B-mobile has a new SIM available that sounds like it could be very useful for frequent travelers to Japan. It is a post-paid SIM that has a ¥0 monthly base fee. If you use no data in an entire billing cycle, then you pay ¥0. From 0 to 100 MB, charges are incurred at a per-byte rate (¥37.8/MB) to 100 MB. (Billing increment is a byte, not a megabyte.) From 100 MB, a flat rate of ¥3,780 is charged until 1 GB.
At 1 GB, data is stopped. Or, you can change the maximum monthly charge to allow usage to continue. The SIM is cancelled after 6 consecutive months of zero usage.
- The SIM is purchased for ¥3,150.
- Registration of the SIM is done online and requires a credit card to be registered. No mobile phone based activation is required.
- Billing is post paid on anniversary date of activation (if activated on the 9th of the month, billing will be on the 9th of every money).
- Data speed will be very similar to the 1 GB Flat Rate SIM.
Awesome, now bring that out including a postpaid voice service and I'm gonna need 2!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if it would be profitable for JCI to release a zero-yen voice SIM. A full-time resident of Japan would certainly be better off choosing the 1 GB Flat Rate SIM to get the same data service at a lower cost. It seems to me that this product is targeting to frequent visitors, who are much less likely to hold proper status of residency.
ReplyDeleteJapanese law prevents non-residents from contracting cellular voice service. Of course there are people who are proper residents and are frequently coming and going. A zero-yen voice SIM would be perfect for these guys. But, are their numbers sufficient to justify the cost overhead? I doubt it.
the speed is pathetic however... painfully slow. Customer Service is ordinary too. Don't buy
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