Article 1743 of comp.dcom.telecom:
From: covert%covert.DEC@decwrl.dec.com (John R. Covert)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Cellular around the world
Message-ID: <telecom-v09i0188m01@vector.dallas.tx.us>
Date: 6 Jun 89 18:10:00 GMT
Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US

>Does Beijing have cellular telephone service?

Most certainly.  And not just available to the government -- it 
really is there for the use of the foreign business community.  
Beijing was really trying very hard to be a modern city.  I agree 
that it is amazing that the phone service was not shut off, but 
it's equally amazing that essentially all international long 
distance service is still working normally. 

>Just how worldwide IS cellular telephone service implemented? I didn't
>think it even was available all over Europe yet.

We Americans tend to think we've got the best of everything, but 
we're often wrong.  Cellular phones are much more common in some 
European countries (Sweden in particular) than here.  And in many 
cases the systems are much more fully developed and quite 
sophisticated.  The NMT-900 system operating in the Nordic 
countries works automatically in all four countries.  Even for 
incoming calls, with no nonsense with "roamer ports."  Germany's 
C-Netz (which I used during a recent trip) operates almost all 
over the country, even in some fairly rural areas.  No matter 
where I was in Germany, I could be called from all over the world 
on the same number.  Incoming calls were at no cost to me.  The 
system in the U.K., which uses the same hardware as the U.S. 
system, but different software in the phones, is likewise a 
nationwide integrated system. 

In the 1990s, Europe is supposed to introduce a new pan-Europe 
system which will work no matter where you are in Europe.  
Cellular users in the U.S. can hope that our regulators will get 
their heads out of the sand and allow our systems to connect 
together by then.  (We just got Follow-Me-Roaming here in Boston, 
and I refuse to use it, because NYNEX Mobile has decided to 
charge local airtime in addition to the long distance call and 
roamer airtime. Fortunately, I have a computer at home that can 
transfer callers to the roamer port.) 

The following table lists countries with cellular systems.  The 
protocol used in the U.S. is "AMPS."  Theoretically, a U.S. 
cellular user would be able to use his phone in any of those 
countries.  In fact, local regulations often do not permit you to 
even bring your own phone into many countries. 

I do know that American visitors can sign up to use their own 
phones in the following countries:  Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, 
Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts & 
Nevis, and Zaire. 

American Samoa          AMPS            American Samoa Government (PTT)
Argentina               AMPS            Companie de Radio Commun. Mobiles (CRM)
Australia               AMPS            Telecom Australia (PTT)
Austria                 NMT-450         PTV
Bahamas                 AMPS            Bahamas Telecomms Corp.
Belgium                 NMT-450         PTT
Bermuda                 AMPS            Bermuda Telephone Co., Ltd.
Brazil                  AMPS
British Virgin Islands  AMPS            CCT Boatphone
Canada                  AMPS            Cantel (A) or Local Telco (B)
Cayman Islands          AMPS            Cable & Wireless
China (PRC)             TACS/NMT        PTT
Denmark                 NMT-450/900     PTT
Dominican Republic      AMPS            Codetel
Finland                 NMT-450/900     PTT
France                  Radiocom 2000   PTT
                        NMT-450
Hong Kong               AMPS & TACS     Hutchison Radio
                        TACS            Hong Kong Telephone
                        AMPS-type       Chinatel
Iceland                 NMT-450         PTT
Indonesia               NMT             PTT
Ireland                 TACS-900        PTT
Israel                  AMPS            Motorola Tadiran
Italy                   RTMS            SIP
Jamaica                 AMPS            JTC
Japan                   NAMTS           NTT & others
Kenya                   AMPS            Kenya PTC
Kuwait                  NAMTS           PTT
Luxembourg              NMT-450         PTT
Malaysia                NMT-450         JTM
Mexico                  AMPS            DGT
Netherlands             NMT-450         PTT
Netherlands Antilles    AMPS            East Carribean Cellular, N.V.
New Zealand             AMPS            PTT
Norway                  NMT-450/900     PTT
Oman                    NMT             PTT
Panama                  AMPS
Philippines             AMPS            1) PLDT 2) Express
St. Kitts & Nevis       AMPS            CCT Boatphone
Saudi Arabia            NMT             PTT
Singapore               AMPS            The Telecommunications Authority
South Korea             AMPS            Korea Telecomms Authority
Spain                   NMT-450         La Co. Telefonica Nacional de Espana
Sweden                  NMT-450/900     PTT
Switzerland             NMT-900         PTT
Taiwan                  AMPS
Thailand                AMPS            CATS
                        NMT-450         TOT
Tunisia                 NMT-450         PTT
Turkey                  NMT-450         PTT
United Arab Emirates    TACS            PTT
United Kingdom          TACS-900        1) Cellnet 2) Vodaphone
Venezuela               AMPS            CANTV
West Germany            C-Netz          PTT
Zaire                   AMPS            Telecel