Struggling with a povo2.0 contract from Ireland

au Phone Number Suspension Service

Before coming to Ireland on a working holiday, I used the au phone number suspension service (approx. 500 yen/month) to keep my Japanese phone number. I chose this service because I planned to return home after just one year and intended to continue using au after that.

Unable to receive SMS in Ireland, so I decided to switch to povo2.0

When using a certain service, I needed SMS authentication with my Japanese mobile number. After researching, I decided to switch to povo2.0, as there was information suggesting it could be contracted from overseas. However, when I actually tried to sign up, I was told that to switch to povo while keeping my au phone number, I must use an au line. In other words, you cannot sign up for a new contract from overseas.

Even after switching to povo, some SMS cannot be received in Ireland

I successfully signed up for povo2.0 when I returned to Japan, but when I went back to Ireland and tried to perform SMS authentication, the SMS did not arrive. Since I can receive SMS sent to my Japanese phone number from povo and from friends in Ireland, the system itself should be working.

What is needed to receive SMS in Ireland

According to the povo inquiry chat, the following two points are necessary:

1. Turn on international roaming

I requested it to be turned on via the povo inquiry chat. After that, I also turned on international roaming in my own mobile settings, but I still could not receive SMS.

2. Rewrite the phone number to the SIM

For SMS used as two-factor authentication for banks and the like, it is necessary to rewrite the Japanese phone number to the SIM. Moreover, this can only be done while in Japan. Since I am currently in Ireland, I am not certain if doing this will really allow me to receive SMS in Ireland, but I plan to try it the next time I return to Japan.