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Japan: 4G and 5G bands, and what works for IoT

4 networks · Checked 2026-09-30 · next check by 2026-12-31

Japan has four operators: NTT docomo, KDDI (au), SoftBank and Rakuten Mobile, and their 4G bands differ a lot: docomo uses B1/B3/B19/B21/B28/B42, KDDI B1/B3/B11/B18/B26/B28/B41/B42, and SoftBank mainly B1/B3/B8; Rakuten runs its own B3 and B28 and roams on au elsewhere. 2G and 3G are all gone, docomo’s 3G last (31 March 2026). docomo, KDDI and SoftBank run commercial 5G SA, and SoftBank has launched RedCap. For IoT devices, the low coverage bands are B19 (docomo), B18/B26 (au), B8 (SoftBank) and B28 on all of them.

📋 What certification you need in Japan →

Check your module in Japan

Results cover the 4 networks here; the home page checks every country at once.

Bands and status by network

Operator4G bands5G bands5G SARedCapLTE-MNB-IoT2G3G
NTT docomoNTTB1 B3 B19 B21 B28 B4212n78 n79 n1 n28 n25719Live (2021-12)9Not launchedCommercial13Shut down (2020)14Switched off (2012)15Switched off (2026-03-31)6
KDDI (au)KDDIB1 B3 B11 B18 B26 B28 B41 B4212n3 n28 n40 n41 n77 n78 n2571Live (2022)10Not launchedCommercial13Not in GSMA list13Switched off (2012)15Switched off (2022-03-31)6
SoftBankSoftBank Corp.B1 B3 B8 B11 B28 B41 B4212n1 n3 n28 n41 n77 n2571Live (2021)8Commercial12Commercial13Commercial13Switched off (2012)15Switched off (2024-04-15)6
Rakuten MobileRakuten GroupB3 B28 B18 B261345n77 n2571Not yet (NSA only)11Not launchedNot in GSMA list13Not in GSMA list13Never ran 2G16Never ran 3G16

B20 coverage layer (whole band below 1 GHz)　B3 capacity layer　B38 single source, shown but not scored　Strip: where the network’s 4G bands sit on the frequency axis; the dashed line is 1 GHz.

Band by band

One row per network and one column per band, from low to high frequency; the last three rows show what our dongles support. To test another module, paste its bands on the home page.

In use / supportedPartlyNot supportedSingle sourceCoverage layer (below 1 GHz)
B28n28B26B18B19B8B11B21B3n3B1n1n40B41n41n78n77B42n79n257
Bands each network uses
NTT docomo
KDDI (au)
SoftBank
Rakuten Mobile
What our dongles support
MF833V
Dongle 400
F40

Popular modules in Japan

How popular third-party modules rate on each network in Japan. Bands come from each maker’s specification and are scored the same way; they are listed to help you look things up, not as a recommendation. To test another module, type its model or paste its bands on the home page.

