Japan - b-mobile visior SIM U300 -No activation required, buy online, get delivered, use it

Yesterday, b-mobile released its new product, "b-mobile SIM U300 Visitor".

This is a 3G data only SIM and it does not require your local telephone number or a photocopy of your ID. You just buy one online using your credit card, have it delivered, and you can start to use it.

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Details:
copied from http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/english/u300_visitor.html

Product detail
Product name b-mobileSIM U300 Visitor
SIM card type Regular SIM card Micro SIM card
Product number BM-U300V-1MS BM-U300V-1MM
Price ¥2,980
Data Speed Up to 300kbps (Best effort)
Service Duration 30 days
Information Data communication only. No voice service. Traffic is controlled for VoIP, video, and other streaming contents.
Coverage NTT docomo FOMA® Area » Click here (external site)
Settings APN : dm.jplat.net
Username : bmobile@u300
Password : bmobile
Auth type : PAP or CHAP (if available)
PDP type : IP (if required)
Activation and shipment

This product’s service will expire 30 days following the service start date.
Regardless of whether you are able to use this product or not (including whether you have received delivery or not), the service will start on the second day following shipment.
When your product is ready for shipment, a "Shipment Confirmation" email will be sent to the email address you registered during purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions


01. May I choose payment options when I purchase on the b-market?
Only credit card payment is accepted. Cash on delivery payment is not available.
02. How long does it take to receive the SIM from ordering on the b-market?
It varies depending on your location; however, it usually takes between two to four business days.
03. What kind of procedures and paperwork are required at the time of contract?
None. By purchasing through b-market your SIM will arrive ready for use. All you need to do is insert it in to your device and enter the settings!
04. May I cancel the contract in the middle of my contract?
b-mobile SIM is not goods under contract but for prepaid goods for a fixed period of time. We do not refund; all sales are final.
05. How fast is the data transmission speed?
The data transmission speed is 300kbps (best effort) for both upstream and downstream.
06. Can I use the product for phone calls?
b-mobile SIM is a data communication only product. You cannot use it to make phone calls.
07. Does the b-mobile SIM support international roaming?
b-mobile SIM can be used only in Japan. International roaming is not supported.
08. How can I find out the expiration date of the SIM?
Please contact the b-mobile Helpdesk.
E-mail : helpdesk@j-com.co.jp
09. What should I do if I lose the SIM?
Please contact b-mobile helpdesk. Our helpdesk operator can assist you by suspending your service so others cannot use it, reactivating your service when your find your SIM card, or reissuing a new SIM.
E-mail : helpdesk@j-com.co.jp
10. Do you recommend any SIM free devices for b-mobile SIM?
We do not recommend specific SIM free devices; however, please make sure to use SIM free devices that have the correct Technical Conformity markings.
11. May I use tethering feature?
The b-mobileSIM supports tethering. Please check that your device allows tethering.
12. When is the service start date of b-mobile SIM U300 Visitor?
Regardless of whether you are able to use this product or not (including whether you have received delivery or not), the service will start on the second day following shipment.
※When your product is ready for shipment, a "Shipment Confirmation" email will be sent to the email address you registered during purchase.

Good start. Hope they will release other faster products under the same channel soon, as the U300 cannot support Skype calls (based on personal experience).

Note conditions: Data communication only. No voice service. Traffic is controlled for VoIP, video, and other streaming contents.

Good start. Hope they will release other faster products under the same channel soon, as the U300 cannot support Skype calls (based on personal experience).

Note conditions: Data communication only. No voice service. Traffic is controlled for VoIP, video, and other streaming contents.

as long as the bandwidth is good and you're absolutely desperate, you could set up a https proxy and route VoIP traffic through it. not saying it'll be good quality at all, but it'll ... *be*. :)

Has anyone tried this yet? I placed an order -- planning to use a VPN/remote desktop, are they going to randomly disconnect me?

I was looking around for reviews and found some rather unenthusiastic posts on some Japanese blogs, but nothing from English-speaking users.

I purchased a b-Mobile 1GB SIM card from Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo Shinjuku for my iPhone 4S, and the person set it up for me (I asked if they could help me make the activation call and they went out of their way to do it, so awesome). Activation was about 15 minutes; I was in and out very quickly, because I showed someone the picture of the item. It's blue, not green like this.

I could use Skype on my SIM, and 3G connection was decent to great on some lines.

1. The U300 is OK speed for general surfing. I used a non-Visitor version before, same speed. I could not use Skype voice or Youtube. I would expect VPN/remote desktop performance to be awful. Its "maximum" speed is 300kpbs.

2. You shouldn't expect local staff(store or hotel) to activate the 1GB card for you using his own personal mobile phone - meaning the staff might be contacted by law enforcement if the card is later used for illegal activities, for example.

Its not very reassuring that I have zero bars of service :/

Also looks like standard VPN ports are blocked...

Japanese blogs say they can connect, but very slow and unstable - pretty much expected given the "rated" speed (actual consistent speed more like 150kpbs)

The crappy signal quality (intentional or not) is having a pretty bad side effect: the battery is draining a lot faster. I only left my hotel 2 hours ago and my battery is already down to 72% :(

The crappy signal quality

That's weird. b-mobile does limit the speed but this product uses NTT docomo's( not DoCoMo, it's changed ) 3G network, which is believed to be most reliable in Japan.

The network is "JP DOCOMO". To be fair, I was using the GPS a few times, but my iPhone 4S' battery is just fine. After 4 hours of sporadic use, I was down to 50%. :td:

Did you cut GSM reception? There is no GSM service here.

There is no option to switch off GSM 2G radio. In fact, there used to be no "Enable 3G" option; 3G UMTS was always on.

EDIT: I think I may have found out why my battery is draining so quickly -- perhaps user error? There's a system option that uses your location for which cell tower to connect to, and I've had it enabled the entire time -- maybe it's expecting that eventually it will find a 5-bar-strength signal?

I'm going to try disabling it and see if that helps.

Hi,
How did you guys get a b-mobile SIMs? It looks like they only ship SIMs to addresses in Japan. Has anyone successful in receiving a SIM in the US?

so you schedule the shipment to arrive at your Japanese hotel on the specific day you want, within a 3 hour window.

The company will not ship it outside of Japan.