Reasonably priced voice and data rental SIMs finally come to Japan: B-Mobile PAYG

SIM card rental in Japan is exorbitantly expensive because law prohibits non-residents from obtaining cellular voice contracts, blocking them out of the (relatively) reasonably priced market. The only options are rental services.

The rental market predates 3G, and Japan never used GSM. In the past, visitors had no choice but to rent hardware, which created an environment that (somewhat) justified premium pricing. There was no significant decrease in price following the start of SIM card rental after introduction of 3G networks, and once smartphones proliferated, mobile data options were added data but at laughable prices.

Not anymore.

Inexpensive data with a voice rental SIM

The B-Mobile line of SIM cards from Japan Communications, Inc. (JCI) got a new product today, the prepaid PAYG rental SIM, which provides 60 minutes of outgoing voice calls (incoming is free) and 3GB of 3G/LTE data for ¥9,980. The SIM is active for 7 days, after which any remaining data and minutes become invalid. The specifics are:

B-Mobile PAYG Rental Voice and Data SIM

• ¥9,980 for 7 days
• 60 outgoing domestic/international minutes
• 3 GB 3G/LTE data
• 5/75 seconds deducted for domestic/international SMS
• Free tethering
• incoming calls and SMS free
• Prepaid (no worry of unexpected, additional charges)
• Nano, micro, standard SIM card sizes

The SIM card can be purchased in stores (Yodobashi Camera) or preordered. Unfortunately, complying with Japanese law complicates the activation process. If you preorder, you will first set an activation date and upload a scan or image of the passport page with your photo. Then, following activation but within 24 hours of arrival in Japan, you will have to also upload pictures of 1) your entry stamps and 2) the image of the same passport page originally uploaded. If you buy in a store, then you will need to upload all this together as soon as possible and wait for activation.

In a press release, JCI indicated they are working with the government to try and smooth the activation process. By the way, if Tokyo police have their way, this will be required for ALL SIMs sold to non-residents, even data-only SIMs, which means that most MVNOs won't bother to go through the effort and just start requiring residency for data-only SIMs, just like for voice SIMs.

Traditional data costs with a rental voice SIM

At ¥110/day and ¥110 per minute (with a ¥315 service fee), the current SoftBank rental SIM would cost ¥7,685 over a 7 day period if a comparable 60 minutes were used – a better value for just voice. However, if you want to have minimal background data usage for mail, maps, etc., the SoftBank rental costs increase quickly.

Softbank rental data fees are ¥0.32/packet (128 bytes). Doing the math yields the following:

• 1 KB: ¥3
• 1 MB: ¥2,621
• 2 MB: ¥5,243
• 250 MB: ¥655,360 ($6,500US)
• 1 GB: ¥2,684,355 ($27,000US)
• 3 GB: ¥8,053,064 ($80,500US)

Yes, current Japanese rental SIMs value 3 GB of mobile data at 80,000 US dollars. As I said, laughable. Of course no one would ever use this much, and the daily maximums are capped I believe, so it wouldn't be possible anyway. However, because the traditional rentals are postpaid with a credit card, there will always be the concern of incurring additional charges.

A more realistic comparison

Long time readers will recall that I once did an experiment over about 8 months with a b-mobile FAIR data-only SIM. (There is an interactive chart showing how I consumed data during those 240 days at the bottom of this post.) The FAIR is wide open with no proxy or speed restrictions (and accordingly priced). 1 GB of data costs about ¥8,000 and is good for four months. This translates to 250 MB for ¥2,000.

All the other MVNO SIMs, especially the other b-mobile products, are speed restricted and relatively high latency. Because of this, I think it would be near impossible to use 3 GB with the PAYG SIM in 7 days (or even in an entire month). So comparing prices based on high data consumption is completely unrealistic.

Rather, I will compare prices based on my experience with the FAIR SIM because I think my behavior regarding data usage with a 250 MB monthly quota is a good analog for the way people use traditional Japanese rental SIMs. That is, I thought about the cost of everything I did with the phone. On light-usage days, I would consume around 2 MB, which is the equivalent of uploading one or two photos.

Let's compare costs by taking about a quarter of my light-day usage, 500 KB. Seven days with a Softbank rental SIM, using 500 KB per day and 60 minutes total, would cost ¥16,645. To bring the cost down to the PAYG SIM price over 7 days, total data usage over the entire week must be limited to just under 1 MB. One. Megabyte.

Good luck with that.

Source code for the data cost simulator

Over Golden Week, on several long flights with AC power, I got bored and wrote a script for determining which data plan is most likely to cost the least over time. Now, I've released the source code as a MATLAB function (that also works in GNU Octave – with some caveats). It uses data consumption information you supply to consider the probability of future usage, then calculates the corresponding total cost based on different plans and overage costs.

You can find it here on github.

Purpose

It is most useful when there are multiple people or devices sharing a single data plan. For example consider a family of four or five people who on average use a combined 17 GB of data each month. From NTT Docomo, 15 GB of data costs ¥12,500 per month, 20 GB costs ¥16,000, and each additional 1 GB costs an extra ¥1,000. If the total usage was exactly 17 GB each month, then the 15 GB plan would cost less:

¥12,500 + ¥2,000 =¥14,500/month for 17 GB versus ¥16,000 for the 20 GB plan. That would save ¥36,000 over a 2-year contract.

However, if total usage is highly variable from month to month, the decision on which is best becomes more complicated. The purpose of this function is to give you a better idea of how variable usage can affect the total cost.

Meaning of the results

In many cases, like I demonstrated at the bottom of this post, there may be no significant difference between all the options. In the linked case, which is based on my actual usage, I'm only looking at a difference of about ¥80 each month between the most expensive and least expensive options.

Even though there was no clear "winner", this is still useful information. I don't have to worry that I've made some drastic mistake that's going to cost a whole lot of extra money, and I am free to decide based on other, less tangible considerations. I could decide that I don't want to worry about having to frequently add additional GBs to my account and just decide to go with the larger quota. Or, I could decide (and this is what I actually did) that the option including a completely contract free, prepaid b-mobile FAIR SIM was best, even though there is a high chance that it would cost slightly more over two years. (And by slightly more I mean slightly.)

What it does

This is a MATLAB function that uses Monte Carlo methods to determine the most probable outcome and the uncertainty around that outcome. By default, it assumes all usage data are normally distributed (a "bell curve"), but it also allows you to specify different distributions that skew the probability towards either high or low usage. You can also specify that usage is "bimodal", meaning that there's a high probability of using very little data, and a high probability of using a lot of data, but very little chance of something in the middle. (This case would occur when someone often spends the better part of a billing cycle outside of Japan.)

The function then fits a probability density function to your data using the specified distribution and randomly draws monthly total data consumption values for the period of time specified (default is 24 months, the typical mobile contract length). This is repeated one thousand times to converge on the most probably outcome with an idea of the degree to which extreme cases are likely to occur. It next calculates the cost based on supplied quota, overage, and additional SIM card pricing. There is a built-in assumption (that can be changed) that if the quota would be exceeded with only four days remaining in the billing cycle, that no additional data are purchased and everyone suffers through at 128 kbps.

The defaults are for NTT Docomo and depend on the number of devices/people being considered: 2 devices assumes a phone and data-only tablet; 3 or more assumes all phones. Required, optional and default inputs, as well as GNU Octave compatibility, are described on the wiki page.

Example

This is "example 1" included with the function. It considers a family of four people sharing a single data plan. The first person (mother) uses a moderate amount of data but tends toward lower amounts with the occasionally high-usage month. The next person (son who downloads who knows what over mobile) uses massive amounts of data, often in the double digits, and the usage is fairly regular each month (normal). The third person (daughter) is the opposite of the first, typically using a lot of data but on occasion uses very little. The final person (father) has months where they hardly use any data (overseas business), and months were he uses a lot, with little in between.

Past data usage for each member of the family of four.

Considering the combined average usage yields a mean of 17.4 GB per month, with a reasonable potential of having usage as low as 11.3 GB and as high as 23.4 GB (1 standard deviation range). 17.4 GB would cost ¥15,500 with the 15 GB Docomo plan. The 20 GB plan would cost ¥500 more. (The median usage is actually just under 17 GB and would yield a ¥1,500 monthly savings.)

You can probably guess that the 10 GB plan won't do, and you would think about either the 15 GB or the 20 GB plan. The 15 GB plan at first seems like it could save a lot of money over time based on the average usage, but how many months will that extreme value of 23 GB occur? Let's run the simulation to get an idea.

Cumulative cost with 1-standard deviation range shown for each data plan (10, 15, 20, and 30 GB).

And we see that the 15 GB plan may not be the best after all. The interplay between all the different usage patterns causes high consumption enough times over the next two years to make the 20 GB plan clearly less expensive (though not by a huge amount). In this particular result, the 20 GB plan was least expensive in 99.6% of the simulations. Based on this, and keeping in mind this is only as good as the assumption that past usage will reflect future usage, I would be virtually certain that this family would spend the least amount of money on the larger 20 GB plan.

Don't leave MVNOs for new docomo shared data plans

More than ever, if you are looking for mobile data access for a single device that won't be used as a phone, then MVNOs in Japan are your best bet.

I realize that I greatly misinterpreted the cost of docomo's new data plan for data-only devices. I think the original materials I read didn't include mention of the "base fee" for data-only devices. (At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;))

You see, there is already the ISP charge of at least ¥200, then there is the share charge of ¥500. What else can there possibly be? Where is there room left to manufacture additional charges? Unnecessary ISP charge? Check! Charge for adding an additional line? Check!

Turns out there is also the "data plan" at ¥1,700, which is to put it bluntly pretty much bullshit.

What do you get for the ¥1,700 data plan? Nothing. There is no included data allowance. It is simply the NEW base fee to enable a data connection on a tablet. If you don't add a data package, you are billed at ¥0.6 per kilobyte. The worst part is that, as far as I can tell, this "data plan" charge didn't exist before, which is part of the reason I overlooked it.

Here are the minimum costs of the new standalone data plans:

1. ¥1,700 for the data plan that includes no data.
2. ¥200 for Mopera ISP (Warning, you can't tether with a Docomo OS installed)
3. ¥3,500 for 2GB of data.

That totals ¥5,400 for just 2GB. What a horrible deal, especially when the current plan gets your 7GB for ¥6,000 including ISP charge. Conversely, the new standalone 5GB data-only plan costs ¥6,900! Why would anyone buy this?

The cost of the existing 7 GB Xi data plan for a tablet is ¥6,000.

Recalculating the potential cost of a phone and tablet

Perhaps you recall that I was considering the probability that any particular data plan would result in the lowest total cost over two years for a combined smartphone and tablet. Keep in mind that I am using the premium bmobile FAIR SIM, which has no additional speed or latency restriction, so I am paying about ¥8,000 for 1 GB of data, but since the tablet almost never consumes over 250 MB per month, this works out be a decent arrangement. The data connection is fast and responsive, unlike many of the other MVNO SIMs, and the monthly cost is about ¥2,000.

Probability Density Functions (PDFs) describing the likely future usage of my two devices.

Previously, when I used the incorrect data plan cost, the shared docomo plan was clearly cheaper. That is no longer the case. The new results are:

• 2GB plan costs less in 53% of simulations (¥182,366 ± 5887) over a 24 month period
• 5GB plan costs less in 38% of simulations (¥182,384 ± 1387) over a 24 month period
• 7GB + FAIR plan costs less in 9% of simulations (¥184,518 ± 0) over a 24 month period

Here is the corresponding result in graphic from. There is no variance in the predicted cost of the FAIR SIM because in no simulations is 1GB exceeded in a four month period.

This includes the cost of an additional Docomo SIM card for the tablet at about ¥3,000. Considering that, there is basically no difference in outcome. I'd probably save less than ¥100 per month by getting the extra docomo SIM AND I'd now be subject to a 2-year, autorenewing contract with a ¥10,000 early termination fee. The FAIR is totally prepaid.

