Comparison of all Japanese MVNOs

MAR Matsushita has compiled a comparison of just about every Mobile Virtual Network Operator data SIM that uses Docomo's 3G (FOMA) and LTE (Xi) networks. I recently added the English version, which is abbreviated below. The most up-to-date version will likely be this google docs spreadsheet.

The data are organized by price. For less than ¥1,000 per month, you'll get the low-speed, no streaming data SIMs that are good only for short messaging and light maps usage. Many of these have a coupon option that lets you add several hundred megabytes of usually unrestricted data (e.g., JCI's turbo charge).

Spending over ¥1,000 per month will get you about 1GB of data, though it will typically be relatively high-latency and will not perform as well as ¥6,000 Docomo data plan. Multiple gigabytes can be had for over &yen2,500.

See the end of the post for a description of the types of restrictions (i.e., A, B, C, etc.) and the column explanations.

Buying Considerations

Price per megabyte is not the only consideration. The least expensive plans (in terms of unit cost) have 2-year contract requirements often with strict early termination fees. Each of these MVNOs pays to Docomo a similar wholesale cost, and they all approach reselling that bandwidth differently. Some may more aggressively shape traffic than others. Newer MVNOs are perhaps more likely to be less aggressive at first while they are building a customer base. Absolutely none of these MVNOs guarantee  speeds or disclose exactly how they limit bandwidth. Company A may have a reputation for providing consistently low latency and high speeds, but could change that at any time, with no warning.

Unit Price Differences

The average price for 100 MB is about ¥250. The absolute minimum is ¥56 from Biglobe for 7GB of LTE data, and the most is for the b-mobile FAIR chameleon SIM at ¥880. The difference in price between the extremes reflects two things:

1. Prepaid versus postpaid with a minimum contract requirement and 
2. More importantly, the amount of traffic shaping done by the MVNO. 

The JCI "Fair" products are straight pipes to Docomo with public, global IP address. Having extensive experience with these, I can attest to there being no performance difference between a Docomo plan and a Fair SIM.

Somewhere in the middle of this is probably where most of you would be most comfortable.

"Unlimited"

Some of these plans are advertised as unlimited. None are. The low-speed plans with less 400 kbps have effectively no data quota. Plans that have full 3G or LTE speeds that don't have a stated monthly quota have 3-day limits, exceeding of which will result in speed restrictions that are typically in the ~ 100 kbps range. Plans that are advertised as unlimited by have these quota are denoted by a (*).

Less than ¥1,000 per month

Product	Company	Billing	Min time	Contract fee	Min monthly cost	ETF	Net type	Speed (up / down)	Coupon	Rest.	Micro SIM	Monthly MB	Price / 100MB	Exceed limit	IPv4	IPv6
b-mobile 3G/4G zero yen	JCI	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥0	¥0	LTE	25 m / 75 m	¥37.8	B	yes	0	¥370	stop	private	no
bmobile4G blackout (includes hardware)	JCI	postpaid	90 days	¥34,000	¥400	¥0	LTE	25 m / 75 m	—	B	no	500	¥80	stop	private	no ?
ServersMan 3G 100 (router rental option)	DTI	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥490	¥0	3G	100 k / 100 k	—	unk	yes	unlimited	—	—	???	yes
ASAHI net LTE128K plan	Asahi Net	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥785	¥10,500	LTE	128 k / 128 k	—	—	yes	unlimited	—	—	???	???
0 MB course	BB.excite	postpaid	1 month	¥4,410	¥787	???	LTE	128 k / 128 k	¥525	A	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	yes
High speed mobile / D service minimum start 128 plan	IIJmio	postpaid	1 months	¥3,150	¥945	¥0	LTE	128 k / 128 k	¥525	A	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	yes
128 plan (Value)	Toppa!	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥970	¥970	3G	128 k / 128 k	—	B	no	unlimited	—	—	private	no
hi-ho LTE type D	hi-ho	postpaid	1 year	¥3,150	¥980	¥5,250	LTE	128 k / 128 k	¥472.5	A	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	no
b-mobile Aeon Plan XA	JCI	postpaid	1 year	¥3,150	¥980	¥10,500	LTE	150 k / 150 k	¥525	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	no
b-mobile 980 (yodobashi / amazon)	JCI	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥980	¥0	LTE	150 k / 150 k	¥525	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	no
b-mobile smart SIM 980	JCI	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥980	¥0	LTE	150 k / 150 k	¥525	C	no	unlimited	—	—	private	no
Rakuten Broadband LTE Entry Plan	Fusion	postpaid	1 month	¥4,200	¥980	¥0	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	???	yes	200	¥490	100 k	private	no

