Japanese carrier eSIM support for iPhone XS/XR has been completely absent compared to other country carriers. This is about to change finally, on July 18 IIJmio released their beta eSIM product announced earlier this month that offers 6GB of Docomo LTE/3G network data starting at ¥1,520 a month. Voice calls and SMS are not supported, only SIM free or SIM unlocked carrier devices can use the service.
The service is aimed at customers who want to use Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank carrier plans for voice and SNS, and use the IIJ eSIM for cheaper monthly data. The produce is listed as ‘beta’ but IIJ is offering kickoff campaign incentives for signing up through August 28. Hopefully this is the start of more domestic eSIM offerings from Japanese MVNO operators and carriers.
In separate but related news, KDDI announced more overseas roaming coverage for their GigSky eSIM offering.