Lessons from communication problems such as au The measures you should know in preparation for “what if” are 16:02 on July 5th.
If a mobile phone, which is indispensable for daily life, suddenly becomes unusable ...
KDDI's large-scale communication failure caused confusion throughout Japan.
The company says it could have affected up to 39.15 million users.
Here are some things to keep in mind in case your cell phone becomes unusable.
For those who were not affected this time, please read it in case of "what if".
(Network News Department Shinya Fujishima Tatsuro Imono Ayari Suzuki Chiu Hirooka)
It was "unhappy Wi-Fi"
As in the case of KDDI this time, one solution is to look for "public Wi-Fi" when you cannot make or receive calls through the line of the carrier you have a contract with.
As long as you can connect to the Internet through public Wi-Fi, you can use SNS apps such as LINE and Messenger, or send emails to get in touch.
It became a hot topic on SNS that the fact that we managed to get in touch using Wi-Fi due to this trouble was expressed as "unhappy Wi-Fi" instead of "unhappy happy", and it became a trend for a while. did.
Regarding Wi-Fi, it is also useful to know that in the event of a large-scale disaster, telecommunications companies will jointly release a Wi-Fi service called "00000JAPAN" for free.
Also, if you can't find public Wi-Fi, ask someone with a smartphone from another carrier to try "tethering" to relay your smartphone and connect to the Internet.
The method of tethering differs depending on the model, but you can do it by going to "Settings" and pressing "Tethering" in "Network and Internet" for Android and "Internet Sharing" for iPhone.
I'm in trouble if I can't make a call
However, no matter how convenient the communication is, there are times when you really need to make a phone call.
"I want to call the pediatrics department because of my child, but I can't connect.
"
There were a lot of posts on SNS saying that due to this communication failure, I could not make calls in various situations such as home and work, and I was affected.
In addition to mobile phones, some people said that they couldn't get in touch with their parents because they couldn't connect to the landline phone that had a contract with KDDI.
Countermeasure 1: Secure multiple lines with "dual SIM"
So I asked IT journalist Hiroshi Mikami how to make a call even when a communication failure occurs.
The first thing I learned was how to utilize "dual SIM".
According to Mr. Mikami, smartphones generally use one SIM, one telephone line and one internet line.
On the other hand, dual SIM means to put two SIMs in one smartphone and use it, and even if one line (company A) becomes unavailable, the other line (company B) can be used. Is called.
It's like having two smartphones, but it's not inconvenient to carry, and you don't have to buy a new smartphone.
It costs about 500 yen a month to use the second SIM, but if you combine a SIM with a low telephone charge and a SIM with a low internet communication cost, the original usage charge will be saved even more. There are things you can do.
On the other hand, one thing to keep in mind in order to take advantage of dual SIM is to ensure that the lines of the two SIMs do not belong to the same company.
Especially in the case of a cheap SIM, it is important to check which company the line belongs to because you are renting a line from another company.
Also, some smartphone models do not support dual SIM, so be sure to check before purchasing.
Countermeasure 2: IP phones such as LINE
You can also use a service called "LINE Out" of the free communication app "LINE".
Many people have made voice or video calls between LINE users, but with "LINE Out", you can make calls to people who are not using LINE or to landlines.
If you watch an ad video for tens of seconds in the "Services" list on the "Home" screen of the LINE app, you can use it for free for the first few minutes.
However, please note that you will be charged after that and you will not be able to call emergency services such as police and fire departments.
It is useful for confirming business or safety by calling a landline phone of your company or parents' house.
Like this "LINE Out", it is called an "IP phone" that makes calls over the Internet, and there are multiple other services.
There is a monthly fee of several hundred yen, and one of the measures is to make it usable in advance.
Countermeasure 3: Public telephone in case of emergency
When you can't use your cell phone at all, you can count on a pay phone in the city.
It is a public phone that has been completely overshadowed by the spread of mobile phones, but due to this communication failure, a post saying "There was a line on the public phone" was posted on SNS, and it is drawing attention again as a means of contact in an emergency. Collected.
Public telephones can be used free of charge in the event of a large-scale disaster such as "119" requesting an ambulance or fire engine, "110" to report to the police, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, which may come in handy in case of emergency. not.
However, the number of these public telephones has dropped sharply.
With the spread of mobile phones, the number of people using public phones has decreased significantly, and the number of units has decreased to less than one-fifth by March last year compared to about 20 years ago.
In addition, there are moves to reduce the number of units even more than they are now.
Originally, in order to secure communication means in the event of a disaster, it was obligatory to install one payphone every 500 meters square in urban areas and one payphone every 1 km square in other areas.
In recent years, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has relaxed the standards for installing public telephones in the city from April in response to the increasing introduction of temporary public telephones installed in evacuation shelters in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake.
For this reason, NTT plans to reduce the number of units to about one-third while maintaining the required number.
NTT East and NTT West have introduced the places where public telephones are installed on their homepages, so please check where the public telephones are located in your area.
NTT East search page (leaving the NHK site)
NTT West search page (leaving the NHK site)
Do you know how to use a pay phone?
It's a pay phone that you can rely on in an emergency, but it also has new problems.
According to the Japan Public Telephone Association, there are many young people who do not know how to use public telephones in the first place.
According to an Internet survey conducted by NTT East in 2017, about 85% of elementary school students said they had never used a pay phone.
(400 parents with elementary school children from all over the country answered)
Person in charge of the Japan Public Telephone Association
"Recently, the number of households that do not pick up landlines at home is increasing, and some children do not know that they will pick up the handset and make a call. Some children start pressing the dial button first without it. "
At NTT East and other countries, we are promoting enlightenment by telling children how to make public calls with cartoons and having them experience making public calls with virtual reality.
NTT East Public Relations Office
"It is safe to check the location and usage of public telephones in advance, and to have a memo with your home or family phone number when you have to use a public telephone. is"
"On the assumption that it will happen again"
Mr. Mikami says that it is important to be aware of the possibility that a large-scale communication failure like this one will occur in the future.
Mr. Hiroshi Mikami, IT journalist
"Communication failures of mobile phone companies have existed in the past and will occur in the future. On the assumption that communication failures will occur again, public Wi-Fi and fixed-line phones are already in place. It's important to know where things are and to have alternatives such as dual SIMs and IP phones, and if you own a landline, keep your contract if possible. Also
, when a communication failure actually occurs, if you try to connect the line forcibly, it will be even more crowded, so check what kind of communication failure is occurring in the news or SNS. , It is necessary to calmly judge what is an effective alternative. "
Email, phone, internet browsing, and cashless payments.
Mobile phones and smartphones have become indispensable tools in our lives.
In this large-scale failure, we found that we should not rely on one method because it is an indispensable tool.
I will immediately check the location of the pay phone near my house and start preparing for the event.