Telephone calls out of Japan impossible?

[Yodobird]

In Germany we have an all-Country-Flat rate for landline-telephone calls abroad, however , we could also make landline calls via Call-Through or call-by-call with our provider at reasonable rates. All this seems to be impossible, if you reside in Japan.

My mother in law is now in a nursing home in Japan, decent people all day around. However - unlike in Germany and most other countries - they cannot provide a telephone connection out of japan. „ our NTT- contract is not international, why don't you use the app Line ?" But they are not aware, that Line needs a broadband (internet) connection, that is expensive in many countries (where we go to holidays). IN Japan, we need a WiFi-router for 100€ per month.

What we want: Dial via landline to Germany, just say „we have a problem with your mother, please call us back" That's all! Impossible from Japan? Since 10 days no solution appears on the horizon! Young people are chewing over this problem.

 

[Petaris]

International calls are expensive to be sure.

Just to clarify, are you trying to find a way for the staff to call you or for your mother-in-law, or both?

Maybe a solution would be getting your mother-in-law a cell phone that has a data plan and Line and use that? It still won't help if you can't receive the call though, and there really isn't a good way for them to fix that for you.

 

[johnnyG]

they cannot provide a telephone connection out of japan. „ our NTT- contract is not international, why don't you use the app Line ?" But they are not aware, that Line needs a broadband (internet) connection, that is expensive in many countries (where we go to holidays). IN Japan, we need a WiFi-router for 100€ per month.

Wife's mother, 91, lives in a care center. She has a phone, android, that my wife set up with a very simplified interface, just a couple big icons on the home screen to call either my wife or her sister. Just wake it, and tap to call one or the other.

That plan runs about ¥1000/month, I think it includes a certain amount of call time, in addition to data. Those calls would be local/domestic or course, but they're also just voice calls. Setting up LINE on the same phone would be almost as easy, would not use the normal voice call time, and no international charges. No broadband required, just the typical data offered on that basic/cheap phone plan--you get both voice and data. And with LINE, you can either call with video or just audio, send pics/videos back and forth, and so on.

Since you're not here, I guess the challenge would be getting her the phone, the proper setup, LINE registration/activiation, and also getting her trained on using it.

 

[Yodobird]

Thank you for your commnts!
There is a misunderstanding: We have setup a method to talk to my mother-in-law. She has a mild form of dementia and cannot use a cell phone.
The problem is: the staff wants to reach us (prefered by landline) in case of a problem with the old lady: Just they say 'Call us back, we have a problem!'.
Than we can call back without problems, since we have an international flat rate in Germany. It drives me crasy, that such a short call from Japan to Europe, causes such problems in a country otherwise digitally top.

 

[mdchachi]

Tell them they can call you for free from LINE and then you can call them back. That may require them to use one of their personal phones though.

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[Yodobird]

Thank You mdchachi for this interesting method with LINE.
However, there are obviously some nations excluded from this for free service. That is Germany (where we live) and also France (to where we travel frequently).

 

[johnnyG]

If both users have/use LINE, it's no longer LineOut--just a use of data between the users. My wife messages a friend of hers in Essen, and they've talked, too.

Tho not guaranteed, it is certainly possible that some/all of the staff/admin of the nursing home have Line accounts. If so, you only need to make a 'group' with one of them (or several). You can then message/call each other, and the only 'cost' will be data.

Data plans for phones here are usually offered in GB/month, but the staff at the nursing home will likely have wifi, so to call you via LINE will be free for them (independent of their phone data plan). Not completely sure about germany, but if you have wifi where you live/work, your phone probably defaults to that, so it'll be free on your end, too.

Line is used commercially--by businesses--since it's easy to form and communicate with specific groups (admin at my small uni used it, and did even 6-8yrs ago). I suppose one 'catch' could be that the staff at the nursing home doesn't use Line in that way (not an officially condoned channel), but it's still very likely that a few of the staff or more use it privately. Suggest making a group with those people--either together (several of them and you), or individually (distinct groups, you and one of them, times the staff members there that you'd like to be connected to).