SIM Cards

Hello, I'm just wondering if it is possible to buy a vodafone japan mobile with sim lock and use this phone with another country sim vodafone. It can work? Thanx

It shouldn't work. As long as SIM lock is concerned, subsidiaries of an international operator in different countries are regarded different operators.

I am Indonesian. My friend is a subscriber of Telkomsel (an Indonesian GSM operator). He brings his Sony Ericsson K 608i to Japan. It is a GSM - WCDMA cell phone. He said that his cell phone works flawless.
I have a Nokia 6280. It is a GSM - WCDMA cell phone. I am a subscriber of Telkomsel. I know from Telkomsel customer service that Telkomsel is a roaming partner of Vodafone and NTT DoCoMo. I have activated my International Roaming Feature of my SIM card. I am going to go to Japan on October 2006. Can I use my cell phone in Japan?

From another forum, one of the users said they were able to easily purchase a prepaid phone from the Vodafone store with only their passport and hotel address.

My questions is, does prepaid vodafone phones come with a USIM card which I can take out?

I have a Sharp 904sh right now. My idea is to use the prepaid phone's USIM card and insert it into my 904sh. Then I will be able to use my 904sh in Japn with a prepaid plan. Any flaw in my plan?

I'm afraid your plan won't work. The reason is that Japanese prepaid phones (as most of the Japanese mobile phones) do not have an (U)SIM card. This means that the phone number is bound to the mobile phone that you buy and cannot be transferred to another phone.

The second thing is that it might be not so easy as you believe to buy a prepaied phone without a residence permit (alien card). Officialy (by law) the users of prepaid mobile phones must be registered. This means that you have to declare your residence address in Japan. Usually this is handled by asking to show your alien card. As far as I know, in most shops (Vodafone and AU) if you are a tourist and don't have an alien card it is not possible to buy a prepaied phone (but note that before the registration duty this was different, so I guess what you have read in other forums is now out of date). Maybe you might still find places where you get a prepaid phone just showing your passport, but keep in mind that (as far as I know) this is not legal.

Simon

The user I referred to from the other forum is in Japan right now and just bought the prepaid phone a couple days ago.

Also, I am confused now, as I was under the impression with Vodaphone post paid phones, all of the phones use a USIM card. (At least all the ones which also use the GSM network. For example, I have had the Sharp 903sh, 904sh, 703sh, 705sh, 802, 902, Toshiba 904t and they all use the USIM card) Do the non GSM phones, not use USIM cards?

Thanks for the response.

I am not an expert reagrding cell phones but I tell you what I know from my experience:

1) There is no GSM network in Japan. The only european/american phones that you can use in roaming in Japan are UMTS/WCDMA phones, i.e. 3G phones. For instance I use my italian Nokia N70 in Japan without problems (in roaming with Vodafone).
The point is that there is compatibility among the european/american and japanese 3G networks, but not regarding GSM. Oversees 2G (= only GSM) phones are useless in Japan.

2) I myself have bought a japanese prepaid mobile phone just a few days ago at a Vodafone shop in Tokyo (V201SH for 7140 Yen). The phone does NOT have an (U)SIM card and I had to show my alien ID in order to buy it.

As far as I know there are some japanese mobile phones that are also GSM compatible (and thus can be used also outside Japan) but I do not know if 'with USIM card' means 'GSM compatibile'...

I was in Japan last week and visited a Vodafone store in Osaka. I asked them if I could buy a phone being a tourist. He told me there were only 2 models I could buy. They were ugly-looking so I didn't buy any of them. These phones are prepaid phones and don't have any removable SIM cards. You don't need to show any residence proof to buy them. I wanted the newest Vodafone model which looked cool but I couldn't buy it because I was not a resident. My 3G phone works great in Japan but it's billed through my Canadian provider and it's expensive to use there.

I will have alien registration in Japan and I will stay there for 4 months. I want to be able to make mobile phone calls in Japan, what is the cheapest way? I am prepared to buy a phone in Sweden or in Japan as long as it will be usable in Sweden once I get back. I don't plan to call a lot in Japan but maybe a few short calls every week withing Japan.

I've just come back from japan to my motherland, Brazil.
I've bought a 705SH sharp model there and the vodafone's assistance affirmed that would be possible to use it in my country. It's already unlucked but even that I can't use it, cause I can't acess the main menu. What Should I do to make it possible?

Hi Marcus,

I think that it's not a good idea to buy a mobile phone in Japan with the intention to use it back home in Europe. I have heard of several people experiencing problems when trying to use an appereantly unlocked Japanese phone in Europe.