ModuleNTT docomoKDDI (au)SoftBankRakuten Mobile
Huawei E5576-320MiFi · Cat 4 · Pocket Wi-Fi · Europe, Asia and Africa version1718◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 41%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 43%
Huawei E5577-320MiFi · Cat 4 · Pocket Wi-Fi with display · Europe, Asia and Middle East version1920◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 45%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 43%
TP-Link M7350MiFi · Cat 4 · Pocket Wi-Fi · Europe and Asia-Pacific version2122◐ Limited 25%◐ Limited 18%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 14%
TP-Link M7450MiFi · Cat 6 · Pocket Wi-Fi · European version2321◐ Limited 25%◐ Limited 27%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 14%
Quectel RM520N-GL5G Sub-6 · global2425✔ Good 88% 5G✔ Good 91%✔ Good 100%✔ Good 100%
Quectel EG912U-GLCat 1 bis · global2627✔ Good 75%✔ Good 82%✔ Good 100%✔ Good 100%
Quectel BG77LTE-M / NB-IoT · global2829✔ Good 75%✔ Good 73%✔ Good 100%? To be confirmed 100%
Quectel BG770A-GLLTE-M / NB-IoT · global3031✔ Good 75%✔ Good 73%✔ Good 100%? To be confirmed 100%
Quectel EG25-GCat 4 · global3233✔ Good 75%✔ Good 82%✔ Good 100%✔ Good 100%
SIMCom SIM7600G-HCat 4 · global3435✔ Good 75%✔ Good 82%✔ Good 100%✔ Good 100%
Quectel BG95-M3LTE-M / NB-IoT · global3637✔ Good 75%✔ Good 73%✔ Good 100%? To be confirmed 100%
Quectel EG915U-EUCat 1 bis · EMEA, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil3839✔ Good 75%◐ Limited 45%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 57%
u-blox SARA-R510M8SLTE-M / NB-IoT · global4041✔ Good 75%✔ Good 73%✔ Good 100%? To be confirmed 100%
Nordic nRF9160LTE-M / NB-IoT · global4243✔ Good 75%✔ Good 73%✔ Good 100%? To be confirmed 100%
Quectel EC25-ECat 4 · EMEA4445◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 36%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 29%
Quectel EC200U-EUCat 1 bis · EMEA4647✔ Good 75%◐ Limited 55%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 57%
SIMCom A7670ECat 1 · EMEA and parts of Asia4849◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 27%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 29%
SIMCom SIM7080GLTE-M / NB-IoT · global5051✔ Good 75%✔ Good 73%✔ Good 100%? To be confirmed 100%
Quectel BG96LTE-M / NB-IoT · global5253✔ Good 75%✔ Good 73%✔ Good 100%? To be confirmed 100%
Quectel EG21-GCat 1 · global5455✔ Good 75%✔ Good 82%✔ Good 100%✔ Good 100%
u-blox LARA-R6001DCat 1 · global5657✔ Good 75%✔ Good 82%✔ Good 100%✔ Good 100%
Telit ME910C1-WWLTE-M / NB-IoT · global5859✔ Good 75%✔ Good 73%✔ Good 100%? To be confirmed 100%
Quectel RG255C-GL5G RedCap · global6061✔ Good 88%✔ Good 91%✔ Good 100%✔ Good 100%
Teltonika TRB140 (0*****)DTU / Gateway · Cat 4 · DTU / industrial gateway · Europe, Middle East, Africa, Korea, Thailand626364◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 45%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 43%
Teltonika TRB140 (1*****)DTU / Gateway · Cat 4 · DTU / industrial gateway · South America, Australia, New Zealand6365✔ Good 75%◐ Limited 45%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 57%
Teltonika RUTX12 (0*****)Industrial router · Cat 6 · Dual-modem industrial router · Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, APAC, Brazil, Malaysia66✔ Good 75%◐ Limited 55%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 57%
Teltonika RUTX12 (1*****)Industrial router · Cat 6 · Dual-modem industrial router · North America66◐ Limited 25%◐ Limited 36%✘ Not usable 0%◐ Limited 57%
Teltonika FMC130-ME3Vehicle tracker · Cat 1 · Vehicle tracker · Europe and most of the world676869◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 45%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 43%
Teltonika FMC130-MCIB0Vehicle tracker · Cat 1 · Vehicle tracker · Latin America6768✔ Good 75%◐ Limited 45%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 57%
Quectel EC25-AFCat 4 · North America447071◐ Limited 25%◐ Limited 9%✘ Not usable 0%◐ Limited 14%
Quectel EC25-EUXCat 4 · Europe (with B28)4470◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 45%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 43%
Quectel EC25-MXCat 4 · Mexico7270◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 27%◐ Limited 0%◐ Limited 43%
Quectel EC25-AUCat 4 · Australia, New Zealand, Latin America7270✔ Good 75%◐ Limited 45%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 57%
Huawei E3372h-320Dongle · Cat 4 · USB dongle · Europe, Asia-Pacific and most of the world7374◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 36%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 43%
USR IOT USR-G771-EDTU · Cat 1 · RS232/RS485 DTU · Europe75◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 36%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 43%
USR IOT USR-DR154-EDTU · Cat 1 · Lipstick-size RS485 DTU · international version7677✔ Good 75%◐ Limited 45%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 57%

Huawei E5576-320：One of the most common travel pocket Wi-Fi units; no North American B2, B4, B12, B66 or B71, and no 2G.

TP-Link M7350：No B28: in countries that rely on 700 MHz for coverage (Australia, much of Latin America) the rural signal will be weak.

Quectel RM520N-GL：Full 5G (eMBB, NSA and SA), not RedCap; B29, B32 and n29, n75, n76 are downlink only.

Quectel BG77：LTE-M and NB-IoT are assessed together: B14, B26 and B27 are LTE-M only, B71 and B85 are NB-IoT only.

