The Personal Handy-phone System is a Japanese cordless-phone standard that also worked as a low-power public mobile service. A handset could be used at home as a cordless phone and, within a dense city, on small public base stations. It carried voice and later a modest data rate. The public service has since been retired.
It sat alongside other Second Generation (2G) systems, but it was not a full cellular network. Cells were small, power was low, and a handset was not expected to hold a call at highway speed the way a cellular phone was.
Where a Handset Could Be Used
- At home. As a cordless phone on a private base.
- In a covered city. On public base stations placed close together.
- Not at speed. A fast-moving caller left the small cell and dropped the call.
Low-Power Public Phone and a Cellular Phone
| Compared | This System | A Cellular Phone |
| Cell size | Small, low power | Larger cells |
| Use at home | The same handset, on a private base | A separate cordless phone |
| A call from a moving car | Not the design | Expected to continue |