If you stay 4 months in Japan the best you can do is buy a cheap prepaid mobile phone after your arrival. For instance you can go to a Vodafone shop and buy the Sharp V201SH for around 7000 Yenn). It is a slim phone with color display and a cool design. If you want to have a camera phone there are also more expensive models (around 10000 Yen). The cheapest prepaid mobile phone (Enjuro) costs only around 3000 Yen, but I do not recommend to buy it, as it is ugly and does not have an English menu (as far as I know). Here you can find all the available prepaid phone models as well as information regarding usage period, balance validity etc. http://www.vodafone.jp/english/products/index.html (click on Prepaid Mobile Phones).

Simon

In regards to your 705sh, the vodafone assistants only got it half right.

The phone is a GSM phone, so it will work in Brazil. However, the phone remains LOCKED, as there is not an unlock solution which allows you to put in a non Japanese sim card and use the phone. (You are in the same situation as me with my Sharp 904sh) The reason why you can't see the main menu is because your phone does not recognize a non japanese sim card.

The only way for you to us your 705sh right now in Brazil is to be roaming with the Vodaphone Japan service. This of course will be incrediably expensive. However, the roaming service was probably what the vodaphone sales meant when they told you the phone would work in Brazil.

Don't be too upset, as the 705sh should be unlocked in the near future. (Taiwan is releasing an English/Chinese version of the phone in late August, so an unlock solution for the phone shouldn't be far at hand)For updates on when the phone will be unlocked, check out howardsforum.com and go to the Sharp section. Lots of people, (including me) waiting for the 705sh and 904sh to be unlocked.

If you are desperate for a Japanese phone, look for either the Sharp 703sh or 903sh, both phones released last year. I have had both of these phones, and these Japanese Sharp phones are so much better than what Nokia and SE offers. So just be a little patient and your wait will be well rewarded.

do all vodafone phones have SiM cards??

i'm planning on buying one from japan but will it still work in the UK

a friend tells me that as long as i have a vodafone UK SiM card it will work, the phone just has to be unlocked........ is she right??

I have a Nokia 6234 - w WCDMA 2100 from the UK. I presume it will work in Japan, though the Voda UK website is rather unclear on this point.

Yoroshiku,

Sam

I would visit Japan later this month. I have a 3G phone (Nokia 6233) from Hong Kong. I know that it would work by roaming (approx. 60Y per min.). Does anyone know ? there is any prepaid SIM card available for purchase in Tokyo, that can be used with my phone ?

ok. this isnt an answer.
im an aussie exchange student and all i want is to buy a prepaid sim card that i can use and ditch in 2 months when i go back to australia, im with optus in aus and it turns out their server or whatever doesnt work in japan even though i have roaming. my phone isnt 3G, its about a year old and its samsung, ive looked through a couple of answers and i seem to be getting mor and more confused, so if someone could answer this in realatively simple lingo it would be great.
a. can i buy a prepaid sim card, no strings attached?
b. will it work on my phone？
c. where can i get it?
an answer to any or all of these questions will be GREATLY appreciated.

Hey, I was thinking of buying a Vodafone phone in Japan. I've reasearched on the net,but I can't find a good answer. As far as I can tell, 3G softbank phones use GSM and work in Aus. I was thinking of buying the 811T... it's Vodafone, 3G and Tri-bnd, so it works in Aus. But I don't know if it accepts Aussie Vodafone simcards. Does anyone know if there is a difference between Japan Vodafone and australia vodafone?? Do Vodafone Japan phones accept Australian sim?

Do Vodafone Japan phones accept Australian sim?

No.

And Vodafone Japan is no longer Vodafone; it is now SoftBank Mobile.

my mobile operator says using 2G sim card in my Nokia 6280 (3G phone) will still enable me to roam in japan. how true is that? anyone can help?

1) There's two types of cards - SIM (most GSM countries have this), USIM (3G SIM cards for Japan use). You can't drop a USIM into a regular GSM phone and always expect it to work. So a lot of Japanese phones with the latest 3G SIM cards can't be simply swapped into an imported 3G phone.

2) Some Japanese providers have 3G handsets + regular SIM cards. These SIM cards can be swapped into any imported 3G phone.

3) Most rental SIMs are regular SIM cards that'll work with most 3G imported phones just fine.

Nokia 6233 (or any Nokia with 3G UMTS/WCDMA 2100Mhz), Samsung Z510, Z540, Z720, etc., Sony K800i (and other 2100 UMTS/WCDMA), will all work fine in Japan.

I've tested the Z540 and 6233 and they work fine roaming internationally off T-Mobile USA. You can rent a SIM in Japan (eg. Narita at the Softbank counter) and drop it in as well.

3) If you don't have a 3G SIM + plan, don't expect the video call and other 3G features to work. Text, MMS, Email, WAP/WEB will work fine however on a regular SIM.