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Denwa

Basic Charge

Basic charge is the fixed monthly fee for maintaining a phone line, incurred regardless of call usage. For landlines, NTT's analog residential line costs about 1,870 yen/month, business lines about 2,750 yen. Fiber optic Hikari Denwa is significantly cheaper at about 550 yen/month.

Mobile basic charges range from 4,000-8,000 yen/month for major carriers to 1,000-3,000 yen for MVNOs. Online-only plans include ahamo (2,970 yen/20GB), povo (0 yen base + toppings), and LINEMO (990 yen/3GB). povo's revolutionary 0-yen base lets users purchase only needed features as "toppings."

Landline savings options include switching from analog to Hikari Denwa (saving about 1,320 yen/month), SoftBank's "Ouchi no Denwa" (550 yen/month), or cancelling the landline if rarely used.

Watch for costs beyond basic charges. Number Display (400 yen/month), voicemail (330 yen/month), and call forwarding (550 yen/month) are billed separately. Check for unnecessary options at signup and review periodically to optimize costs.

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Related Terms

Fiber Optic Line

A high-speed communication line using optical fiber, used for Hikari Denwa phone service and internet connectivity.

MVNO (Budget SIM)

A mobile virtual network operator that provides services by leasing lines from major carriers.

Call Charges

Fees incurred when making phone calls. Pricing structures differ between landlines, mobile phones, and IP phones.

Number Display

An NTT service that displays the caller's phone number on landline phones during incoming calls.

Voicemail

A service that records caller messages when you are unavailable.

Hikari Denwa (Fiber-Optic Phone)

An IP phone service using fiber-optic lines. Provided by NTT East/West.

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