As our products do not support international roaming, it will not be possible to connect to the network until you have arrived in Japan.
If your service is active (and you’re located in Japan) but your device is receiving no signal / failing to connect to the network however, please refer to the relevant guide below –
Voice+Data SIM Cards
Voice Lite SIM Cards / eSIMs
Click here for more information
Initial Checks
All services provided by our Voice+Data SIM Cards and our Voice Lite SIM Cards / eSIMs utilize the Softbank 4G LTE connection.
For this reason, devices will sometimes fail to connect to the network the first time if any data settings are incorrect.
If there are any connection issues, we would recommend checking that all data settings (such as the "APN Settings" and your "Network Mode" setting) are correct -
Voice+Data SIM Cards: Data Setup Guide
Voice Lite SIM Cards / eSIMs: Data Setup Guide
Once your device has been configured correctly, we would suggest (if any issues persist) that you briefly enable the "Cellular / Mobile Data" feature on your device and test the connection (by attempting to load a website for example). This may then force your device to connect to the network and resolve the issue.
Once your device has connected to the network, you can then disable the "Cellular / Mobile Data" feature on your device to prevent additional usage (or prevent an additional fee if using a "Voice Lite" product) until you're ready to use it again.
Manual Network Selection
If the steps above do not resolve the issue, you can also try manually selecting the "Softbank" network.
On most Android handsets, you can perform a manual network selection by going to:
Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Operators
On most iPhone handsets, you can perform a manual network selection by going to:
Settings > Cellular / Mobile Data > Network Selection > Disable Automatic Option
If this does not resolve the issue, this may indicate that you're in an area where the network coverage / signal strength is poor.
Please change the network selection mode back to "Automatic", reboot your device to refresh the connection and then continue to test the service in different locations.
Need Further Assistance?
If any issues persist, please send an email to support@mobal.com and provide our team with the following information -
- The make / model of your device and your current location
- Screenshots of your current APN (Access Point Name) profile settings and of your current "Network Mode" setting (confirming 4G LTE is prioritized) so that we can check for any errors
- A screenshot of the 'SIM Management' menu on your device (the section that shows all installed SIMs / eSIMs and the preferred SIM for calls or data)
- Screenshots of any error messages that are shown on the 'Home' screen or when attempting to use any of the services
Voice+Data eSIMs
Data-Only eSIMs
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Network Mode Setting
If your eSIM was successfully activated / installed (and you’re located in Japan) but there is a connection issue, please ensure your device is configured to prioritize the 4G LTE connection.
On most Android handsets, you can check this settings by going to:
Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Mode (or Preferred Network Type) > Ensure the 4G LTE connection is prioritized
On most iPhone handsets, you can check this settings by going to:
Settings > Cellular/Mobile Data > Cellular/Mobile Data Options > Voice & Data > Ensure the 4G LTE connection is prioritized
If any changes are made but the issue persists, reboot your device and then test the connection again after a few minutes.
Manual Network Selection
If your "Network Mode" setting is correct but the issue persists, this may indicate that you're in an area where the network coverage / signal strength is poor.
As an additional test however, you can also try manually selecting the "Docomo" network.
On most Android handsets, you can perform a manual network selection by going to:
Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Operators
On most iPhone handsets, you can perform a manual network selection by going to:
Settings > Cellular / Mobile Data > Network Selection > Disable Automatic Option
If this does not resolve the issue, please change the network selection mode back to "Automatic", reboot your device to refresh the connection and then continue to test the service in different locations.
Need Further Assistance?
If any issues persist, please send an email to support@mobal.com and provide our team with the following information -
- The make / model of your device and your current location
- A screenshot of your current "Network Mode" setting (confirming 4G LTE is prioritized)
- A screenshot of the 'SIM Management' menu on your device (the section that shows all installed SIMs / eSIMs and the preferred SIM for calls or data)
- Screenshots of any error messages that are shown on the 'Home' screen or when attempting to use any of the services
Data-Only SIM Cards
Click here for more information
No Signal / Grey Signal Bar
If you have installed a physical Data-Only SIM Card in an iPhone handset, you may notice that the signal bar is grey or that no signal bars are shown but there is no need to worry!
As this is a data-only product (meaning that the SIM card has not been assigned a phone number or the ability to call/text), it is normal for the signal bar to appear this way and so this can be ignored.
If the SIM card has connected to the network and is working correctly however, you should still see that you are receiving an “LTE” or “4G” data connection and you may also see the name of the network you are connected to which will show as “IIJ” or “Docomo” or “Docomo IIJ” when using this service.
You can also just test the data connection (by loading a website for example) but if there are any issues, please ensure your device has been configured with the correct "APN" settings and "Network Mode" setting as shown here: Data Setup Guide
Manual Network Selection
If all settings are correct but the issue persists, this may indicate that you're in an area where the network coverage is poor.
As an additional test however, you can also try manually selecting the "Docomo" network.
On most Android handsets, you can perform a manual network selection by going to:
Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Operators
On most iPhone handsets, you can perform a manual network selection by going to:
Settings > Cellular / Mobile Data > Network Selection > Disable Automatic Option
If this does not resolve the issue, please change the network selection mode back to "Automatic", reboot your device to refresh the connection and then continue to test the service in different locations.
Need Further Assistance?
If any issues persist, please send an email to support@mobal.com and provide our team with the following information -
- The make / model of your device and your current location
- Screenshots of your current APN (Access Point Name) profile settings and of your current "Network Mode" setting (confirming 4G LTE is prioritized) so that we can check for any errors
- A screenshot of the 'SIM Management' menu on your device (the section that shows all installed SIMs / eSIMs and the preferred SIM for data)
- Screenshots of any error messages that are shown on the 'Home' screen or when attempting to use any of the services
WiFi Devices
Click here for more information
Basic Checks
If your WiFi device is active / you're located in Japan but there is a connection issue, this may indicate that the network coverage in the area is poor.
As an additional test however, we would recommend that you disconnect all devices from the WiFi network and switch your WiFi device off for 15 minutes to refresh the connection.
After this time, please switch the unit on again and (after a few minutes) try connecting a device to the network to retest the connection.
If your device is displaying a specific error code however, please visit the following link for more information: Error Codes Guide
Need Further Assistance?
If any issues persist, please send an email to support@mobal.com and provide our team with the following information -
- Your current location
- Screenshots of any error messages / error codes that are displayed when trying to connect to the WiFi network or when trying to access the internet after connecting
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