¥1,001 to ¥2,000 per month

Product	Company	Billing	Min time	Contract fee	Min monthly cost	ETF	Net type	Speed (up / down)	Coupon	Rest.	Micro SIM	Monthly MB	Price / 100MB	Exceed limit	IPv4	IPv6
Asahi Net LTE 1 GB Plan	Asahi Net	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥1,950	¥10,500	LTE	37.5 M / 100 M	—	L	yes	1,024	¥190	—	???	???
High speed mobile / D service lite start plan	IIJmio	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥1,974	¥0	LTE	128 k / 128 k	¥525	H	yes	1,024	¥193	128 kbps	private	yes
BIGLOBE LTE/3G Lite S Plan	BIGLOBE	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥1,980	¥9,975	LTE	37.5 M / 100 M	—	D	no (¥3,150)	1,024	¥193	128 kbps	???	no
b-mobile4G Amazon high speed flat rate	JCI	prepaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥1,980	N/A	LTE	25 M / 75 M 3G	—	B	yes	500	¥396	stop	private	no
b-mobile Aeon 1980	JCI	postpaid	1 year	¥0	¥1,980	¥10,500	LTE	25 M / 75 M	¥525	B or C?	yes	1,024	¥193	150 kbps	private	no
b-mobile Smart SIM 1980	JCI	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥1,980	¥0	LTE	25 M / 75 M	¥525	B	yes	1,024	¥193	150 kbps	private	no

¥2,001 to ¥2,500 per month

Product	Company	Billing	Min time	Contract fee	Min monthly cost	ETF	Net type	Speed (up / down)	Coupon	Rest.	Micro SIM	Monthly MB	Price / 100MB	Exceed limit	IPv4	IPv6
b-mobile3G/4G Fair	JCI	prepaid	1 month	¥1,450	¥2,087	N/A	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	B	yes	250	¥835	stop	private	no
b-mobile4G chameleon Fair	JCI	prepaid	1 month	¥3,600	¥2,200	N/A	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	C	yes	250	¥880	stop	private	no
sumaho 980 Plan S	JCI	postpaid	3 months	¥3,150	¥2,270	¥5,250	3G	150 k / 150 k	¥525	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	no
LTE Entry	Panasonic	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥2,340	up to ¥13,440	LTE	5.7 M / 14 M	—	???	yes (¥3,275	3,072	¥76	512 kbps	???	no？
500 MB course	BB.excite	postpaid	1 month	¥4,410	¥2,415	???	LTE	128 k / 128 k	¥525	A	yes	500	¥483	128 kbps	private	yes
b-mobile 3G/4G U300 6-month	JCI	prepaid	1 month	¥0	¥2,416	N/A	LTE	300 k / 300 k	¥525	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	public	no
b-mobile 4G 6-month flat rate	JCI	prepaid	6 months	¥0	¥2,460	N/A	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	B	yes	1,024	¥240	150 kbps	private	no
b-mobile4G chameleon 1-Month U300	JCI	prepaid	1 month	¥3,320	¥2,480	N/A	LTE	300 k / 300 kbps	—	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	no
b-mobile 3G/4G U300 1-month	JCI	prepaid	1 month	¥0	¥2,980	N/A	LTE	300 k / 300 k	¥525	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	no

