (In-Prefecture)
(yen/3min for under 20km, lowest published rates*)
Fusion JY20
IDC JY17
Japan Telecom JY13
KDDI JY10
NTT East JY20
TTNet JY14.4
Long
Distance (Out-of-Prefecture) (yen/3min for over 170km, lowest published rates*)
Fusion JY20
IDC JY45
Japan Telecom JY32.5
KDDI JY35
NTT Communications JY50
TTNet JY45
International (yen/min. Lowest published
rates*) US UK Brazil
Deutsche Telekom JY25 JY39 JY85
IDC JY40 JY60 JY80
Global One JY28 JY35 JY119
Japan Telecom JY40 JY60 JY80
KDDI JY25 JY70JY 80
NTT Communications JY33 JY53 JY73
Teleglobal JY40 JY40 JY90
TTNet JY29 JY45 JY60
* Many of these rates have
special provisions attached; please consult the carriers for full details.
PLUS: