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Anaxite posted:b-mobile's SIM cards do include calling features, but you don't automatically get minutes. Rather, you pay for calling and the price isn't great from a cell phone. Yeah, what I meant was there wasn't a voice allowance. She balked at the price per second, so I figured a different SIM might be in order.  She has family inside and outside of Japan. I guess I'll see if she can handle VoIP.Stringent posted:Have her get in touch with this guy http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3707512&perpage=40&pagenumber=4#post443588416 This would be perfect if she wasn't in Kansai.  Thanks though.
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Apr 4, 2015 18:05
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I just got my first ever smart phone (iPhone 5s) through Straight Talk a while ago. I'll be moving to Japan to work this summer, and I'm sure I'll take this phone with me even if I can't use it there, but is there any way for me to get this thing unlocked to just use it there? From what I've heard Straight Talk will absolutely not unlock phones for any reason, but I'm just making sure there's no other options available that would save me having to buy a new phone.
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Apr 4, 2015 19:22
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Decided our best solution is gonna be pocket wireless hotspots. Any recommended company to go with? We're going to be in Tokyo and Kyoto mostly.
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May 4, 2015 22:19
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Mother in law ended up getting rental iPhones from Softbank. It says tethering isnt included in the unlimited data, but what about wireless hotspot?
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May 11, 2015 00:14
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mango sentinel posted:Mother in law ended up getting rental iPhones from Softbank. It says tethering isnt included in the unlimited data, but what about wireless hotspot? No, it counts as using your data.
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May 11, 2015 23:57
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So, I have an Japanese iPhone 5 from Softbank that I would like to use in Australia. But after some basic it searching it seems that Softbank won't unlock the phone? Does anyone know how I can get it unlocked?
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Jul 21, 2015 09:26
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I'll be traveling to Tokyo at the end of Aug (7 days), and I'm looking for options for internet wifi mostly. If I can get data to my phone, I won't really need call/text. Is the Wi2 in the OP (from 2012?) still viable? I checked out the site, and the area map seems littered with hotspots. I'll be staying at KHAOSAN TOKYO LABORATORY - 2-1-4 NishiAsakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo. I tried to line the map on the site to the area, but it doesn't let me zoom out enough to really get a feel for the coverage map. Would I be better served with a data only sim or a wifi hotspot? I'm on US Verizon w/ a droid turbo. Thanks! edit: I just did a search and it looks like Wi2 really hasn't been discussed in the thread in a long time. deong fucked around with this message at 14:05 on Jul 24, 2015 |
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Jul 24, 2015 14:03
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MediumWellDone posted:So, I have an Japanese iPhone 5 from Softbank that I would like to use in Australia. But after some basic it searching it seems that Softbank won't unlock the phone? Does anyone know how I can get it unlocked? Haha, I just came here with that exact same question. My girlfriend left Japan for good without trying to get her iPhone 5 unlocked (just cancelled her contract at the store, was busy/stressed and didn't want to deal with anything else), despite me telling her to try. I assumed they would do it because I had no problems at docomo, but it appears to not be the case. I did a lot of Googling, and it seems like Softbank are indeed jerks about it (see very last comment at the bottom, was most definitive answer I could find), even if you've paid off your phone, which seems ridiculous to me. Docomo by contrast was more than happy to unlock my Galaxy SII when I left last year, although it voids your warranty with them (which is why I waited until I left), it cost ¥3,000. Joke was on me as I didn't look at the bands it used closely; it could use 2G in the USA but no data, womp womp. The Softbank iPhone 5 should be compatible with both Telstra and Optus's networks in Australia, however. I found a few sites online that offer unlocking (from what I understand, they basically pay someone on the inside at the carrier to add the phone's IMEI to Apple's global whitelist server, so that the next time you sync it with iTunes, it will unlock), but none cheaper than about US$100, which is pretty steep for an iPhone 5. I'm gonna have her try taking it to a mobile phone provider in the US and see if they can unlock it (maybe Sprint, since they're owned by Softbank now?), and an Apple store, but I don't have high hopes.
