Jackie posted about saving money on mobile phone bills with Sakura Mobile and Asahi-net:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/1735055426567882
Thanks Jackie! I strongly agree with her that it’s a good idea to avoid the big three providers (Docomo, AU, SoftBank) if you want to get a good deal on your mobile phone service. Personally, I use Rakuten Mobile which is even cheaper than Sakura Mobile but doesn’t provide service in English as far as I can see.
I’m not sure which kakuyasu (inexpensive Mobile Virtual Network Operator) provider is best but I definitely recommend avoiding or severing ties with the big three. It amazes me that despite paying through the nose for service most of my students use one of the major providers. I found a Japanese article from about a month ago that indicates that nationally about 90% of Japan’s users are getting service through one of the major providers:
http://www.data-max.co.jp/300105_ks01/
In my opinion, they are paying a lot of money for their ignorance or their preference the service they get when they sign up. (By the way, speaking of service, the service I got from AU was good until I signed on the dotted line but, after that, I was frequently frustrated by the poor service I got – a factor that led to my departure.)
Also, Rakuten is planning to start their own network:
This will make them the fourth company in Japan (after the big three) with their own network.
– Kirk
