If you rent a pocket WIFI in Japan. You may be wondering how fast you are communicating with your pocket Wi-Fi. This article is about verification data on communication speed of various pocket Wi-Fis.
Pocket Wi-Fi speed depends on SIM card
Most of all rental Pocket WIFIs in Japan contains a SIM card inside. The speed is depended by which telecommunication company’s SIM card.
The speed of each service is shown below.
| Telecommunication Services | Speed | coverage area |
| docomo | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| au | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Softbank | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| rakuten | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| wimax | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| docomo(MVNO) | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Most pocket Wi-Fi for visitors to Japan
Most pocket Wi-Fi for visitors to Japan include a Softbank, Wimax, or docomo (mvno) SIM. Pocket Wi-Fi with SIMs with docomo. It is difficult to rent a pocket Wi-Fi with docomo, Au, or Rakuten SIM for a short stay because of the contract period, Japanese bank account, and other requirements. So it is mainly rented or used by people living in Japan.
| Telecommunication Services | Speed | coverage area |
| Softbank | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| wimax | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| docomo(MVNO) | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
As a side note, Japanese prepaid SIM cards often use docomo (mvno) networks.
Where Can I Buy a Prepaid SIM Card in Japan? Introducing recommended prepaid SIM cards for international travelers
What is an MVNO?
MVNO stands for mobile virtual network operator, which means that MVNOs use one or several major networks to provide you with cell phone service. Since these small carriers buy minutes, texts, and data at wholesale prices from the majors, they are able to resell them to consumers at a much cheaper price.
Actual Pocket WIFI speeds in use in Japan as of September 2022
The speed is the average of data measured by more than 50 Japanese people in the last three months. As mentioned above, Data speed depends not on the performance of the device, but on the SIM cards provided by which telecommunication company.
This data is the average of communications with 5G and 4G networks.
| Telecommunication Services | Average download speed | Pocket Wi-Fi Rental |
| docomo | 208.37Mbps | X |
| au | 70.57Mbps | X |
| SoftBank | 131.98Mbps | 🟡 |
| Rakuten | 54.07Mbps | X |
| WiMax | 68.18Mbps | 🟡 |
| docomo(MVNO)* | 11.29Mbps – 59.75Mbps | 🟡 |
docomo, which is increasingly communicating by 5G, is seeing faster average speeds.
Most pocket wifi that foreigners can rent in Japan are on 4G networks. In the table above, the speed of softbank or Wimax or docomo(mvno) is important.
As of September 2022, MVNO SIMs are mainly 4G, and recent data measurements indicate that MVNOs are running at speeds of 11 Mbps or higher, so we can say that the Pocket Wi-Fi’s speed is adequate.
*There are many docomo’s MVNOs. The data here for docomo (mvno) is the average speed of OCN and Bmobile, which sell many prepaid SIMs to foreigners visiting Japan.
*Actual speeds may be slower than the data above. The speeds of pocket wifi vary greatly depending on the time and location
Prime Video recommends a minimum download speed of 1MB/s for SD content and 5MB/s for HD content.
Prime video
Rental Pocket Wi-Fi in Japan speeds are fast and stable
As mentioned above, rental pocket Wi-Fis in Japan are fast and stable, even if it is not 5G. There are many WEB sites comparing rental rates for pocket Wi-Fi in Japan, but what is more important than price is quality (speed).
Recommended Japanese Pocket Wi-Fi rental services
While some pocket Wi-Fi rental services specialize in services for foreign travelers, we will introduce 3 services that are often used by Japanese as well.
LightPocket
As noted above, they are flexible and responsive to problems. Rental prices are also reasonable.
Ninja Wifi
The Ninja Wifi is not well known to Japanese, but it is a rental service for foreigners provided by the company that handles the most rental Wi-Fi in Japan. There are a variety of options available, so you can decide in advance on different pick-up and return methods.
Wi-Fi RENTAL Store
They are a long-established company in the rental WIFI industry. It can be delivered all over Japan and can be received at their offices.
I am Japanese and my nickname is Momo.
I have been working in the mobile telecommunications industry for about 7 years and am familiar with Japanese telecommunications services. Although my English is not very good, I would like to provide useful telecommunication-related information to those who stay in Japan as accurately as possible.
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