So, unless data usage on the tablet dramatically increases, the shared docomo data plan is essentially worthless to me.

The cost of sharing a docomo data plan between a phone and a tablet

UPDATE: I misunderstood the cost of the docomo data-only plans. I neglected to account for the ¥1,700 "data plan" price, which is a newly added base fee onto data-only devices. This over doubles the cost of data for a tablet and drastically changes the outcome of the below simulation. See here for a revised estimate.

In the previous post, I described the effect of variable monthly usage on the total, longterm cost of a data plan. To keep things simple, I considered only one person (me) using one device (my phone). The outcome was that both the 5 GB and 2 GB plans (coming soon from Docomo) would be less expensive for me than just continuing to use my current 7 GB plan. There was a good chance that the 2 GB would offer the most savings, but only by a very modest amount of a few thousand yen over 2 years if I don’t modify my future behavior to minimize the number of times I would exceeding the 2 GB quota.

This result is really not surprising and could be obtained without all the extra work of a Monte Carlo simulation, but it was a good way to introduce the framework. Now, I’ll expand it to consider more sources of variance (i.e., more devices). For now I’ll continue to keep it simple and consider just two devices, so the result will again be a bit obvious. (For the next post on this topic, I’ll consider multiple people sharing a large family data plan, the results of which will be much more difficult to predict without simulation.)

Current data plans

Like the previous example, this post will also consider my real usage. I currently have two active SIM cards, one voice+data and one data-only:

The FAIR data plan is the most expensive offered by b-mobile, but it is the only one that has the same average speed and latency as a standard docomo plan. The 1 GB is good for 4 months, so it is ideally suited for devices that consume only 250 MB per month. Of course there are much cheaper ways to get this small amount of monthly data, but speed and responsiveness are hugely sacrificed. (See here for a series of posts on the b-mobile FAIR SIM)

1. 7 GB Docomo Xi Flat rate (¥5,700/month)
2. 1 GB b-mobile FAIR (¥7,953/4 months)

Both the 2 GB and 5 GB plans are for individuals but will allow sharing of data between and phone and a data-only device, so I could potentially cancel my current b-mobile plan and get a second docomo SIM for my data-only device. (Swapping out the FAIR SIM for a less expensive but much slower sub-1,000 yen SIM card is not an option for this particular application and would cause me massive headaches if I did, so I find it worth the premium price.)

The above probability density functions (PDFs) show how I expect my phone (right) and tablet (left) to consume data in the future. The b-mobile FAIR SIM uses around 250 MB per month, often a bit less, so you can probably already imagine, based on the result outlined in my previous post, that canceling it would save money.

Data plan options

To keep the high speed and low latency of the FAIR SIM, I have three options:

1. 7 GB Xi and b-mobile FAIR: ¥5,700+ approx. ¥2,000/month
2. 2 GB Xi and additional data-only SIM: ¥3,500+¥800/month ¥2,400
3. 5 GB Xi and additional data-only SIM: ¥5,000+¥800/month ¥2,400

This would work out to monthly costs of at least ¥7,700 for the current set up of docomo + b-mobile, a minimum of ¥4,300 ¥5,900 for the 2 GB share plan, and ¥6,300 ¥7,400 for the 5 GB share plan. (Each additional shared line costs ¥1,700 for the "data plan," ¥500 and the ISP fee, which is ¥200 for the cheapest Mopera U plan.)

The outcome

See this new post for new results taking into account the data plan cost.

Below are the results of performing 100,000 simulations using the PDFs shown above. In 62% of the simulations, the 2 GB plan (red) works out to be less expensive than the 5 GB plan (green), but on average, only by a very very tiny amount (¥40/month!). The cost of having two separate plans from b-mobile and docomo jumps every four months, reflecting the recharge interval of the FAIR SIM.

Outlined below (from the least expensive over 2 years) are the three ways to proceed:

• ¥140,000 (Both the 2 GB and 5 GB plan split across two devices)
• ¥170,000 (General cost for the 2 GB or the 5 GB and the FAIR SIM (not shown)
• ¥185,000 (Cost of 7 GB plan and FAIR SIM — status quo)

Not surprisingly, continuing to pay for two separate data plans has zero chance of being less expensive, and the total potential savings of combining the two devices onto one data plan is over ¥40,000 — enough for a new Nexus phone/tablet after 2 years. Though the 2 GB has a slightly higher chance of costing less in total, the mean cost of the 2 GB and 5 GB plans is virtually identical.

The primary thing that I learn from this exercise is that my usage really fits neither the 2 GB plan nor the 5 GB plan; something in the middle (that doesn't exist, probably for this exact reason) would be the most effective. I am unlikely to exceed the 2 GB quota often enough to make the 5 GB plan less expensive. This indicates that If I made a conscious effort to reduce usage, I could probably save an additional ¥10,000 over 2 years (based on the standard deviation of the 2 GB result). On the other hand, I could continue using my devices as I do now, without really caring at all about how much data I consume. I could even increase my usage and still save money.

Japan Communications to bring landline numbers to Japanese mobile phones

Frank Sanda, general telecom disrupter and founder and CEO of Japan Communications Inc., the provider of b-mobile products, recently announced on twitter that they are "about bring Tokyo landline numbers to mobile phones". That is, you could have a 03-xxxx-xxxx phone number attached to your smartphone. This will make your mobile number indistinguishable at a glance from a normal landline phone and will allow people to call you for a fraction of the cost they would incur if they called your mobile number.

He also said that the goal for JCI this next year is to move in the same revenue class (trillion yen) as NTT East and NTT West, and he thinks this "03 Smartphone" will do just that. And he also thinks the NTTs are going to need some help from someone, somewhere.

As far as I can see, the way this is going to happen is using VoIP ("IP softphone") with a "Class A" LTE connection. If so, not only will calling in be cheaper, so will calling out. Docomo charges ¥42 per minute to place an out-of-network call from an LTE phone. Doing the same with VoIP costs one tenth of that price, and if the connection is good, (I'll come back to that later) the voice quality is loads better due to the use of higher-quality codecs.

