AIS roaming in Japan

[onthemoon]

I'm flying to Japan early next week and just checked with AIS whether I can use my i-Mobile 405 or whether I need to borrow a phone from them like last time. I am a Serenade member, so I could borrow it for free.

The answer was: No, I cannot use my phone, and by the way, they don't offer phone borrowing any more. They offer a data roaming package but no way to use it.

What did other people here do: Rent a phone in Japan? Rent a phone here in Thailand for the trip - where? Which phones/models can be used in Japan?

TIA.

[lomatopo]

Many/most Thai service providers do offer IR (voice and data) in Japan on UMTS/WCDMA 2100 MHz via SoftBank, and at least one other provider (DoCoMo?).

Have you switched to AWN, AIS's new 2100 MHz subsidiary? Are you pre-paid or post-paid? Have you enabled IR?

Can you share any details re: the specs on your phone/model?

This web-page should provide you with the necessary information:

http://www.ais.co.th/roaming/en/index.aspx

My phone support 3G/2100 MHz and does roam in Japan using DTAC and my T-Mo (U.S.A.) SIMs.

While AIS do have some roaming packages, I assume you understand that the voice and data rates are significantly higher.

Edited October 31, 2013 by lomatopo

[GreenSnapper]

Roaming with DTAC (prepaid in my case) works well in Japan. But connect to Softbank, not Docomo. The latter had some problems.

AIS should be no different, you need 3G 2100 MHz, which most phones provide.

It costs around 30B/minute. Not cheap, but it is almost the only way to phone in Japan as tourists cannot buy SIM cards there. You can rent(!) SIM cards only in Tokyo and Osaka airports. These are the only places in the country. The price for renting a SIM card is outrageous.

Internet roaming is not possible, though. If you need internet, you can buy a B-Mobile SIM card for around 4000Y/month. This is internet only, no phone calls. The SIM card is not easily available and probably no one knows about it. Inform yourself from internet sources before you travel there.

Hotels rarely have wifi, but almost all have wired ethernet. Therefore carry a laptop or a mini wifi router if you want to connect your gadgets.

Japanese internet is very fast and very reliable - but it is not foreigner friendly. Unlike other Asian countries.

[onthemoon]

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I have 3G 2100 on AIS and international roaming works in other Asian countries and in Europe, so you are saying my phone should work in Japan (at least for voice)? The lady at AIS said that my phone, I-Mobile 405, would not work in Japan.

She recommend to buy a Smart Phone (which I believe i-Mobile thinks this model is.)

[GreenSnapper]

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I have 3G 2100 on AIS and international roaming works in other Asian countries and in Europe, so you are saying my phone should work in Japan (at least for voice)? The lady at AIS said that my phone, I-Mobile 405, would not work in Japan.

She recommend to buy a Smart Phone (which I believe i-Mobile thinks this model is.)

Yes, if you used 3G roaming already, that should most probably work in Japan too, if you have roaming enabled and a few hundred Baht balance.

Put your phone into manual provider search mode. When it shows you the available companies, choose Softbank. It may take a few minutes, so be patient.

If you need to receive phone calls from Japanese phones, teach them how to enter "+66" for Thailand.

[onthemoon]

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I have 3G 2100 on AIS and international roaming works in other Asian countries and in Europe, so you are saying my phone should work in Japan (at least for voice)? The lady at AIS said that my phone, I-Mobile 405, would not work in Japan.

She recommend to buy a Smart Phone (which I believe i-Mobile thinks this model is.)

Yes, if you used 3G roaming already, that should most probably work in Japan too, if you have roaming enabled and a few hundred Baht balance.

Put your phone into manual provider search mode. When it shows you the available companies, choose Softbank. It may take a few minutes, so be patient.

If you need to receive phone calls from Japanese phones, teach them how to enter "+66" for Thailand.

OK, thanks. My phone uses Android, so it won't stick to any manually chosen providers when roaming

Should data roaming also work? I have an active roaming package which is valid for a large number of countries.

[lomatopo]

You can use the link I provided, just enter your customer type - I'm guessing 3G Postpaid?, then Asia and Japan where you will see all the options/prices available.

It looks like there are four (4) different Data Roaming packages available for your customer type and Japan - as illustrated in the screenshot I attached above. Not sure if already subscribe to one of these?

