Amazon to sell prepaid wireless service in Japan

U.S. online retail giant Amazon will soon sell prepaid SIM cards in Japan which can be used on carrier NTT Docomo's LTE (long-term evolution) network.

The Japan Daily Press reported Monday that Amazon will be the first foreign company to offer a prepaid wireless service in the country. The 500MB SIM cards will be sold for a flat price of 1,980 yen (about US$25). Typical service contracts for smartphones in Japan cost between 5,000 yen and 6,000 yen (US$63 and US$75), it added.

The SIM cards will work for both NTT Docomo's own smartphones and tablets, as well as devices not offered by the carrier such as the Apple iPhone and those built to foreign specifications, the report said. This would mean Japanese users could use an Apple mobile device on NTT Docomo's network, which is the largest in Japan, it noted.

The Japan Daily Press also pointed out that Amazon's move to sell prepaid wireless services in Japan would give the U.S. company a strong foothold in the country's mobile wireless market, and was a precursor to its partnership with NTT Docomo to bring its Kindle e-reader to the Japanese market later this year.

Both Amazon and NTT Docomo did not specify when the prepaid SIM cards will be available for purchase, according to the report.