A bit of background:

Phone Numbers in Japan

In Japan, prefixes are typically reserved for particular types of devices. Mobile phones are allocated numbers beginning with 090, 080, and (recently), 070. Because incoming calls are charged to the caller, calling a mobile phone can be quite expensive. A commonly available option is an iP (VoIP) softphone app for your smartphone that is attached to a 050 number. However, the incoming calls to a 050 number can still incur a premium charge, above the cost of a standard local call. So, the best would be to have a normal number attached to your cellphone, for example a “03” Tokyo prefix.

Using a SIP client with a purchased 03 DID allows this right now, which is similar to what many of us do to get a phone number from “back home”. (I used to use callwithus, but now have a free DID from callcentric at which I point my Google Voice number.) While this is easy and straightforward in most countries, it is a bit more complicated here in Japan (though not impossible).

Quality of Service

Part of the reason why you can’t just get a prepackaged VoIP plan for your mobile phone with a 03 number is because there are minimum requirements before particular prefixes may be allocated. For a standard landline (固定電話) number to be allocated to a VoIP provider, the line must be CLASS A, capable of an R-factor greater than 80 for 95% of the time with less than 100 ms latency (according to wikipedia). A Class B (>70 and <150 ms) line may only be allocated to a 050 number.

A Caveat

LTE is technically Class A and could qualify for a standard landline number allocation.

Technically.

Realistically, I’m a bit skeptical how well this will work out. At peak times, the carriers are beyond capacity. I think the 95% of the time R factor requirement might be hard to meet. NTT East and West, as well as NTT Docomo and NTT Communications - hell, all the NTTs - are going to fight this. I’m sure all but Docomo will use the same argument that LTE doesn’t yet qualify as Class A. On top of this, you have inconsistent behavior with VoIP apps across different smartphones, as well as potential concerns with battery.

Convert existing b-mobile voice plans to the “Free Data” plan

Japan Communications has announced a potentially free upgrade path to the “Free Data” plan for users of their older voice SIMs. You can also keep your existing phone number. (Though I don’t think that many readers here will be interested, the upgrade also includes their new “keitai denwa” SIM, which is a voice+SMS only product for feature phones.)

You can apply for the change in plan from noon on December 27th via the My B-mobile page under “change service” (サービス変更).

However, the cost of upgrading could be significant for some people:

• ¥2,000 fee is charged to change between a 3G and LTE plan (or vice versa in the case of the “keitai denwa” SIM.
• Older SIM cards are incompatible and docomo levies a ¥3,000 fee for a new SIM

When changing plans, you’ll need to enter the number on your SIM card. The older white and blue SIM cards with a product number beginning with DN03 or AX03 (i.e., version 3 will have to be changed out.

The SIM with "docomo" written in red on the right is an LTE-capable SIM card. These SIMs are used for newer voice plans, even if the data in only 3G. The SIM with FOMA written in blue on the left is only capable of 3G and must be exchanged.

If you have the FOMA SIM shown on the left, then you will also have a 3G plan, so you're looking at ¥5,000 to upgrade, which is more than just dumping your old plan and getting the Free Data plan new to start. The question becomes, is keeping your existing phone number worth ¥2,000?

b-mobile "Free Data" SIM will lower cost of voice+data plans

Update: on sale now here: http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/fd/index.html.

Here are the details from b-mobile (which also describes their 3G voice-only SIM for feature phones) This will become my new recommended data plan for unlocked smartphones (not tablets) if you don't want to (or can't) hack your phone to fix the infamous signal bars and cell standby android bug. (yes, I call it a bug).

A modest price decrease on the low-speed data plan

The current low-cost LTE voice and data "smartphone" SIM from b-mobile runs about ¥2,000 per month for unlimited 150 kbps data. As with all Docomo LTE SIMs, there is no included call allowance. From November 23rd, the new plan will lower this to about ¥1,600 (1,560+tax). while increasing data speed to 200 kbps.

With the upcoming consumption tax increase, currently planned for several stages, b-mobile is no longer displaying prices with tax included. Be sure to confirm if prices include tax or not. Until now, almost all mobile-related prices were quoted with tax included.

This is about a ¥400 yen discount each month for an extra coffee at スタバ or a couple of mint crunkies (if they still exist). The change in data speed is insignificant – All of the low speed plans under about 400 kbps are really hard to use for anything other mail and chat. This SIM does support turbo charge options of 100 and 500 MB, good over 90 days, for ¥300 and ¥1,200.

The real savings

The price of the add-on, high-speed data plan has been roughly cut in half, from just under ¥3,000 to just over ¥1,500. Not only that, the new plan adds an additional gig of data for a total of 3GB per month. Previously, adding the larger data quota to the smartphone SIM would cost over ¥4,000/month. Now you can get a voice-capable SIM card with 3 GB of monthly, high-speed data, for only ¥3,120+tax.

Avoid the cell standby bug

Anyone who's been paying attention to the MVNO scene in Japan is well aware of Android's poor handling of Docomo data-only SIMs. A phone with one of these SIMs doesn't display signal bars, and the cell standby process kills the battery in a matter of hours. The fix requires rooting your phone and voiding the warranty.

People who didn't want to or couldn't do that had no choice but to buy a voice SIM.

Now, with the new price on the smartphone voice SIM with 3GB of data being at ¥3,120+tax, you can basically think of this as a data SIM with voice for free. The original prepaid 1 GB Flat Rate SIM, which is still available, cost ¥3,100/month (after the first month). For nearly the same monthly cost, you now get three times the data and won't have to void your warranty to make your phone work properly.

You could actually use this as a regular phone SIM, and make cellular calls, but the rate is not cheap and there is not in-network calling with MVNOs. None of the MVNOs have any room to get creative with voice plans due to Docomo's wholesale pricing. There are no packages offered, not even for Docomo subscribers. ¥40/minute is what you pay for voice with a Xi (LTE) plan and a docomo SIM. The FOMA (3G) plans are packaged such that MVNOs can include a free calling allowance, which is ironic as hell since VoLTE does not yet exist, so all voice calls, even with an LTE SIM, get routed over 3G.

