DOCOMO Adds "docomo Wi-Fi" to Prepaid SIM Service for Travelers to Japan

TOKYO-Wednesday 10 October 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- NTT DOCOMO, INC. (DOCOMO) announced today that it has added Wi-Fi® functionality to its Japan Welcome SIMTM prepaid SIM card service to provide travelers to Japan with fast and easy access to “docomo Wi-Fi” hotspots nationwide without any complicated set-up.

The new Japan Welcome SIM & Wi-FiTM service provides access to docomo Wi-Fi secure public wireless LAN hotspots across Japan, including sightseeing spots, train stations, airports and cafes.

Despite improvements to Japan’s public wireless LAN in the lead-up to 2020, a survey conducted by the Japan Tourism Agency found that the biggest complaint inbound travelers have when using Wi-Fi is the cumbersome authentication process. DOCOMO’s authenticated SIM, however, overcomes this by seamlessly switching between the DOCOMO mobile network and docomo Wi-Fi hotspots.

In conjunction with the service enhancement, DOCOMO will begin offering “Plan XL”, a 2 GB plan catering to customers seeking extra data and higher speeds, on October 9. The first 999 customers to apply can purchase the plan for just 1,944 yen, down from 3,024 yen (must be purchased during promotion period using coupon code; please see https://wow-j.com/en/feature/jwsim/cp1/).

Additionally, DOCOMO will extend its SIM card service by 5 days to 20 days in total for a limited time (promotion end date will be posted on website 150 days prior to final day).

In the lead-up to 2020, DOCOMO will continue supporting inbound tourism with communication services, AI-supported, useful tourism information and convenient mobile translation services, aiming to enhance the convenience and enjoyment of visiting Japan.

Outline of Japan Welcome SIM & Wi-Fi

1. Pricing

Plan
   


   

Plan 0
   


   

Plan S
   


   

Plan M
   


   

Plan L
   


   

Plan XL

Prepaid SIM (tax incl.)
         

¥01
         

¥1,080
         

¥1,836
         

¥2,376
         

¥3,024

High-speed data
allowance
         

100 MB+
   


   

0 MB
   


   

600 MB
   


   

1.2 GB
   


   

2 GB

Service period
         

20 days from activation during promotion.
Promotion end date will be posted on the Japan Welcome SIM & Wi-Fi website
150 days prior to the scheduled final date.

Wi-Fi access/128 Kbps
data communications
         

Unlimited

Data
recharge
   


   

Earned
         

The data allowance may be recharged by viewing advertising videos, answering a questionnaire, etc., as follow:
view advertising videos: +10 MB; answer questionnaire: +10 MB; install application: +50 MB; view advertorial: +10 MB


   

Purchased
   


   

100 MB for ¥216; 500 MB for ¥756 or 1 GB for ¥1,296



2. Service specifications

Application
   


   

Japan Welcome SIM & Wi-Fi website:

    Japanese: https://wow-j.com/jp/sim_wifi/
    English: https://wow-j.com/en/sim_wifi/
    Chinese (traditional): https://wow-j.com/tw/sim_wifi/
    Chinese (simplified): https://wow-j.com/cn/sim_wifi/
    Korean: https://wow-j.com/kr/sim_wifi/

Eligible users
         

Foreign visitors in Japan aged 20 or above

Website languages
         

English, Chinese (traditional & simplified), Korean and Japanese

SIM card pickup
locations
         

Japanese: https://wow-j.com/jp/sim_wifi/place/

English: https://wow-j.com/en/sim_wifi/place/

SIM card type
         

3-in-1 SIM (standard, micro and nano)

Mobile service area
         

DOCOMO's 4G/LTE and 3G networks

Wi-Fi service area
         

docomo Wi-Fi hotspots using the SSID “0001doocmo”

Network speed
         

High speed2: download at max. 988 Mbps, upload at max. 75 Mbps

128 Kbps data communications: download at max. 128 Kbps, upload at max. 128 Kbps

Applicable devices
         

SIM lock-free device or other device meeting the following criteria:

    Used with a SIM card under contract with a DOCOMO roaming partner in user's country, or certified to conform to Japan's technical standards
    Supports any of the following spectrums:
    4G/LTE: Band 1, 3, 19, 21 or 28
    FOMATM (3G): Band I, VI or XIX
    Supports Wi-Fi using EAP-AKA authentication

Payment method
   


   

Credit card

1
   


   

Prior to receiving the SIM card, there is a requirement to watch certain advertisements and fill out a survey.

2
         

This service is only available in certain areas. Indicated communication speeds are the maximum values based on technical standards and are not representative of actual communication speeds. Actual communication speeds may vary depending on the network environment and user’s device.
           

“Wi-Fi” is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
           

“Japan Welcome SIM”, “Japan Welcome SIM & Wi-Fi” and “FOMA” are trademarks of NTT DOCOMO, INC.



About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO, Japan's leading mobile operator with over 76 million subscriptions, is one of the world's foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. Beyond core communications services, DOCOMO is challenging new frontiers in collaboration with a growing number of entities ("+d" partners), creating exciting and convenient value-added services that change the way people live and work. Under a medium-term plan toward 2020 and beyond, DOCOMO is pioneering a leading-edge 5G network to facilitate innovative services that will amaze and inspire customers beyond their expectations. DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (9437). www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005842/en/

Contacts

For further information, please contact:
NTT DOCOMO
Mr. Michael Bristow or Ms. Saori Yoshimatsu
Public Relations Department
Tel: +81-3-5156-1366
Fax: +81-3-5501-3408
Website: www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english



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