I cannot find an i-Mobile 405 anywhere, so will take your word that it supports 3G/2100 MHz - this makes sense as i-Mobile was/is a reseller of TOT's service which operates on 2100 MHz.

If you are indeed on a post-paid contract, and you are responsible for the bill, you would be advised to review the costs of voice and data when roaming. It is not unusual for Thais to return to Thailand from Japan and face a 60,000 baht bill.

AS you can see, after clicking on "Mobile Network", both NTT DoCoMo and SoftBank Mobile are roaming partners for AIS/2100 in Japan. (You can click on "more detail" to display the various network names which might show up when you do a manual search for available networks. You will only be allowed to register on valid, partner networks.)

Edited November 1, 2013 by lomatopo

[GreenSnapper]

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I have 3G 2100 on AIS and international roaming works in other Asian countries and in Europe, so you are saying my phone should work in Japan (at least for voice)? The lady at AIS said that my phone, I-Mobile 405, would not work in Japan.

She recommend to buy a Smart Phone (which I believe i-Mobile thinks this model is.)

Yes, if you used 3G roaming already, that should most probably work in Japan too, if you have roaming enabled and a few hundred Baht balance.

Put your phone into manual provider search mode. When it shows you the available companies, choose Softbank. It may take a few minutes, so be patient.

If you need to receive phone calls from Japanese phones, teach them how to enter "+66" for Thailand.

OK, thanks. My phone uses Android, so it won't stick to any manually chosen providers when roaming

Should data roaming also work? I have an active roaming package which is valid for a large number of countries.

Even Android should allow to choose the provider, you will find it somewhere in the settings. Docomo does have occasional roaming problems, so that your call is "busy" when it is actually not. Choose Softbank which always has worked well.

Data roaming seems to be possible now too. Switch it off in all cases if you love your bank account/deposit.

If you want mobile internet during your stay, bring a second device and use a japanese B-Mobile SIM-card. You can also use B-Mobile with your present smartphone and use Skype for calling out. But then you cannot be reached from Japanese phones which is probably not what you want.

If you are in Kansai or Narita Airport, check out the SIM-card rental system and enquire about their prices. That's what Japanese believe is the correct way for foreigners to have a phone. Most probably, it is not what you want.

[sfokevin]

The website below seems like a pretty straightforward way to get a local (data only) sim for about $40

http://www.econnectjapan.com/products/sim

[onthemoon]

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I have 3G 2100 on AIS and international roaming works in other Asian countries and in Europe, so you are saying my phone should work in Japan (at least for voice)? The lady at AIS said that my phone, I-Mobile 405, would not work in Japan.

She recommend to buy a Smart Phone (which I believe i-Mobile thinks this model is.)

Yes, if you used 3G roaming already, that should most probably work in Japan too, if you have roaming enabled and a few hundred Baht balance.

Put your phone into manual provider search mode. When it shows you the available companies, choose Softbank. It may take a few minutes, so be patient.

If you need to receive phone calls from Japanese phones, teach them how to enter "+66" for Thailand.

OK, thanks. My phone uses Android, so it won't stick to any manually chosen providers when roaming

Should data roaming also work? I have an active roaming package which is valid for a large number of countries.

Even Android should allow to choose the provider, you will find it somewhere in the settings. Docomo does have occasional roaming problems, so that your call is "busy" when it is actually not. Choose Softbank which always has worked well.

Data roaming seems to be possible now too. Switch it off in all cases if you love your bank account/deposit.

If you want mobile internet during your stay, bring a second device and use a japanese B-Mobile SIM-card. You can also use B-Mobile with your present smartphone and use Skype for calling out. But then you cannot be reached from Japanese phones which is probably not what you want.

If you are in Kansai or Narita Airport, check out the SIM-card rental system and enquire about their prices. That's what Japanese believe is the correct way for foreigners to have a phone. Most probably, it is not what you want.

Android does allow you to choose the provider, but it doesn't care about your choice. This is a problem when you are at the border (for example Thailand/Laos) and have chosen Thai GSM but it will switch to Lao GSM if it feel the signal is stronger.

So, if I choose Docomo in Japan, will my android phone switch to another provider by itself? - Likely.

[onthemoon]

The website below seems like a pretty straightforward way to get a local (data only) sim for about $40

http://www.econnectjapan.com/products/sim

I don't need another SIM, AIS tells me that I need another PHONE.