It would be much less expensive to use VoIP or some sort of chat option for placing calls.

Plan details

• LTE
• Post paid (credit card)
• Limited to residents of Japan
• ¥3,000+tax upfront
• ¥1,560+tax base cost for 200 kbps unlimited data
• ¥1,560+tax additional (¥3,120 total) for 3GB of high-speed data
• Turbo charge (100 and 500 MB for ¥300 and ¥1,200)
• Calls: ¥20/30 seconds
• Normal, micro, and nano SIMs available

Nexus 5 is not compatible with 3G contracts

UPDATE: a bug report has been filed. This affects all 3G contracts, regardless of whether the SIM is LTE-capable or not. This Google Plus post has good discussion in the comments.

Reports in the comment section here and elsewhere widely indicate that, for reasons not exactly clear, the b-mobile 3G SIMs are not working with the Nexus 5. According to a local android developer, the phone does not even see the "NTT DOCOMO" network under available networks. While JCI has not yet tested the Nexus 5, they also have been getting a number of reports of 3G SIMs not working.

It his highly likely that ALL docomo MVNOs will be similarly affected.

This SIM will not work with the Nexus 5

SIM cards that are currently incompatible are the BLUE and white FOMA ones:

• Visitor SIM 1 GB and 14 day
• B-mobile FMC
• Talking SIM U300
• Amazon 3G smartphone
• Yodobashi 3G smartphone
• All the old, discontinued products that some of you still may be using (I still have the original 3G Fair), including:
• original 3G smartphone
• original Aeon 3G smartphone
• original talking 1GB flat rate
• original talking FAIR
• original 1GB flat rate (data-only)
• original FAIR
• original U300

If you are a user of a voice SIM, you can have your plan converted over to an LTE plan, but there are several disadvantages. First off, docomo's pricing for voice with an LTE plan is different than with a 3G plan. There is no option for an included number of minutes (free talking allowance), which is reflected in the lack of this option with docomo Xi voice plans. Second, docomo charges each MVNO a fee for both the issuance of a new SIM card and activation of a new account:

• ¥2,100 for a new account when switching from 3G to LTE
• ¥3,150 for a new SIM card.

According to their official twitter, new LTE products that may will have a different pricing structure for the voice plan will soon be available, but I don't have specifics. Also, it's unclear if the administrative fee of ¥2,100 would be generated again by the changing to a different LTE plan. I would think not, since as far as the docomo side of the equation is concerned, there is no new account activation – that should only occur when changing from a 3G to an LTE SIM.

Docomo iPhone 5S and 5C ARE compatible with MVNOs

However, there is a catch. According to the b-mobile compatibility page, LTE only works with voice SIMs. With a standard data-only SIM, you will only get a 3G signal.

LTE接続は音声SIMの場合にお使いいただけます。

LTE requires use of a voice SIM.

This leaves two options, ruling out most other MVNOs because they only offer data:

• Smartphone LTE SIM (スマホ電話SIM LTE)
• Aeon Smartphone SIM (イオン専用スマホ電話SIM)

In addition, a new carrier profile is needed, which is available from b-mobile. This also means that visitors without residency cannot get an LTE signal with an iPhone. Also, this carrier profile does not allow tethering.

I have absolutely no idea why is the problem with LTE and data SIMs, or what is preventing the phone from being able to tether, even with a different carrier profile.

Tokyo Police push ID verification for data-only SIMs

This sucks and is about as well thought out as a knee-jerk reaction from a politician who knows the internet is in fact not a truck but instead thinks it is a series of tubes.

It will mean the end of cheap data SIMs for visitors, and it's going to take away a large source of revenue during the Tokyo Olympics for scrappy MVNOs like JCI. Maybe the Police haven't considered the olympics and the number of visitors that would need mobile data access, or the have and that scares them.

As I have mentioned numerous times (and why I think an unlocked iPhone could have been a game changer), MVNOs usage is exploding in Japan. The idea that "Japanese people don't even know what a SIM card is" outdated and no longer really applicable. True, there are some that of course do not, but if the Metropolitan Police is making an issue of MVNO SIMs, that means a LOT of people are using them.

Anyway, here is the issue. From the Yomiuri:

通話は従来型の携帯電話、メールやネットはスマホ――携帯電話を使い分ける利用者の増加に伴い、データ通信専用のＳＩＭカードの需要は急増している。

ＳＩＭカードは２００８年、携帯電話不正利用防止法で販売時の本人確認が義務付けられたが、データ通信用カードは当時、「通話機能がないので、犯罪に悪用されるとは想定していなかった」（総務省）として規制対象から外れた。

しかし、スマホ向けの無料通話アプリの登場で、データ通信用カードでも、このアプリをダウンロードすれば通話ができるようになった。

警視庁幹部は「技術の進歩で、データ通信用カードも通常のＳＩＭカードとほぼ同じ機能を持つことになった。早急に本人確認の義務付けが必要だ」と指摘している。

As the number of people who use a traditional feature phone for voice calls and a smartphone for mail and internet increases, so does demand for data-only SIM cards.

In 2008, a law was enacted requiring identification verification for the sale of voice SIMs, but data-only SIMs are exempt because the Ministry of Infrastructure and Communications didn't imagine they could be used for nefarious purposes since they lacked voice capabilities.

However, downloading free smartphone apps allow voice communications with data-only SIM cards.

Therefore, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Chiefs have pointed out that "as technology has evolved, data-only SIM cards now effectively posses the same functions as voice SIMs. It is necessary to immediately begin identification verification for [data-only SIMs]."

On slashdot.jp is the following:

事件では、データ通信用SIMを使ってLINEやカカオトークといったコミュニケーションアプリを利用し、女子高校生を集め売春させたとのこと。

One incident involved the usage of LINE and KakaoTalk to recruit high school girls into prostitution.

