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Go to Rakuten Mobile's official websiteA SIM card is an IC card with a unique ID that identifies a phone number. Basically, a SIM card issued by a mobile phone company is inserted in a smartphone that is obtained after signing a contract with a mobile phone company.
[Thorough comparison] Recommended cheap SIM! A thorough explanation of the merits and demerits and how to choose a cheap SIM that is supported by many people, saying, "Monthly payment will be much cheaper!" However, there are many types of smartphones, so what should you do? It is possible to identify whether As a result, you will be able to use calls and communications with your contracted mobile phone company.Simply put, the SIM card serves as an identification card for using mobile phone call and communication services.
eSIM is shorthand for Embedded SIM.
While a normal SIM card needs to be inserted into the device from the outside, the eSIM is a part built into the device from the beginning, so it cannot be removed and inserted like a SIM card.
However, by signing up for a communication plan from the carrier's website, there is also the advantage of being able to use the communication plan immediately.
Also, if your device supports specifications such as DSDV (dual sim dual volte) or DSDS (dual sim dual standard), you can use eSIM in addition to the communication plan of the SIM card you usually use. You can subscribe to one communication plan.
SIM lock is a state in which the device is locked so that the SIM card of another mobile company cannot be used.
Smartphones can communicate and make calls by using a SIM card in which phone number information is registered. Smartphones sold by mobile companies can only use SIM cards issued by mobile companies, such as au SIM cards for au, softbank SIM cards for softbank, and docomo SIM cards for docomo. yeah.
If it is a terminal of the same mobile company, it can be used without problems if the SIM card is replaced, but with regard to au, there are terminals that cannot be used even if the SIM card is replaced (terminals locked within the carrier). So be careful.
You may need to unlock the SIM when switching to Rakuten Mobile from au, Softbank, docomo, etc.
The state in which only the SIM card of a specific mobile company can be used on a smartphone is "SIM locked", but when this state is resolved and other companies' SIM cards can be used, it is SIM locked. It's unlocked.
In the past, NTT Docomo had implemented SIM unlocking on all models other than iPhones and iPads. Regarding softbank, we limited it to a small number of models, and did not implement it at all for au.
Unlocking the SIM didn't make much sense because the mobile companies weren't aligned like this.
However, recently, MVNO services have become popular, and along with that, the number of people who get cheap SIMs for MVNO services has also increased. Therefore, if your smartphone is SIM-locked, you will have to purchase a new SIM-free device.
In order to reduce this burden, the necessity of SIM unlocking has become more important than before.
On May 1, 2015, due to the increasing need for SIM unlocking, SIM unlocking became mandatory.
The "Guidelines for SIM unlocking" issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications have also been revised, and it is stipulated that "as a general rule, operators shall respond to SIM unlocking for all terminals sold by themselves."
There are various procedures and methods for SIM unlocking procedures for au, Softbank, and docomo smartphones (iPhone/Android).
We have summarized the SIM unlocking procedures on the website and in stores, as well as SIM unlocking procedures for each carrier of au/softbank/docomo.
You can unlock the SIM lock from the website of each mobile phone company. For the procedure, you need to enter the 15-digit manufacturing number (IMEI), so be sure to check it in the "Settings" of your smartphone in advance.
You can also carry out SIM unlocking procedures at the shops (stores) of each mobile phone company. When visiting the shop, you can receive priority support by making an appointment to visit the store, so you can smoothly unlock the SIM.
The conditions for unlocking the au SIM lock are as follows.
1 Confirm the IMEI number of the terminal in advance by one of the following methods.
2 After logging in to "My au" with your auID, go to the SIM lock unlocking decision page, enter your IMEI number and click "Confirm" 3 Click "Proceed here" 4 Displayed If there are no errors in the personal information, click "Select"5 Enter the 4-digit PIN code you decided when you signed the contract and click "Next"6 Check the notes that appear, and Click Apply
This completes the procedure for unlocking the SIM lock with au.
The conditions for SoftBank's SIM unlock are as follows.
