Wi-Fi routers and SIM procurement are a thing of the past… Why “ahamo” was the only mobile carrier of choice for travel professionals

The “Internet situation” for international travel has changed dramatically since the COVID-19 crisis

Using the “Internet” overseas is now almost mandatory. It is no longer unusual to be connected to the Internet anywhere, anytime, even overseas, just as in Japan.

AHAMO” is the most common cell phone company (carrier) contracted by travelers who often travel abroad. Some of them even say, “If I travel abroad often, ahamo is the only choice nowadays.

In fact, I am one of them. I have actually used ahamo many times while abroad and have always found it to be very easy to use. Although I have found some shortcomings in the two years I have been using ahamo, I have no plans to change from ahamo at this point.

Other companies are following suit in overseas roaming, but ahamo is still ahead of the pack

Trouble with overseas roaming has been a hot topic of conversation for many years, such as “I received a hefty bill after returning home from an overseas trip. Other companies besides ahamo are now offering their own services.

Perhaps due to the influence of ahamo, other companies also seem to have lowered the cost of overseas roaming considerably compared to the past. The number of plans that do not require advance application has increased.

However, inexpensive plans still require advance application. Moreover, the cost is added to your regular cell phone bill. The more days you stay, the more you have to pay. On the other hand, with ahamo, there is “no need to apply in advance,” “you can make do within the 20GB domestic allowance,” and “no additional charges.

Why “ahamo” is so convenient overseas, and why it is so easy to use

ahamo is a low-cost cell phone rate plan introduced by NTT DoCoMo in March 2009. For 2,970 yen per month (tax included), customers can use up to 20GB of data communication.

As a matter of fact, if it were only a low-cost rate plan, it would compete with other companies. However, in terms of overseas roaming, AHAMO is just as convenient. It is easy to use. Simply switch your smartphone to “Airplane Mode” when flying from Japan, deactivate Airplane Mode when arriving at your destination, set your smartphone’s data roaming to On, and your phone will automatically connect to the local telecommunications carrier’s Internet connection.

According to ahamo’s official website, the service covers approximately 98% of Japanese travel destinations. The author has been using ahamo since 2009, when the ahamo service started, and has traveled to Hawaii, Europe, Asia, and other places in the United States. I have had no major problems with aamo so far, although I receive a notice including a warning via SMS every time I make a local connection.

In fact, there are zero drawbacks to “ahamo,” such as…

There is no doubt that ahamo is sufficient for international travel and short-term business trips. However, it should be noted that ahamo does not have zero drawbacks.

For example, ahamo covers slightly fewer countries and areas than other mobile carriers do for overseas roaming.’ As of March 2012, NTT DoCoMo covers more than 200 countries/areas and au/UQ Mobile covers more than 160 countries/areas, while ahamo covers 91 countries/areas. Even though ahamo covers 98% of the countries/regions that Japanese travel to, one must be careful when going to the remaining 2% of countries/regions.

Although ahamo is available in the country, it does not necessarily cover every corner of the country. In India, which the author visited in the fall of 2011, ahamo was usable in urban areas such as Delhi, but it became completely useless the moment I went out to the suburbs. Although India is said to be an advanced IT country, the country is still poor outside of urban areas, and the infrastructure is not yet in place. On the other hand, in major Asian countries such as South Korea and Taiwan, as well as in Hawaii in the U.S., Europe, and the U.S., the phone worked without any problems, so there is a “difference” in ease of use.

Local communication speeds were also mostly satisfactory. However, there are only a few countries and regions that support “5G” for ahamo’s overseas roaming, such as South Korea, Thailand, and the U.S. If you want to stick to “5G,” you can use ahamo’s “5G” service. If you want to use 5G, you will need to purchase a SIM locally.

In addition, there is a speed limit starting from the 15th day of your stay overseas. This is even if you do not exceed 20 GB per month. It can only be removed after returning to Japan.

In the U.S., on the other hand, Softbank’s “America Unlimited” is better than ahamo. Not only data communication, but also calls and SMS are free. Hawaii, a popular overseas travel destination for Japanese, is also covered, but note that Guam and Saipan are not.

Convenient to use immediately upon arrival at the destination, and no more problems that are a staple of overseas travel.

Opportunities to use the Internet when traveling overseas are steadily increasing. In particular, it is very useful to be able to use the Internet as soon as you arrive at the destination, for example, when you want to take a cab from the airport.

Using an app, you can call a ride-sharing service such as “Uber” or “Grab,” pick up a car, and go to a hotel or other location with a pinpoint accuracy. At cab stands at airports, it is necessary to talk with the driver, and there can be problems with fares being ripped off. Ridesharing, on the other hand, is virtually free of such problems. The fare is known before the ride, and payment is made with a credit card registered on the app, so there is no exchange of cash. In countries and regions where it is difficult to walk around town, the range of activities has expanded.

Of course, it is also useful in the city. Even if there is Wi-Fi in cafes and other places, in some countries, such as India, you need a local cell phone number and cannot use Wi-Fi unless you can receive SMS. In China, “LINE” and “X” cannot be used with local lines or locally purchased SIMs due to the Great Firewall, but they can be used with ahamo and other Japanese overseas roaming services.

Overseas Roaming = Expensive” – Wi-Fi routers and local SIMs are becoming a thing of the past.

Before introducing ahamo, the author used to buy SIMs at local airports. However, it often took a long time to get online, and it took more than an hour at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, and Vodafone in Egypt. When we rented a Wi-Fi router in Korea, the router was still large and heavy at the time, and charging the battery at night at the hotel each day was also a hassle. While renting, you also have to watch out for theft and loss.

When I arrived at an overseas airport, I found many stores selling SIMs lined up, mainly in Asia. These, too, have been decreasing recently, and if they do exist, there is no sign of as many customers as there used to be.

Overseas roaming provided by major mobile carriers costs about 980 yen per day, plus a few minutes per day of stay, so it is still not cheap. However, with the emergence of such value-for-money services as ahamo, the notion that “overseas roaming = expensive” is now a thing of the past.

Local Internet access is now indispensable for international travel. To save as much money as possible, choose your mobile carrier wisely.