As I understand it, when Line detects a "44010" SIM*, it requires you to login to your mydocomo page, which users of MVNOs don't have. This means line can't even be used with an MVNO (of course other services can, though).

---

*440 is Japan's Mobile Country Code and 10 is Docomo's Mobile Network Code. So a docomo SIM is often simply referred to by phone geeks as a 44010 SIM. MVNOs using Docomo's network provide 44010 SIMs (which is why they will be locked out of the Docomo iPhone 5S and 5C).

A Docomo iPhone could FINALLY disrupt SIM locking in Japan

As far as I see it, the most interesting potential outcome of a Docomo iPhone is enhanced unlocking of phones between Japan's two large W-CDMA carriers, Softbank and Docomo. This will eventually encompass KDDI as Voice over LTE replaces 3G. (KDDI is currently immune to unlocking because they use an incompatible CDMA-2000 network for voice communications.)

Recap: The origins of SIM unlocking in Japan

SIM unlocking (as it's referred to in Japan) started several years ago, following Softbank Mobile's successful introduction of the iPhone 3G. NTT Docomo found itself on the defensive, for the first time ever, and you do have to sympathize just a little with the the arrogant bastards. Survey upon survey told them exactly what people wanted in a phone: mobile payments, water resistance, infrared, solar panels, one seg, pedometers, labyrinthine mazes of menu options, and an eyebrow plucker. The iPhone had none and this, Apple had no experience making phones, and Macs held a dismal share of the PC market in Japan.

And yet the iPhone quickly achieved unprecedented popularity in Japan, prompting Docomo to attempt to sidestep Apple by successfully pushing for the introduction of SIM unlocking guidelines.

(See our coverage of the debate, including an overview plus the opinions of Docomo and E-access, KDDI, and Softbank.)

"Guidelines" as set forth by the the Ministry of Infrastructure and Communications are just that - they are voluntary and not "requirements." However, in practice, telecommunications entities followed them. Up until now. Softbank simply refused to comply with the unlocking guidelines, even following contract completion (and even as they were buying back phones, unlocking them, and reselling them in emerging markets).

And so we fell into a stalemate.

KDDI and E-access (Emobile) are, for various reasons, not relevant to the SIM lock debate; it currently revolves around Docomo and Softbank. Softbank holds the coveted iPhone and no offering from Docomo has proved popular enough to make unlocking an issue to enough consumers. Here's why I think this will change if Docomo sells the iPhone.

Implications of an unlocked Docomo iPhone

Softbank phones are not compatible with the budget data and voice plans offered by MVNOs because Docomo provides the infrastructure. This means that only unlocked phones (or Docomo phones) are compatible. Several years ago, this would not have been an issue, but the MVNO space, led by Japan Communications Inc, has seen substantial growth.

(Comparison of all Japanese MVNOs.)

Many household names such as OCN, Panasonic, and Rakuten have entered the fray, lending legitimacy, in the eyes of the average (non-techy) consumer, to the notion of mobile phone service provided by an entity that is not an actual mobile phone carrier. This results in a higher intrinsic value for a device that works with Docomo versus one that does not (all other things being equal).

If NTT Docomo does indeed carry the iPhone, and if they continue with their tradition of unlocking all their devices, then this would create a large feature disparity between Japanese iPhone carriers. Any discrepancy in value is amplified by the fact that, once you wade through all the fuzzy math to arrive at the out-of-pocket cost of hardware and service, the total cost is almost always the same for similar devices across competing networks.

Recall that previous iPhone feature disparity, with respect to tethering and data caps, left Softbank on the brink of a customer revolt. This was narrowly averted by a yarimasho (aka executive order) from CEO Son. Softbank had no choice but to offer free tethering and ease data caps to match the value offered by KDDI. (Microsoft should have seen a similar reaction coming with the Xbox One versus the PS4.)

Unlocking phones is a slippery slope for carriers. I believe that NTT Docomo will, after making such a stink about unlocking and vowing to unlock all their phones, have no choice but to unlock any iPhone they may sell, just as they currently do for all Android device. If this creates a strong enough feature disparity, Softbank will be forced to follow, and they would lose any justification for keeping their Android devices locked.

win win.

Improved fix for Docomo MVNO data-only SIM "cell standby" battery drain

There are many data-only SIMs from a number of different Japanese MVNOs, including b-mobile. These may offer superior value over full price data plans from the big carriers. They're also great for a second device, like a 3G Nexus 7 tablet, and the prepaid versions are perfect for temporary visitors.

The problem is that these SIMs are provided by Docomo without a specific component that Android expects. This causes the phone to appear to not have a data connection at all (when it actually does), resulting in excessive battery drain as power to the radio is boosted while searching for a signal.

While the problem has finally been addressed in the Android source code, this will most likely only help for tablets that have no built-in phone capability. A normal Android phone with a data-only SIM provided by Docomo will most likely still not show signal bars. The previous fix required a fair bit of work. The new fix uses a simple Xposed module, so it can be performed entirely on the phone and can be easily disabled when you use a voice SIM.

If you read Japanese, visit oov's blog for a more detailed explanation.

Xposed Installer with oov's signal bars module installed and enabled.

Requirements

• Android 4.03 - 4.3
• Root
• Xposed Installer (apk)
• Docomo Sim Patcher (Xposed module; apk)

Instructions

1. Download and install the most recent version of the Xposed installer. The current version at the time of writing is XposedInstaller_2.1.4.apk.
2. Launch the Xposed installed and tap "Install/Update".
3. Reboot the phone
4. Download and install the Docomo Sim Patcher module. The current version is DocomoSimPatcher20130726.apk.
5. From the Xposed Installed tap the modules tab and enable the Sim Patcher module by tapping the checkbox.
6. Reboot the phone.

That's all there is too it.

