Skip to Content

Japanese Cellular Provider KDDI Now Supports Apple SIM

by

Apple today added Japanese mobile operator KDDI to its list of carriers that support the Apple SIM for the iPad, expanding Apple SIM availability to Japan for the first time. The Apple SIM can now be purchased in Japanese Apple stores in addition to retail stores in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and the United States.

The Apple SIM, introduced in 2014 alongside the iPad Air 2, is designed to allow users to easily switch between different short-term data plans from a number of different carriers. The Apple SIM is particularly useful for traveling abroad, allowing users to switch carriers as needed.

applesimpartners
During the early days of availability, the Apple SIM was limited to the United States and the United Kingdom through a partnership with carriers AT&T, EE, Sprint, and T-Mobile, but in June, a partnership with GigSky expanded availability of data plans to more than 90 countries.

The Apple SIM is available for cellular models of the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and iPad mini 3.

Top Rated Comments

135 months ago
It's amazing that Apple can even convince one Japanese carrier (Japanese wireless carriers are worse than US). Hopefully more will come on-board.
Thing is, many carriers outside the US offer post-paid contracts for tablets as well, so it might be a high mountain to climb for Apple to convince everybody.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
135 months ago
Why the heck doesn't Apple use these in iPhones?

With a universal "Apple SIM" in the iPhone, Apple could sell ONE set of SKUs that works on most carriers. No more issues with one carrier being out of stock at the store; any phone of the right capacity/color/size will do.

It seems like using these in iPhones would benefit Apple and the customer several times over compared to their use in iPads.
The carriers have to agree to it. It's a lot less of a risk for the carrier to allow it on the iPad than on the iPhone.

Heck, it probably translates to more sells for them on the iPad, since the iPad can be bought with or without cellular. People who feel like they might swap carriers in the future wouldn't want to get a carrier specific iPad so would go for the wifi model, except with Apple SIM, they might be more willing to buy cellular knowing they can easily swap later when they change carriers.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChristianVirtual Avatar
135 months ago
Some old measurement

Test Date: Sep 28, 2015 11:03 PM :D
Download: 4.16 Mbps
Upload: 9.96 Mbps

Right now I got :mad:
Test Date: Nov 19, 2015 10:13 PM
Download: 0.51 Mbps
Upload: 11.43 Mbps

Too many people streaming :confused:

Update from this morning:
Test Date: Nov 20, 2015 7:24 AM
Download: 1.62 Mbps
Upload: 25.39 Mbps
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Be Like Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Sunday March 15, 2026 9:42 am PDT by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that iOS 27 will be similar to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that one of Apple's biggest priorities is bug fixes for improved performance and stability. During WWDC 2008's State of the Union, Apple showed a slide that said Mac OS X Snow Leopard had "0 new features," as it opted to focus on performance and...
AirPods Max 2 Feature

Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 With H2 Chip and More

Monday March 16, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple today unveiled AirPods Max 2, with key upgrades including the H2 chip, increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation. The new AirPods Max have the same overall design as the previous generation, with most of the new features coming from the upgrade to the H2 chip:- Adaptive ...
apple design award 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Design Award Winners Ahead of WWDC 2025

Tuesday June 3, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement. The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category: Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game) Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...