According to bmobile's website www.bmobile.ne.jp you can buy a U300 SIM card for 1 month (2980 yen), 6 months (14,900 yen) and 12 months (29,800 yen). In shops (Kagoshima, Nagasaki and Fukuoka) I never saw a card for one month – however it did look as though you could buy a one month card through their website. I bought my U300 SIM card from Odobashi Camera in Fukuoka and paid 15,900 yen for an 8 month card.
I activated my card through the Helpdesk phone
no. as it appears to do it automatically
by phone you needed a mobile phone which I didn't have. They activated it temporarily for 10 days and then sent me a letter with an activation key. I had to call the Helpdesk again to activate the card permanently with the activation key. So you needed an address for the key – in my case Odo Marina, Fukuoka.
no. as it appears to do it automatically
by phone you needed a mobile phone which I didn't have. They activated it temporarily for 10 days and then sent me a letter with an activation key. I had to call the Helpdesk again to activate the card permanently with the activation key. So you needed an address for the key – in my case Odo Marina, Fukuoka.
I managed to get b-mobile to work with my New Zealand Vodafone USB stick or dongle (UK terminology). It was a ZTE K3565-Z. The stick itself is not locked i.e. you can use it with another provider's SIM card but the software provided with it (Vodafone Mobile Connect) is locked – you can't use it to make a connection to/see the signal strength of another provider's network (so-called dashboard functions) .
I couldn't get my UK Vodafone stick to work – a ZTE K3570-Z. The stick seems to be locked.
The process was as follows (and would be similar for any unlocked stick). Your stick is inserted in a USB port.
1. Install the modem driver for the stick.
In my case, I installed the Vodafone software which installed the driver for the stick plus the Mobile Connect software. I then uninstalled the Mobile Connect software which removed the software but not the driver.
2. Create a new connection and then enter the APN setting – see below for how to do it in Windows XP – it should be similar in other versions of Windows
3. To start the connection:
a. Double click the new dial up connection shortcut on the desktop
b. Click Dial
As you have no dashboard telling you signal strength etc. you have to be attentive to the light on your stick. On my stick I waited for the red light to blink and then turn to dark blue blinking which means that there is a signal. If the light stays red it means there is no signal. I would then connect and the blue light would stop blinking and become solid – a connection was made.
The other trick is to find the correct parameters. Below are the parameters plus where I got them from (in case b-mobile changes them).
Also as far as I can see to do a recharge you have to register (and provide credit card details) and get a bmobile ID. You then use the bmobile ID to recharge – in other words you can't just give your credit card info when you want to recharge, it has to be on their system already.
Parameter | Value | Source |
Phone number | *99***1# | www.bmobile.ne.jp/sim/images/set_winxp.pdf |
User name | bmobile@u300 | www.bmobile.ne.jp/sim/setting.html |
Password | bmobile | www.bmobile.ne.jp/sim/setting.html |
APN setting | dm.jplat.net | www.bmobile.ne.jp/sim/setting.html |
Set up a new connection in Windows XP
1. Click - Start > Programs > Accessories > Communications > New Connection Wizard > Next
2. Select 'Connect to the internet' > Next
3. Select 'Set up my connection manually' > Next
4. Select 'Connect using a dial-up modem' > Next
5. Tick the box next to your 3G modem and un-tick all other modems > Next
6. For ISP name enter a friendly name (e.g. bmobile) > Next
7. Enter the phone no. provided by the network operator > Next
8. Enter the username and password used by the network operator > un-tick 'make this my default internet connection > select either 'Anyone's Use' or 'My use only' whichever is appropriate > Next
9. For convenience put a tick in the box next to 'Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop' > Finish
Enter the APN settings for your mobile operator
1. Go to Start > Control Panel
2. Select 'phone and modem options'
3. Select your stick in the list of modems (second tab)
4. Click on Properties > Advanced
5. Enter the following in the text box: +CGDCONT=1,"IP","APN setting"
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