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Does anyone else successfully get their head around "packets" that Docomo go on about re: internet connection on their keitais etc. It just goes over my head.

 

Do mobile communications overseas pay by "packets" as well?

 

I prefer packets of biscuits myself.

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"Packets" are normally fixed "lumps" of data. So, the transmitter sends a "packet" of information marked start and finish, or just of a known size. The receiver reads the start and finish, or knows how much data should be in a "packet". It then compares the theoretical with the actual size of the data packet and can tell whether something has dropped out or not. If the numbers match, the system can proceed. If not it will revert to some exception handling routine to recover the lost data.

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Thanks. I think I kind of get that - what I don't get, and this is kinda important, is how much me looking at a webpage will cost! Coz I don't view webpages in packets, or know how many packets they need to download... I just look at the page.

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Exactly, thursday! The packets are disassembled at the point of transmission, go through various (and often different) routes to get to you. The software reassembles them at your end and displays them when the whole page has been received. The whole lot of data required to make the page is still transmitted.

 

Packet charging is just a way to make charges for smaller amounts pf data. So rather than a charge for the whole page, if you do not complete the load of a page (for whatever reason - lose signal, no coverage or just lose enthusisam for the site) you still get charged for the bits of data that you did get. Possibly, also for the bits that were assembled but not sent (but that'd be really ordinary!)

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The price depends on the page, a page with more graphics will cost more, because a packet is a block of info, and the price is calculated by the amount of info each packet contains.

Best to ask your phone provider, they can give you figures, but even then it will be vague.

Basically text only pages will be much cheaper than pages heavyly loaded with graphics.

 

If you plan on using your keitei internet a lot then you are better off to get what is called 'sukai houdai', which is unlimited use.

I have that on my phone, I think I pay about 3500yen/month and I can be on the net all day everyday if I want and the price doesn't increase.

 

Without this it is very expensive and only a few mins will use up a lot of packets = a lot of money!

 

Hope this helps

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I have just joined the all you can use packet offer on docomo, good new plan if you don't use that much you don't pay - though I suspect the top price will be hit pretty soon if you use it much at all.

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