1 Confirm the IMEI number of the terminal in advance by one of the following methods.
2 Access "My SoftBank", enter the necessary information and log in 3 Proceed in the order of "Menu" → "Contract/Option Management" → "Other Procedures" → "Unlock SIM" 4 Enter the IMEI number of the terminal you currently have and other necessary information, check "Notes", and click "Release".
This completes the SIM unlocking procedure at SoftBank.
The conditions for unlocking docomo's SIM lock are as follows.
1 Confirm the IMEI number of the terminal in advance by one of the following methods.
2 Access "My docomo", enter the necessary information and log in 3 Proceed in the order of "Procedure" → "Cancellation/Other" → "Unlock SIM" 4 IMEI of the device you currently have After entering the necessary information including the number, check "Notes" and click "Complete the procedure"
This completes the SIM unlocking procedure at DOCOMO.
The following are points to note when performing the SIM unlocking procedure.
To unlock the SIM lock, the following conditions must be met.
Not everyone can unlock the SIM lock on any smartphone.
"Restrictions on network usage" means that if the personal information you declare when you sign a smartphone contract with a mobile phone company contains false information, or if you do not pay the monthly fee, the mobile phone company will It refers to the state in which you have cut off from
Regarding "the smartphone must be more than 100 days old from the date of purchase", some carriers may be able to unlock the SIM on the same day by purchasing the device with a lump sum payment.
Be careful when inserting a newly purchased SIM card into a previously canceled smartphone.
Depending on the carrier, you may not be able to unlock the SIM lock on a smartphone that has passed a certain period of time after cancellation.
If you are considering canceling your smartphone, you can rest assured that you will be able to use the newly purchased SIM card if you take steps to unlock the SIM lock before canceling.
There are two ways to unlock the SIM lock: ``Do the procedure at the shop (store)'' or ``Do the procedure online'', but if you do the procedure at the shop, it costs 3,000 yen (3,300 yen including tax) depending on the carrier. may incur an administrative fee.
If you want to save even a little money, you should go online.
Benefits of unlocking the SIM include the following.
By unlocking the SIM, you can change mobile phone companies without having to buy a new smartphone. This allows you to use your familiar smartphone even if your carrier changes.
By unlocking the SIM, you will be able to use overseas SIM cards and communicate freely at your travel destination. Overseas SIM cards can be purchased at the airport of your destination or at a mobile shop, and depending on the SIM card you choose, it can be cheaper than a communication method such as pocket Wi-Fi.
The following are two frequently asked questions about Rakuten Mobile SIM unlock.
Smartphones purchased from Rakuten Mobile are not SIM-locked at all.
You don't have to worry about SIM unlocking, and you can use it by inserting a SIM card from another mobile phone company into a device purchased from Rakuten Mobile.
Communication plans for eSIM are also subject to "SIM lock". In order to use an eSIM communication plan on an iPhone purchased from a major carrier, it is necessary to unlock the SIM.
It is easy to switch to Rakuten Mobile by unlocking the SIM lock with each carrier. Rakuten Mobile is recommended because the monthly fee is quite cheap compared to plans of other mobile phone companies.
Rakuten Mobile's monthly fee varies depending on how much data communication is used in a month.
| Monthly data charges | Monthly charges |
|---|---|
| Less than 1GB | 0 yen |
| 1GB or more and less than 3GB | 1,078 yen (tax included) |
| 3GB or more but less than 20GB | 2,178 yen (tax included) |
| 20GB to unlimited | 3,278 yen (tax included) |
*Information as of November 2021
Some people may think, "Isn't it troublesome to change the charge depending on the amount of communication?" You have to pay for 10GB even if you don't.
Rakuten Mobile plans are very flexible and affordable.
To Rakuten Mobile's official websiteIntroduced information about Rakuten Mobile and SIM unlocking. Since SIM unlocking was made mandatory in May 2015, it is relatively recent, so I think there are many people who did not know the details about SIM lock yet.
If you know about SIM lock, you won't have any trouble when you switch to another carrier, so there is no loss in knowing as knowledge.
Also, if you are changing carriers, Rakuten Mobile is a great deal, so if you are considering changing carriers, please consider Rakuten Mobile.