I'd been running a very old beta of unofficial Cyanogen 10 on a Nexus S for about a year now. It was really out of date and buggy, but patching a freshly installed ROM was just a pain. You had to pull the framework.jar file to a computer, decompile it, patch it, recompile it, push it back, and hope everything worked. The previous batch file wasn't really usable because of a bug with virtual box and the Nexus S, and I never got around to making a batch shell script, so I had to do it all manually, which meant that I just never did it.

Flashing the latest CM based off 4.2.2 from the teamw.in recovery, which is really full of win

HSPA and signal bars!

The reason Japan Mobile Tech has no information on rental phones and SIMs

We often get questions about voice SIMs for visitors; this post will serve as the answer.

National law restricts mobile voice plans to residents of Japan. The only way for a visitor to get mobile voice service is to use a rental phone or SIM card. SIM cards can be complicated by the fact that many overseas Android smartphones don't display the required certification mark (giteki 技適) for radio transmitting devices, making them (technically) illegal to use in Japan.

The reason that we don't have any posts or information on rental is because we consider it to be a total waste of money and can't recommend rentals whatsoever.

The average visitor to Japan simply does not need traditional cellular voice, and if you do for some sort of serious business, then you are not the average visitor. You may rely on a voice plan back home, but in Japan, we rely on mail much more than voice - many people almost exclusively. Don't annoy the locals by actually calling them – be cool and send an email ;)

EVERYONE you would contact in Japan can receive your mail. I don't mean SMS, I mean regular email. If you need to call back home, use skype or Google Hangouts or some other VoIP-based solution with free wifi (yes, Japan actually has that now at Starbuck, 7-11 and I think even some vending machines) or a data-only mobile plan because these carry no legal restrictions requiring residency.

We recommend the JCI b-mobile visitor SIMs, which can be picked up at the airport, for data connectivity that is a balance between value and ease of set up. If you want the absolute best deal, get a pre-paid b-mobile SIM from a large electronics retailer for about ¥3,000 for 30 days. These are a better value but require activation with a Japanese mobile phone.

Regarding the lack of certification mark on overseas phones, note the usage of the word technically above. You'll need a phone that support UMTS-2100 MHz (Band 1).

Improved data plans for b-mobile "smartphone SIMs"

The "sumaho" voice SIMs now have an additional option for data: a 1 GB plan for ¥1,980. Also, the 200 kbps data plan was replaced with a less expensive 150 kbps data plan. There will be essentially no difference in the old and new low-speed option from a user perspective. Both will be similarly slow and suited only for short messages and light maps usage.

These are FOMA 3G SIMs. They are not compatible with Docomo Xi handsets. A Nano SIM is also available, but only direct from JCI. Amazon and Yodobashi don't carry nano SIMs. Billing is postpaid, monthly recurring.

スマホ電話SIM		Voice Plan S	Voice Plan M	Voice Plan L
		¥1,290	¥2,290	¥3,710
150 kbps	¥980	¥2,270	¥3,270	¥4,690
1GB Flat Rate Data Plan	¥1,980	¥3,270	¥4,270	¥5,690
2GB Flat Rate Data Plan	¥2,980	¥4,270	¥5,270	¥6,690

B-Mobile Smart SIMs

This line up of data-only LTE SIM cards is available from Amazon, Yodobashi, and direct from JCI. Each supports Turbo Charge. Billing is monthly recurrent via credit card (post paid). There are three products:

• ¥980: 150 kbps, unlimited (no streaming)
• ¥1,980: LTE/3G speed, 1GB
• ¥2,980: LTE.3G speed, 2GB

The upfront cost is ¥3,150 for the JCI version, but may vary slightly for the Amazon and Yodobashi versions. The is the cost for the unactivated SIM card "package". After exceeding the gigabyte limit, speed is reduced to 150 kbps for the remainder of the billing cycle.

B-mobile Turbo Charge for low-speed data plan

Turbo Charge is an add-on for low-speed data plans that provides short bursts of unrestricted data usage, similar to the "fair" line of SIM cards.

JCI offers under the b-mobile brand a number of low-speed data SIMs. The advertised speed of these SIM cards range from 150 to 400 kbps, and there are no monthly limits on data usage. While these SIMs are very inexpensive and great for what they are advertised (short communications and light maps usage), traffic is heavily shaped, often resulting in high latency that adversely affects usability.

Turbo Charge can be toggled on and off by an android app (requires a mobile data connection to make the switch - you cannot toggle it via wifi). Turbo charges are pre-purchased and valid for 180 days. B-mobile subtracts data by the byte.

• ¥525: 100MB valid over 180 days (¥5.25/MB)
• ¥1,800: 500MB valid over 180 days (¥3.6/MB)

Turbo Charge supports the U300 series, the Aeon series, and the "smartphone" voice SIM and smart data-only SIMs. Basically all the low-speed SIMs.

Users of this report very favorably. For someone who typically doesn't need a lot out of a mobile data connection, the least expensive voice plan in the Aeon or smartphone voice SIM, with the 150 kbps data plan, coupled with a few turbo boost purchases each year, would provide by far the most economical option for a smarphone plan.

Unlocked Nexus 7 3G tablet coming to Japan

This will be just perfect with a prepaid data SIM. The 32 GB Nexus 7 3G version will be on sale in Japan from 2/9 at major electronic stores for ¥29,800. That is by far the best deal in Japan for a 3G tablet. It uses a micro SIM card.

List of b-mobile SIMs here.

This would also be perfect for Ingress.

INGRESS tourism in Tokyo

UPDATED with mobile 3G data options for visitors.

Photo by J. Maurice.

December would appear to have been an unusually slow month at Japan Mobile Tech if you were only counting the number of blog posts (three including this one). The reason for the low post activity is preoccupation with something else:

Ingress

Every contributor to JMT is participating in the closed beta of Google's surprisingly addictive GPS maps-based, augmented reality game. (Sorry, we don't have any invites.) One contributor actually left another contributor waiting for over an hour at a local craft beer establishment (!) because he was fighting to retake several portals from The Enlightenment (green). (May we suggest The Resistance as the path best chosen by newcomers?)