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Aug 2, 2015 06:13
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Thanks for the input. It's pretty much what I had found too. I'm just wonder how legit those imei sites are, and whether or not it's better to just jump on a plan that comes with a phone.
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Aug 5, 2015 13:22
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So I had a nice discovery earlier today. Sprint actually offers a "Japan plan" which is a $5 monthly add-on and you get unlimited talk, text, and data roaming in Japan as long as your phone is capable. If you bought your phone within the last 3-4 years that should be the case. I'm going there (for the first time ever) on business and was a little nervous about how much I might have to spend on comms, but this is honestly about the best possible outcome and a protip to any US consumers who travel to Japan often. A merger actually doing something good for the consumer! 
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Sep 11, 2015 13:45
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MediumWellDone posted:Thanks for the input. It's pretty much what I had found too. I'm just wonder how legit those imei sites are, and whether or not it's better to just jump on a plan that comes with a phone. I'm finding pretty much the same thing. I have a 5s I got from Softbank two years ago, and they basically said "go gently caress yourself". Since my initial two-year contract is about to come to an end, it also sounds like I would have to get a new data plan that -- surprise, surprise -- would jump to 8,000 yen/month from my current 5,000. Since that one magic month where I can get out of my contract is coming up soon, I'm looking at jumping to an MVNO. In a perfect world, I'd get my current phone unlocked so I could use it and not have to pay for a new handset. If Softbank is determined to be an rear end in a top hat about this and I can't find an unlock service that seems legit, I might have to get a new phone and run with that. I'll do the math first, but from what I've read so far it sounds like paying for an unlocked phone up front and going with service from an MVNO can actually be cheaper in the long run. Cheaper even than a phone and service from one of the big three with all of their discounts and crap. I don't suppose anyone has any recommendations about getting an iPhone freed from Softbank's greedy stranglehold...
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Mar 7, 2016 01:58
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You can get by well while paying little more than a quarter of that monthly on the smaller phone companies' plans, it's a complete no-brainer which to go with if you ask me
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Mar 7, 2016 14:43
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Believe me -- I want to go with one of those plans, but I need a phone to go down that road. If my phone remains locked, I'm screwed. The MVNO carriers I"m looking at seem to run about 1,500-2,000 yen for a decent amount of data and a voice plan. I would really like to go with that, but if I can't get my phone unlocked from Softbank, then I'll have to buy a new phone. Just running some rough calculations, though, it looks like I could get a new unlocked 64 GB 6s for 98,800, which comes out to 4,400 a month. Throw on a 1,600 voice/data plan from an MVNO, and I'm at 6,000 yen/month -- still less than the 8,000 yen per month Softbank is threatenin.... er, offering. If I can get my current phone unlocked, that would save me a whole lot of cash. It really, really irritates me that Softbank won't (not can't) unlock an iPhone that was purchased before May of last year.
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Mar 7, 2016 15:30
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I've been on Rakuten Mobile for about a year now and when I think about how much I used to pay I feel pretty dumb. I now pay around 1700 yen a month for 3GB of LTE. If I feel like making phone calls they also have an option where you can make unlimited <5 minute calls for like 800 yen a month. Having a SIM free phone is super convenient when you travel overseas. If you're willing to get away from Apple/iPhone you can find some SIM free phones for cheap as hell. I bought a KATANA02 for 21,000 yen last month and promptly lost it this past Sunday. But luckily Freetel offers aftermarket insurance that covers damage/loss -- the only manufacturer that does this, as far as I know. Not sure if any MVNOs offer it from the carrier side. You are kinda boned on your current phone unfortunately. If you were using au or Docomo I would point you to Mineo -- since you can use locked phones as well with them. Don't ask me how they are able to do this but other MVNOs cannot. Unfortunately mineo does not support SoftBank though. Yeah the locking situation was dumb pre-May 2015 but the law has changed now so give it a few years and nobody will have your problem anymore. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 13:07 on Mar 9, 2016 |
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Mar 9, 2016 13:01
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Dai posted:If I can get my current phone unlocked, that would save me a whole lot of cash. It really, really irritates me that Softbank won't (not can't) unlock an iPhone that was purchased before May of last year.
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Mar 10, 2016 16:02
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