IIJmio BIC SIM

Disclaimer: These info are provided, in hope of providing help to foreigners, due to the lack of English information. It is based on my experience, limited translation abilities and a lot of help from Google translate. I am not related to IIJMIO or BIC Sim in anyway. Just a normal user. I am not liable for any mistakes or changes of information that may occur. Please refer to the original website for more information. If you find this page useful, do drop a comment below or better yet, share it with your friends!

4 May 2015

I noticed that there is a change of plans.. For the 972 yen package, the new bandwidth is 3 GB per month.. (previously 1 GB monthly).. the expiry date for unused bandwidth has been reduced from 3 months to 1 month.

Previously:1 GB every month, expires in 3 months

New: 3 GB every month, expires at the end of the month

Comments about connectivity:

So far, I dont have much problem using it. There are times when my LINE messages were severely delayed but I did not have face delays to receive gmail, facebook and whatapps messages..

9 September 2014

IIJmio BIC Sim is a prepaid mobile data plan (for phone internet) in Japan only. It requires a 3G compatible phone for surfing and there are 3 types of data-plans: data only, data + SMS and data + SMS + phone.

Important: This review is only for "Data only" plan.

I think this plan is suitable for individuals staying longer than a couple of months and only want a data-plan. As far as i know, there is no contract.

The initial cost is 3,240 yen.

There are three packages for the "Data plan":

Requirements

1. A Japanese address.
2. A compatible credit card (refer to payment method below for more info)
3. A 3G compatible phone/wifi router
4. A computer for registration
5. An email address and a phone contact number (I used my office phone).

Language

All of the information and settings in the website are ONLY in Japanese.

I frequently use google translate to translate them.

How it works

The "coupon" (クーポン) activates a high-speed connection when it is activated "ON". When it is ON, you will surf at the following speeds: 150 MBps (downlink), 50 MBps (uplink). Your bandwidth and speeds are not throttle when the coupon is ON. As you surf, you will consume your coupon.

When the coupon is used up or is turn OFF, it will connect at 200 kbps. And you are limited to 366 MB (per 3 days). If you exceed 366 MB in a 3 day period, some sort of restriction applies. I don't know what that is yet.

Every month, you will receive a new coupon (provided you pay your monthly fees). I am paying 972 yen and I am receiving 1GB of coupon every month.

If you used up your coupon before the end of month, you can purchase new ones:

1. 100 MB for ￥324 (somewhere?)
2. 500 MB for ￥1,500 (over-the-counter)
3. 2GB for ￥3,000 (over-the-counter)

Each new coupon lasts for 3 months.

You can control your high-speed coupon usage either through the website or phone app:

or similarly, monitor your internet usage:

What you will get

All starter-packs comes with one sim-card (I am not sure about family package). The sim-cards come in 3 sizes (standard, micro and nano). You will get your new bandwidth allocation monthly (provided that you pay your monthly bills).

What you wont get

A phone or a mobile wifi router. But I believe that you can purchase a wifi router from them.

What to do

First, you need to buy a starter pack (over the counter).

Then you need to access a computer and register it.

Insert it into your phone and activate it.

You will need to set up your phone accordingly.

Here are some links for setting up your found:

• Android 4.3.x above
• Android 2.x
• Iphone ios 7 and above

You can find all of these links in your login page at:

> Members-only page (会員専用ページ) - located at the right menu

> Manual (マニュアル)

Download the "MioPon" app for controlling your high-speed coupon bandwidth usage. [Android App] [iTunes]

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. It's cheap and even though you run out of bandwidths in your "coupon", you can surf at 200 kbps.
2. You can control your high-speed coupon usage.
3. No problem with coverage area in cities (from my limited experience so far).

Cons:

1. It's all in Japanese
2. You need a Japanese address and contact number.
3. Might not accept foreign credit card
4. Cant turn on wifi and phone network at the same time (might be my phone problem).

Coverage Area

The ISP is NTT Docomo and hence, the coverage area is determined by NTT Docomo LTE/3G network area.

Where to buy

The starter-packs are available over-the-counter from several places. Click here for the list of stores in your prefecture.

Payment Method

The ONLY payment method for your monthly subscription is by a credit card. It does not allow any blank spaces in your name and may not work with overseas credit card. But you can buy coupons over the counter from their distributors.

Additional Info

Here are some links for your references:

• Rakuten internet vs IIJmio internet
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2h1APkOIkg
• Speed performance at 200 kbps
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv67lYJ4g9U
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_VsLZElE8I
• Box contents
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv67lYJ4g9U