One of the most common questions we often see on Facebook groups is “what do I do with my cell phone when I’m stationed in Okinawa?” and “how do streaming services work in Okinawa?” Cable and cell phones while stationed in Okinawa take a few extra steps but it’s nothing that is too difficult!

Cell Phones while Stationed in Okinawa

There are a few options for using a cell phone while stationed in Okiawa:

Pause your service with your US carrier (they are required to do so under SCRA), get Google Fi, and use your current unlocked phone and phone number with Google Fi service. You will 100% want to set this up BEFORE you leave the United States. You can do it here in Japan but it is MUCH harder to do.
Pause your US service (they are required to do so under SCRA), and get a Japanese number and phone service. You can use your own unlocked phone.
Get a new phone and new service here in Japan.

If you have T-Mobile, you will have 3 months of use on their Military Magenta Plan that offers unlimited text and 5GB of data before you have to switch. The 5GB of data goes fast though!

Important things to note about making calls

Making phone calls back home? ALWAYS USE FACETIME, WHATSAPP, OR FACEBOOK MESSENGER. Even if you are on a US number or Google Fi calling a US number, both you AND the person you’re calling will be hit with international call charges even if you’re both on wifi during the call.

FaceTime, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger have the option for audio calls- use that to call back home so that neither you or the person you’re calling are hit with international charges.

The only time you will not be hit with calling charges is if you are on a Japanese number calling another Japanese number. Otherwise, everyone is subjected to international calling charges.

Luckily, here in Okinawa is wifi pretty much everywhere- in most stores and restaurants, attractions, etc. Hop on wifi to save on data when you can. The cell phone plans with Japanese carriers are different with those in the US and many do not offer unlimited data or calling even within Japan.

Cable and Streaming Services

You will automatically get AFN (Armed Forces Network) when you connect your tv to the port in your home if you are living off base. This gives you American channels and networks. You can stream Netflix, Hulu, etc without issues on base. Some cable services like Xfinity will not work here in Japan, even with a VPN.

If you live out in town, your internet, cable, etc will all be in Japanese. Some streaming services will also be limited, although some people say they get all American streaming when you use a VPN but some options are sometimes blocked. You can purchase an AFN decoder if you’d like to get AFN in town.

It is always a chore to switch our utilities around when we PCS, and moving OCONUS just adds another layer to this! If you need some additional tips on PCSing to Okinawa, grab our guide below!