Tech Japan’s 3G shutdown pushes millions of users to upgrade

thomas · 20 Mar 2026

Japan's 3G mobile services will be terminated at the end of March, prompting a final wave of upgrades. The shift has also sharpened competition among telecom carriers seeking to retain remaining users.

Feature phones, widely known as garakei, defined mobile use in the 2000s. Compact handsets with flip or slide mechanisms, custom ringtones and decorative stickers were both practical and personal items. Users who grew up with them recall small details. Some remember attaching photo stickers to the back of their phones. Others describe extending the antenna and lifting the device to catch a signal, a routine now largely forgotten.

NTT Docomo will terminate its 3G communication services at the end of March, citing a decline in users. With other carriers having already ended their services, the shutdown marks the end of the 3G era that once supported the peak of feature phone usage. An estimated 350,000 users nationwide are still using 3G services, and telecom companies are ramping up efforts to attract them as customers ahead of the transition. Some users, however, are reluctant to part with their devices. One person in their 60s said they would keep their phone as a memento due to the many memories attached to it, while another in their 50s noted that feature phone buttons are easier to press than those on smartphones. At electronics retailers in Osaka, promotional campaigns are underway to encourage users to switch, including sales offering new devices for as little as 1 yen. As of early March, around 50,000 3G contracts remained active in the Kansai region alone, prompting stores to display posters urging customers to upgrade to smartphones.

For those who do not switch by April, 3G mobile contracts will be automatically terminated. This could have additional consequences for families using bundled plans, as cancelling a primary 3G line may result in the loss of family discounts for the entire group.

Japan’s 3G Shutdown Forces Millions to Upgrade

A nostalgic era of Japan’s once-ubiquitous feature phones is coming to a close, with 3G mobile communication services set to end at the end of March, prompting a final wave of device upgrades and intensifying competition among telecom carriers to secure remaining users.

newsonjapan.com

Tech Japan’s 3G shutdown pushes millions of users to upgrade

thomas

Unswerving cyclist

Japan’s 3G Shutdown Forces Millions to Upgrade

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