My question is whether this is true, and if so, can I rent another phone at Kansai.

[lomatopo]

I don't need another SIM, AIS tells me that I need another PHONE.

My question is whether this is true

Based on what you've said about your phone so far in this thread it seems like it supports 3G/2100 MHz so it will roam in Japan, for voice and data. That said, I cannot find any information on an "i-Mobile 405" to confirm this. Can you provide a link to any description of this exact model?

For traditional GSM voice/text and with IR enabled you will have little/no control re: the partner your may currently roam onto. So you will roam onto DoCoMo/NTT and SoftBank based on a number of criteria. As both are IR partners for AIS/2100 MHz it doesn't matter to you which you happen to roam on to. Obviously you can disable mobile data, if at any point you feel like you have exceeded the limits of your official AIS regional data roaming package.

[onthemoon]

For quick reference, I am replying from my phone as it shows the model name.

Sent from my I-405 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[onthemoon]

Funny enough, Google doesn't know this phone either.

If AIS has a contract with a 3G/2100 provider in Japan, I should be able to use the phone you say. I will report back after the trip (or during, if I have internet and can access ThaiVisa).

[lomatopo]

I am guessing here as you've provided no information...but this is an Android phone?

If so, go to Settings, About phone, Model number. Then post that information.

I have looked for an "i-Mobile 405" but cannot find any references to this model. My best guess is that you purchased this phone here in Thailand, and that it is an i-Mobile brand phone, perhaps with a different model number?

Lastly, it sounds like you've used this phone while roaming in other countries on 3G/2100 MHz so assuming you have AIS, have IR enabled, are a customer in good standing, and are able to search for and register on partner networks, then you will be fine in Japan. Good luck.

[onthemoon]

I am guessing here as you've provided no information...but this is an Android phone?

If so, go to Settings, About phone, Model number. Then post that information.

I have looked for an "i-Mobile 405" but cannot find any references to this model. My best guess is that you purchased this phone here in Thailand, and that it is an i-Mobile brand phone, perhaps with a different model number?

Lastly, it sounds like you've used this phone while roaming in other countries on 3G/2100 MHz so assuming you have AIS, have IR enabled, are a customer in good standing, and are able to search for and register on partner networks, then you will be fine in Japan. Good luck.

Yes, Android, and the model name is the same as in the post via ThaiVisa connect: I-405. Android version 4.0.4.

And yes, I bought it in Thailand and it is an i-Mobile brand and yes, I have been roaming in other countries.

As I said, I will report back.

[GreenSnapper]

As you have roamed successfully in the past, you will roam in Japan too at 3G/2100.

Before you leave Thailand, switch off any data roaming and autmatic data connections. Also put your phone into manual provider selection. Select your current Thai provider. Switch off any "automatically select provicer" options. That will also prevent roaming to Laos providers when you are at the Thai boarder.

When you arrive in Japan, manually select "Softbank", and soon you are connected.

Check all the configuration options of your phone when you are still in Thailand.

BTW, there is no GSM in Japan and has never been. So you can only use your phone with 3G.

[onthemoon]

As you have roamed successfully in the past, you will roam in Japan too at 3G/2100.

Before you leave Thailand, switch off any data roaming and autmatic data connections. Also put your phone into manual provider selection. Select your current Thai provider. Switch off any "automatically select provicer" options. That will also prevent roaming to Laos providers when you are at the Thai boarder.

When you arrive in Japan, manually select "Softbank", and soon you are connected.

Check all the configuration options of your phone when you are still in Thailand.

BTW, there is no GSM in Japan and has never been. So you can only use your phone with 3G.

I used to set my iPhone to manually choose the provider but since I have an Android phone, it will switch to another provider when the signal is stronger. That was a problem when in Laos, because I want to use the Thai card only when connecting to a Thai cell but it kept connecting to Lao GSM. I read up about this on the internet (Google is my friend) and this seems to be a major (and often expensive) shortcoming of Android.

So if you have a solution how to force the Android phone to stick with the manually selected provider just as the iPhone does, I'd be very happy to hear it.

[onthemoon]

Voice roaming worked right away, both with Docomo and Softbank. Boughta package for data roaming (valid on Softbank only) but I had to call AIS before it worked, they had to fix something.

All is fine, the info that my phone wouldn't work here in Japan was a false alarm.

Sent from my I-405 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app