Activation Processing Times

When going through the activation process (for a Voice capable SIM / eSIM or a WiFi Device), you will be asked to select a specific activation date.

If request immediate activation, we will process your request as soon as possible –

Voice+Data SIMs / eSIMs: Activation requests are processed between 10AM and 7:30PM JST. If you submit your request during this time (and request immediate activation), the activation process should complete within 90 minutes. If your request is submitted after 7:30PM JST, your activation request will begin processing at 10AM JST the following morning.

Voice Lite SIMs / eSIMS: Activation requests are processed between 8AM and 10PM JST. If you submit your request during this time (and request immediate activation), the activation process should complete within a few minutes but may take up to 90 minutes. If your request is submitted after 10PM JST, your activation request will begin processing at 8AM JST the following morning.

WiFi Devices: If you request immediate activation, requests are usually processed within 90 minutes but in some cases, it can take up to 24 hours for the activation process to complete.

If you do not request immediate activation however (i.e. you select an activation date that is a month away for example), we will begin the activation process in advance (usually 1 day prior to the selected activation date) to ensure the service is active / ready for use on the requested date.

Once your service has been activated for the requested date, the status of the service (within your Mobal Account) will be updated to reflect this and you will also receive a confirmation email. The confirmation email will also contain the phone number you have been assigned (if you're activating a voice capable SIM / eSIM product) and any additional information that's required. 

*When activating a voice capable SIM / eSIM, please also note that you will not be assigned a phone number until your SIM / eSIM has been fully activated (and so we cannot provide you with your phone number in advance).

If you have purchased a physical Data-Only SIM Card, the SIM card will already be active / ready for use and so you will not be required to submit an activation request.

The 8, 16 or 31 day plan will simply begin from the day that you first connect to the network within Japan.

Maintenance Window: 

Between the hours of 10pm on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday (Japan Time), the network will sometimes perform system maintenance. 

This could mean that if you try to use your SIM card for the first time during this period, you may not be able to connect. Also, you may not be able to connect to the network immediately after the maintenance has completed (due to congestion). 

If you experience this issue, we would recommend that you wait a short time before rebooting your device and attempting to connect to the network again.