If you are unfamiliar with the game play and back story, it doesn't really matter. It's very simple: control predetermined points and take territory by linking three into triangles uninterrupted by enemy links. In Tokyo, most of the Googlers are playing on the side of The Enlightenment, which gave them a headstart and a stronghold in the Roppongi, Shibuya, i.e., the Yamanote area. The Resistance are relegated to shitamachi, which is actually quite appropriate because it gave The Enlightenment time to obtain higher levels and more territory — resistance should be defined by lower numbers occupying less desirable areas.

Two remaining resonators were best destroyed from inside a station

A side benefit (really the entire purpose of the game) is improved navigational data (and likely more) for Google Maps. If you can't agree to sharing anonymized location data with Google, then this game isn't for you. I actually see this as not just a good thing, but a brilliant thing. Google's walking directions in Japan, which are still in beta form, need a lot of work. They've gotten better since introduction but will still often direct you across multiple lanes of traffic in locations where no proper crossings exist.

Just ask Apple. You can't build a mapping service from scratch with crowdsourced data.

But you can powerfully augment a robust database with the fundamental background layers already in place. Rather than providing a path to walk, provide two points and analyze the route.

Lose the guidebook for a day

If you've got a day in Tokyo, why not leave the guidebook at the hotel and explore lesser known areas on foot? Many of the "portals" are shrines, monuments, or temples, and often the most interesting of those are not necessarily the largest and most famous.

For getting around, each of the Subway companies (unfortunately there are two independent ones) offer 1-day passes, often for less than the cost of opening a taxi door. Each network is well built out and can get you within a few kilometers of any portal in the 23 wards of Tokyo. Add a few hundred yen for the occasional JR or private rail ticket and you can get just about anywhere.

The best value are the Toei tickets for the services operated by the metropolitan government. All Toei subways (Asakusa, Oedo, Mita, Shinjuku) can be ridden all day for ¥500. However, this is only available during weekends and public holidays during certain times of the year. The standard pass is ¥700 and available all year. This adds the extensive bus system, the rustic Arakawa Line tram, and the Toneri Liner, which departs from Nippori (which is in need of a stronger Resistance presence).

More on Toei passes here: http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/eng/tickets/index.html
Metro information here: http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/index.html

Currently available 1-day Tokyo transit passes

Pass	Price	Details
Toei subway weekend/holiday 1-day pass	¥500	Unlimited usage of Toei subway lines (restricted availabilty)
Toei 1-day pass	¥700	Unlimited usage of all Toei services (subway, bus, tram, etc.)
Tokyo Metro subway 1-day pass	¥710	Unlimited usage of Metro subway lines
Toei/Metro subway 1-day pass	¥1,000	Unlimited usage of Toei and Metro subway lines
Tokyo free pass	¥1,580	Unlimited usage of all Toei services, Metro, and JR lines (23 Wards)

Mobile data options

Japan Communications Inc (JCI) sells a variety of prepaid data-only SIM cards, primarily under the "b-mobile" branding. For around ¥3,000 (perhaps a bit more), you can have mobile data access for portal hacking. Make sure your phone is 1) unlocked and 2) supports UMTS Band 1 (2100 MHz), as explained here. These SIMs can cause high battery usage in some phones, but there is a patch for most rooted phones.

See our comparison of b-mobile SIMs. The easiest by far (but at a relative premium price) are the Visitor SIMs, which can be delivered to a hotel or picked up at major airports.

The "U300" and other reduced speed products might not be the best choice as they have high latency, and Ingress needs to have actions synched between the servers and all clients simultaneously. The 1GB options, which have much fewer speed restrictions, will be more suitable.

The absolute best value is the "1GB Flat Rate" SIM purchased from a major electronics retailer, but this requires activation from a Japanese mobile phone and has no English support other than "pressing 2 for English" during the activation process.

b-mobile 3G Nano SIMs for the iPhone 5

The b-mobile Smartphone Voice SIMs now have nano SIMs. From 3 pm today, they'll be available for purchase online from JCI. I'll update this post with the link once it goes live. However, these SIMs are 3G FOMA SIMs and, even if a fix for Docomo LTE on the iPhone 5 is found, these SIMs will not provide LTE access. Ever.

There was of course a video that came out showing that Docomo's LTE network (Xi) can be made to work with an iPhone 5, but none of our readers have been able to recreate with success. All of them are still stuck with a 3G connection.

The price and terms are the same: ¥3,150 activation fee, 3-month minimum commitment

1. Voice Plan
   • S: ¥1,290 for 32.5 min (¥21/30s per additional minute)
   • M: ¥2,290 for 75 min (¥18.9/30s additional)
   • L: ¥3,710 for ~357 min (¥14.7/30s additional)
2. Data Plan
   • U200: ¥1,690 (200 kbps)
   • 2GB Flat Rate: ¥2,990 (best effort)
3. Nano, micro, normal SIM size

Keep in mind that you're not out a whole lot if you get this SIM now, and an LTE version comes out some time later because you only need to use the SIM for 3-months to avoid a ¥5,250 early termination fee. You would need to pay a new fee for another SIM card, though.

B-Mobile visitor SIM airport pickup

JCI's new Airport pickup Service allows Visitor SIMs to received directly from an airport post office. For an additional ¥210 a SIM card can be sent to New Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and Naha International Airports. This appears to use Japan Post's Yubinkyoku-dome（郵便局留め）service. A passport is all that is needed for pickup.

A word of warning: Confirm that your flight is scheduled to land during the post office's operating hours! If you flight is delayed or your other wise don't have tim to pick up the SIM before it closes, the package cannot be redirected to your hotel. You'll have to go back and pick it up the following day, which can be quite expensive and time consuming, depending on how far away the airport is located.

This is something that JCI should have done from the beginning. There was originally no differentiation between the standard U300 and Visitor SIMs, other than of course the English support. After prices were increased for the Visitor SIMs, no additional value was added. Airport pickup service now gives people more of a reason to purchase a Visitor SIM.

The extra fee for airport pick up is a bit dubious, though, because the post office doesn't charge any extra for Yubinkyoku-dome.