Quectel BG770A-GL：LTE-M and NB-IoT are assessed together: B26 and B27 are LTE-M only, B17 is NB-IoT only.

Quectel BG95-M3：LTE-M and NB-IoT are assessed together: its LTE-M also has B26 and B27, its NB-IoT also has B71.

u-blox SARA-R510M8S：LTE-M and NB-IoT are assessed together: B25 is LTE-M only, B66, B71 and B85 are NB-IoT only, and the “00” versions do not support NB-IoT.

Nordic nRF9160：Bands are those Nordic lists as certified so far; LTE-M and NB-IoT are assessed together.

Quectel EC25-E：The EC25-E has no B28; where B28 is needed (Australia, New Zealand, Israel and others), choose the EC25-EU or EC25-EUX from the same family.

Quectel EC200U-EU：In the same family, the EC200U-AU adds B2, B4 and B66, and the EC200U-CN is for China.

SIMCom A7670E：The A7670E has no B28 and no Americas bands; where they are needed, choose the A7670SA from the same family (B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/28/66).

SIMCom SIM7080G：LTE-M and NB-IoT are assessed together: B14 and B27 are LTE-M only, B71 is NB-IoT only, and the SIM7080G-M supports LTE-M only.

Quectel BG96：LTE-M and NB-IoT are assessed together: B39 is LTE-M only, B25 needs release R1.2 or later, and the BG96-M supports LTE-M only.

Quectel EG21-G：The same 4G bands as the EG25-G at Cat 1 speed (up to 10 Mbit/s), suited to low-data, cost-sensitive devices.

u-blox LARA-R6001D：The D version is data only; for North America, the LARA-R6401 in the same family adds B14, B66 and B71.

Telit ME910C1-WW：LTE-M and NB-IoT are assessed together; the newer ME910G1 family adds North American bands such as B25, B66 and B85, and its versions differ, so check before choosing.

Quectel RG255C-GL：The specification is a preliminary release; the module is certified on T-Mobile. 5G needs 5G SA with RedCap on the network; elsewhere it falls back to LTE Cat 4.

Teltonika TRB140 (0*****)：Listed by the maker as B28A, the lower half of 700 MHz; the few operators using only the upper half of B28 may not work. For the Americas, choose another version.

Teltonika TRB140 (1*****)：No B20 (the 800 MHz coverage layer in Europe): it works in European cities, but suburban and indoor coverage will be weaker; and no B12, B13, B66 or B71, so not for the United States.

Teltonika RUTX12 (0*****)：The maker also lists B32 (1500 MHz), receive-only and only as a secondary carrier in aggregation, so it is not counted as a band that can carry a connection alone. Excludes Japan and China Mobile; no 2G.

Teltonika RUTX12 (1*****)：The maker also lists B29 (700 MHz), receive-only and only as a secondary carrier, so it is not counted. No B71 (T-Mobile 600 MHz); no 2G.

Teltonika FMC130-ME3：Built on the MeiG SLM320-E2 module, LTE Cat 1 with 2G fallback; no 3G. For the Americas, choose the FMC130-MCIB0.

Teltonika FMC130-MCIB0：Built on the MeiG SLM320-LA module, LTE Cat 1 with 2G fallback; no 3G. No B12, B13, B66 or B71: not for the United States.

Quectel EC25-AF：The North American version for Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Rogers and Telus; no B1, B3, B7 or B20, so not for Europe or Asia.

Quectel EC25-EUX：Adds B28 over the EC25-E (listed as B28A, the lower half of 700 MHz) but has no B5.

Quectel EC25-MX：Designed for Mexico: B4, B7 and B66 for Telcel, and B28, the only band Altán uses.

Quectel EC25-AU：The maker notes that B2 on the EC25-AU has no receive diversity, so performance drops in weak signal. No B20, B12 or B13: not for Europe or the United States.

Huawei E3372h-320：Per its GCF certification record: LTE B1, B3, B7, B8, B20 and B28, no TDD. Some listings quote the bands of the E3372h-153 (without B28), so check the suffix when buying.

USR IOT USR-G771-E：LTE Cat 1 for the mainstream European bands, with 2G fallback; no B5, so not for the Americas. The Chinese USR-G771 has different bands; do not mix them up.

USR IOT USR-DR154-E：LTE Cat 1, tiny and DIN-rail mountable; the Chinese USR-DR154 has only B1, B3, B5 and B8, so pick the -E version for deployments abroad.