¥2,501 to ¥3,000 per month

Product	Company	Billing	Min time	Contract fee	Min monthly cost	ETF	Net type	Speed (up / down)	Coupon	Rest.	Micro SIM	Monthly MB	Price / 100MB	Exceed limit	IPv4	IPv6
Tiki Mobile 300k 2-year Plan	TikiTiki	postpaid	2 years	¥0	¥2,580	up to ¥16,000	3G	300 k / 300 k	—	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	???	no
OCN Mobile Entry d	OCN	postpaid	2 years	¥2,625	¥2,670	¥9,975	3G	5.7 M / 7.2 M	—	E	yes	1,830 *	¥146	—	???	no
24-month course	Mobile Renaissance	prepaid	1 month	¥0	¥2,680	N/A	3G	5.7 M / 14 M	—	???	no	unlimited	—	—	???	no
Asahi Net LTE 2 GB Plan	Asahi Net	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥2,790	¥10,500	LTE	37.5 M / 100 M	—	M	yes	2,048	¥136	—	???	???
1 GB course	BB.excite	postpaid	1 month	¥4,410	¥2,835	???	LTE	128 k / 128 k	¥525	A	yes	1,024	¥277	128 kbps	private	yes
OCN Mobile Entry d LTE	OCN	postpaid	2 years	¥2,625	¥2,880	¥9,975	LTE	37.5 M / 100 M	—	E	yes	2,048	¥141	100 kbps	???	no
High Speed Mobile / D Service Family Share 1 GB Plan	IIJmio	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥2,940	¥0	LTE	128 k / 128 k	¥525	A	yes	1,024	¥287	128 kbps	private	yes
b-mobile 4G PairGB	JCI	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥2,970	¥0	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	B	yes	2,048	¥145	stop	private	no ？
BIGLOBE LTE/3G Lite M Plan	BIGLOBE	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥2,980	¥9,975	LTE	37.5 M / 100 M	—	D	yes (¥3,150)	2,048	¥146	128 kbps	???	no
Mobile 3G + Mobile Course	So-net	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥2,980	¥9,975	3G	5.7 M / 14 M	—	E	no (?)	1,830 *	¥163	???	???	no
Tiki Mobile 300k 6-month Plan	TikiTiki	postpaid	6 months	¥3,570	¥2,980	¥8,000	3G	300 k / 300 k	—	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	???	no
Tiki Mobile 7.2 2-year Plan	TikiTiki	postpaid	2 years	¥0	¥2,980	up to ¥16,000	3G	5.7 M / 7.2 M	—	E	yes	1,830 *	¥163	???	???	no
b-mobile Aeon Plan B	JCI	postpaid	1 year	¥3,150	¥2,980	¥10,500	LTE	400 k / 400 k	¥525	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	no
b-mobile Smart 2980	JCI	postpaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥2,980	¥0	LTE	25 M / 75 M	¥525	B	yes	2,048	¥146	150 kbps	private	no
12-month course	Mobile Renaissance	prepaid	1 month	¥0	¥2,980	N/A	3G	5.7 M / 14 M	—	???	no	unlimited	—	—	???	no
Rakuten Broadband LTE Active Plan	Fusion	postpaid	1 month	¥4,200	¥2,980	¥0	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	???	yes	1,920 *	—	100 kbps	private	no ?

¥3,001 to ¥3,500 per month

Product	Company	Billing	Min time	Contract fee	Min monthly cost	ETF	Net type	Speed (up / down)	Coupon	Rest.	Micro SIM	Monthly MB	Price / 100MB	Exceed limit	IPv4	IPv6
plala mobile + "pura-komi" 0	plala	postpaid	2 years	¥3,990	¥3,055	¥15,750	3G	??? / 1.5 M	—	???	no (?)	unlimited	—	—	???	no
b-mobile 3G/4G 1 GB Flat Rate	JCI	prepaid	1 month	¥380	¥3,100	N/A	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	B	yes	1,024	¥303	stop	private	no
sumaho Plan S + monthly 1980	JCI	postpaid	3 months	¥3,150	¥3,270	¥5,250	3G	5.7 M / 14 M	¥525	C	yes	1,024	¥193	150 kbps	private	no
Tiki Mobile 7.2 6-month Plan	TikiTiki	postpaid	6 months	¥3,570	¥3,380	¥8,000	3G	5.7 M / 7.2 M	—	E	yes	1,830 *	¥185	???	???	no
6-month course	Mobile Renaissance	prepaid	1 month	¥0	¥3,480	N/A	3G	5.7 M / 14 M	—	???	no	unlimited	—	—	???	no

¥3,501 to ¥4,000 per month

Product	Company	Billing	Min time	Contract fee	Min monthly cost	ETF	Net type	Speed (up / down)	Coupon	Rest.	Micro SIM	Monthly MB	Price / 100MB	Exceed limit	IPv4	IPv6
Hyrbrid Mobile Plan (router rental)	DTI	postpaid	2 years	¥0	¥3,295	up to ¥26,565	3G	5.7 M / 7.2 M	—	???	no (?)	unlimited	—	—	???	no
hi-ho LTE type D 1 GB	hi-ho	postpaid	1 year	¥3,150	¥3,580	¥5,250	LTE	128 k / 128 k	¥472.5	A	yes	1,024	¥350	128 kbps	private	no
Asahi Net LTE 3 GB Plan	Asahi Net	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥3,790	¥10,500	LTE	37.5 M / 100 M	—	N	yes	3,072	¥123	—	???	???
Tiki Mobile LTE A 2-year Plan	TikiTiki	postpaid	2 years	¥3,570	¥3,880	up to ¥20,000	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	F	yes	2440 *	¥159	???	???	no ?
@nifty do LTE 2-year Flat Rate Plan	@nifty	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥3,938	up to ¥33,495	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	K	no (?)	5,120	¥77	300 kbps	???	???
talkingSIM U300	JCI	prepaid	1 month	¥3,150	¥3,960	N/A	3G	300 k / 300 k	—	C	no	unlimited	—	—	public	no
3-month course	Mobile Renaissance	prepaid	1 month	¥0	¥3,980	N/A	3G	5.7 M / 14 M	—	???	no	unlimited	—	—	???	no
Wireless Gate Wifi+LTE 2-year plan	Wireless Gate	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥3,980	up to ¥38,000	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	J	no	3,072	¥130	128 kbps	???	???
LTE Lite	Panasonic	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥3,980	up to ¥15,080	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	???	yes (¥3,275	3,072	¥130	128 kbps	???	no ？
BIGLOBE LTE/3G Daytime Plan	BIGLOBE	postpaid	3 mo	¥3,150	¥3,980	¥9,975	LTE	37.5 M / 100 M	—	I	yes (¥3,150)	7,168	¥56	128 kbps	???	no
1-year plan	Inter Communications	postpaid	1 year	¥4,725	¥3,990	up to ¥46,880	3G	??? / 7.2 M	—	B	no (?)	3,660 *	¥109	???	???	no