Which IoT module to choose in Japan: picks by use case →

Hyper Nexus dongles in Japan

Scored with the method below; the 5G mark applies to the F40 (RedCap). To test another module, paste its band list.

DongleNTT docomoKDDI (au)SoftBankRakuten MobileRoaming SIM (best network)
MF833VCertification: Ask us◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 27%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 29%✔ Good SoftBank
Dongle 400Certification: Ask us◐ Limited 50%◐ Limited 27%✔ Good 100%◐ Limited 29%✔ Good SoftBank
F40Certification: Arranged to match shipments✔ Good 75%5G ◐◐ Limited 55%5G ◐✔ Good 100%5G ◐◐ Limited 57%5G ✘✔ Good NTT docomo

Good: the main bands and the coverage layer are all supported. Limited: it connects, but some main or coverage bands are missing, so signal is weaker in some areas or indoors. Not usable: no band in common.

Certification details come from Hyper Nexus product data.78

Network access: long-term roaming

Many globally deployed IoT devices use multi-network roaming SIMs that can attach to several networks in a country, but some countries restrict long-term roaming by foreign SIMs. A local SIM roaming domestically is not affected.

◐ Allowed under conditions: Allowed under certain conditions (one source so far).79

Questions

Will a B1/B3/B8 module work in Japan?

Yes on SoftBank, where B8 is the coverage layer. On docomo and KDDI it only gets B1/B3 and misses the low coverage bands B19, B18/B26 and B28, so rural and indoor signal will be weak.

Is there still 2G or 3G in Japan?

No. docomo closed 3G (FOMA) on 31 March 2026, the last of the three, and 2G ended around 2012. Devices need 4G.

Which Japanese operator offers 5G RedCap?

As of April 2026 only SoftBank has launched RedCap (GSA). A RedCap device also needs the operator’s 5G SA.