Greater than ¥4,001 per month

Product	Company	Billing	Min time	Contract fee	Min monthly cost	ETF	Net type	Speed (up / down)	Coupon	Rest.	Micro SIM	Monthly MB	Price / 100MB	Exceed limit	IPv4	IPv6
sumaho plan S + data 2980	JCI	postpaid	3 months	¥3,150	¥4,270	¥5,250	3G	5.7 M / 14 M	¥525	C	yes	7,168	¥146	150 kbps	private	no
Tiki Mobile LTE A 6-month Plan	TikiTiki	postpaid	6 months	¥3,570	¥4,280	¥10,000	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	F	yes	2440 *	¥175	???	???	no ?
3-month plan	Inter Communications	postpaid	3 months	¥4,725	¥4,725	up to ¥14,175	3G	??? / 7.2 M	—	B	no (?)	3,660 *	¥129	—	???	no
BIGLOBE LTE/3G Standard Plan	BIGLOBE	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥4,980	¥9,975	LTE	37.5 M / 100 M	—	G	yes (¥3,150)	7,168	¥69	128 kbps	???	no
b-mobile Aeon Plan XC	JCI	postpaid	1 year	¥3,150	¥4,980	¥10,500	LTE	carrier speed	¥525	C	yes	unlimited	—	—	private	no
b-mobile4G Chameleon Flat 1-month	JCI	prepaid	1 month	¥400	¥5,400	N/A	LTE	25 M / 75 M	—	C	yes	5,120	¥105	stop	private	no
LTE Speed	Panasonic	postpaid	2 years	¥3,150	¥6,780	up to ¥17,880	3G	25 M / 75 M	—	C	yes	2,048	¥95	128 kbps	???	no

* These plans are advertised as "unlimited" but each has a 3-day limit. The data amounts in the table were obtained by multiplying each 3-day limit by 10 to obtain the potential monthly maximum.

Data Restrictions

(3 million packets = 366 MegaBytes, but beware that some of these companies report as using 1000 bytes per KB, instead of 1024...)

A: 3 million packets/3day; no restrictions (with coupon)
B: 3 million packets / 3 days
C: 3 million packets / 3 days or 10 million / month
D: 360 MB / 3 days
E: 1.5 million packets / 3 days
F: 2 million packets / 3 days
G: 1 GB / 72 hours
H: 1.2 million packet / 3 days; no restrictions (with coupon)
I: 360 MB / 3 days: usage restriced to 2:00am-8:00pm
J: 200 MB/3 days: 2 day 300 kbps; 3 GB / month: 128 kbps
K: 5 GB / month: 300 kbps
L: 100 MB / 72 hours: 100 kbps until the next day
M: 200 MB / 72 hours: 100 kbps until next day
N: 300 MB / 72 hours: 100 kbps until next day

Column Explanations

• Company: MVNO
• Billing: prepaid or postpaid
• Min time: minimum contract or prepaid interval
• Contract fee: initial one-time payment at start of contract
• Min monthly cost: minimum monthly cost of product including any ISP fees that may be tacked on
• ETF: Early termination fee
• Net type: Network type (LTE or 3G)
• Speed: uplink and downlink speeds in Megabits or kilobits per second
• Coupon: if "turbo charge-like coupons are available
• Rest.: data restrictions
• Micro Sim: whether one is available. If a price is listed, this indicates that a normal size SIM must first be purchased, then replaced, such that you pay for two SIMs.
• Monthly MB: Amount of data in MegaBytes for the non-unlimited plans.
• Price/100MB: Price, after subtracting any voice service fees for 100 MB of data in the non-unlimited plans.
• Exceed limit: restrictions that are placed if the limits are exceed.
• IPv4: indicates if IP address is public or private
• IPv6: indicates if IPv6 is available.