Sources

  1. C Frequency checker: Japan Kimovil · 2026-09
  2. C Japan: frequencies by operator FrequencyCheck · 2026-09
  3. B Rakuten Mobile wins the 700 MHz platinum band (4G so far on 1.7 GHz, Band 3, only) ITmedia Mobile · 2023-10-23
  4. B Rakuten Mobile starts commercial platinum-band service on 700 MHz (Band 28) Appllio · 2024-06-27
  5. B Rakuten users roamed on KDDI’s platinum band President Online · 2023
  6. A End of feature-phone site; 3G end dates: docomo 2026-03-31, SoftBank 2024-04-15, KDDI 2022-03-31 City of Yokohama · 2026-03-17
  7. B docomo ends 3G FOMA on 31 March 2026; KDDI ended in 2022, SoftBank in 2024 Mynavi News · 2026
  8. B SoftBank launches 5G Standalone services in Japan RCR Wireless · 2021
  9. A Launch of 5G SA on Sub-6 (3.7 GHz / 4.5 GHz) NTT docomo · 2021-12-13
  10. B KDDI turns on its first commercial 5G SA Open RAN site IEEE ComSoc Techblog · 2022-02-18
  11. B Rakuten launched 5G on NSA; SA planned 5G Observatory · 2020
  12. B 5G RedCap – April 2026 (42 operators in 27 markets; 14 commercial launches) GSA · 2026-04
  13. B Mobile IoT network launches (Nov 2025) GSMA · 2025-11
  14. B What’s next for NB-IoT in 2025? (incl. NTT Docomo ending NB-IoT in 2020) Eseye · 2025-01-17
  15. B 2G/3G switch-off sprint in China; Korea’s WCDMA rights expire 2026-12-31 IT Times (IT时报), via 36Kr · 2026-06-08
  16. B Japan’s 5G launches; Rakuten starts 4G with KDDI roaming RCR Wireless · 2020-03
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  18. C Huawei E5576-320 mobile Wi-Fi specifications (LTE FDD B1/B3/B7/B8/B20/B28, TDD B38) 4GLTEMall · 2026-10-06
  19. C Huawei Mobile Wi-Fi 2 E5577-320 specifications (LTE FDD and TDD bands) Virgin Megastore UAE · 2026-10-06
  20. C Huawei E5577-320 4G mobile Wi-Fi: LTE FDD B1/B3/B7/B8/B20/B28 UBB Threads store · 2026-10-06
  21. C TP-Link M7350 technical specifications (FDD-LTE B1/B3/B7/B8/B20, 3G B1/B8, quad-band 2G) ED System (TP-Link distributor) · 2026-10-06
  22. C TP-Link M7350 LTE-Advanced Mobile Wi-Fi: network type and bands Tech for Good · 2026-10-06
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  26. A LTE Cat 1 bis EG912U-GL product page and EG912U Series specification Quectel · 2026-10-06
  27. A EG912U-GL module page on QuecPython (frequency bands) Quectel · 2026-10-06
  28. A BG95 & BG77 & BG600L Series LPWA Module Introduction V2.9 (bands) Quectel · 2026-10-06
  29. C Quectel BG77 product listing (LTE bands, certifications) everything RF · 2026-10-06
  30. A BG770A-GL LPWA Specification (Cat M1 and NB1/NB2 bands) Quectel · 2026-10-06
  31. C Quectel BG77xA-GL product listing (Cat M1 and NB bands) everything RF · 2026-10-06
  32. A EG25-G LTE Standard Specification V1.6 (frequency bands) Quectel · 2023
  33. C Quectel EG25-G product listing (bands) everything RF · 2026-10-02
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  35. B SIMCom SIM7600G-H R2 new product introduction (bands) Avnet · 2020
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  37. C Quectel BG95-M3 bands: Cat M1 and Cat NB2 CNX Software · 2024-05
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  39. B Quectel EG915U-EU product listing (bands) MC Technologies · 2026-10-02
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  43. B Nordic nRF9160 SiP product highlight (bands) DigiKey · 2026-10-02
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  45. C Quectel EC25-E product listing (bands) everything RF · 2026-10-02
  46. A EC200U Series LTE Cat 1bis specification (2025): variants and bands Quectel · 2025
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  49. C SIMCom A7670E product listing (bands) everything RF · 2026-10-02
  50. A SIM7080G product page: Cat-M and NB-IoT bands SIMCom · 2026-10-02
  51. B SIMCom SIM7080G product specifications (bands) Macnica · 2026-10-02
  52. A BG96 LTE Specification V1.6: Cat M1, Cat NB1 and EGPRS bands Quectel · 2023-08
  53. B Quectel BG96 product page: bands and approvals Avnet · 2019
  54. A EG21-G LTE Standard Specification V1.2: bands Quectel · 2021-10
  55. B Quectel EG21-G product listing (bands) MC Technologies · 2026-10-02
  56. A LARA-R6 series product page: variants and bands u-blox · 2026-10-02
  57. C u-blox LARA-R6001D product listing (bands) everything RF · 2026-10-02
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  59. B Telit Cinterion ME910C1-WW product page (authorised distributor) Sectron · 2026-10-02
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  61. A T-Mobile IoT device certification: Quectel RG255C-GL, network certified T-Mobile · 2026-10-02
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  65. C Teltonika TRB140 (Australian version) LTE bands Powertec · 2026-10-03
  66. A RUTX12 supported frequency bands by product code (Teltonika Networks Wiki) Teltonika Networks · 2026-10-03
  67. A FMC130 product page: bands of each version Teltonika Telematics · 2026-10-03
  68. A FMC130 datasheet v3.0 (2025-02-03): bands of each version Teltonika Telematics · 2025-02-03
  69. C FMC130-ME3 listing (product code FMC1304OU801, bands) voelkner · 2026-10-03
  70. A EC25 Series specification (bands of every variant), as published by Mouser Quectel · 2020
  71. C Quectel EC25-AF product listing (bands, North American carriers) everything RF · 2026-10-03
  72. A EC25 variants and their bands, as published by Deutsche Telekom IoT Quectel · 2021
  73. A GCF certification record 8575: Huawei E3372h-320 (bands certified on 2020-01-08) Global Certification Forum · 2020-01-08
  74. C Huawei E3372h-320 listing (bands) SincereOne · 2026-10-03
  75. C USR-G771-E listing (bands, links to the maker’s datasheet) Gotronik · 2025-04-19
  76. A USR-DR154 series datasheet: bands of the -E and Chinese versions USR IOT (PUSR) · 2025
  77. C USR-DR154-E: 4G LTE Cat 1 modem with European bands SOS electronic · 2026-10-03
  78. A Product specifications and certifications (manufacturer data) Hyper Nexus · 2026-09
  79. C Permanent roaming in IoT: rules by country (2026) Thingsdata · 2026
  80. B SoftBank announces 3G end on 31 January 2024 iPhone Mania · 2024-01

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