Update, 6 November: docomo says the problem was fixed at about 1:20 a.m. on Friday 6 November 2026. It says the cause was congestion in the switching equipment that serves 5G SA customers, and that it has found no sign of unauthorized access or a cyberattack. If you switched to 4G during the outage, change your network setting back. If your line is still unreliable, docomo suggests restarting the phone or turning airplane mode on and off.
Summary: From about 11:18 a.m. on Thursday 5 November 2026 until about 1:20 a.m. on 6 November, NTT docomo customers with the 5G SA (Standalone) option had trouble with calls, mobile data and SMS across Japan. Other docomo 5G and 4G lines, budget SIMs on docomo’s network, and emergency calls were not affected, according to docomo. The sections below were written during the outage and still apply if something similar happens again.
What happened
| Item | docomo’s recovery notice (1:20 a.m., 6 November) |
|---|---|
| Started | About 11:18 a.m. on 5 November to about 1:20 a.m. on 6 November |
| Area | All of Japan |
| Hard to use | Voice calls, data and SMS |
| Who | Customers with a 5G SA (Standalone) contract |
| Not affected | Other docomo 5G and 4G customers, MVNOs on docomo’s network, emergency calls |
| Cause | Congestion in the switching equipment serving 5G SA customers. docomo says it has found no sign of unauthorized access or a cyberattack |
| Status | Restored |
Checked: 2026-11-05, against docomo’s notice from 7 p.m. This can change quickly, so see docomo’s notices page (Japanese) for the latest.
Who is affected
Only people with 5G SA. This is an optional, free docomo service, and it is separate from your rate plan. docomo lists eligible plans on its 5G SA page, and ahamo is one of them. You have it only if it was applied for on your line, online, by phone or at a shop.
If you use a budget SIM that runs on docomo’s network, docomo says your line is not affected. The notice does not cover au, SoftBank or Rakuten Mobile. A call from those networks may still fail if the person you are calling has docomo 5G SA.
How to check if you have 5G SA
- iPhone: open Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data. docomo says that if 5G Standalone is shown as on, you can use 5G SA. In Japanese the path is 設定 > モバイル通信 > 通信のオプション > 音声通話とデータ, and the item is 5Gスタンドアローン.
- Any phone: check your contract in My docomo under 現在の契約内容の確認／変更 (check or change your current contract).
The 5G icon on your screen is not enough to tell. docomo also runs 5G that is not Standalone, and the notice says those customers are not affected.
What you can do if your line is still unreliable
- Choose 4G. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data and choose LTE. On a Google Pixel, go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Preferred network type and pick LTE or 4G. Other Android phones use similar words, but the menu names differ by maker.
- Restart the phone, or turn airplane mode on and off. docomo says this may let you use your line again. It does not promise it will work for everyone.
- Use Wi-Fi if you can. At home, at work or at school, connect to Wi-Fi and use a messaging or calling app.
- Tell people who are waiting for you. If you have a shift, an appointment or a child to pick up, send a short message once you get a connection.
- Carry another way to pay. Code payments need a connection, so cash or a physical card is a useful backup today.
- Switch back when it is over. docomo has now announced recovery, so return the setting to the one you used before. If your line still has trouble, restart the phone.
If you need to call 110 or 119
docomo says emergency calls are not affected. If a call still does not go through, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency lists these options for when a mobile phone cannot reach 119: use a public phone, ask a nearby person or shop to call, or go to a fire station. A landline also works. Please do not call 119 just to test whether it connects, because the number of calls it can take at once is limited. Our guide to emergency numbers in Japan explains which number to use.
SMS codes, and messages about refunds
SMS is part of this outage, so login codes from banks and other services may not arrive. If it can wait, try again now that service is back.
docomo’s notices so far say nothing about refunds or compensation. If you get a message offering a refund for the outage, do not tap its link. Open the My docomo app or docomo’s site yourself to check. If you have already entered details on a suspicious page, contact your bank or card company.
Who to contact in English
| Contact | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| docomo Information Center (English available) | 15770 from a docomo phone 0120-005-250 from other phones |
9 a.m. to 8 p.m., every day |
| Outage inquiries in docomo’s notice | 113 from a docomo phone 0120-800-000 from other phones |
24 hours |
Checked: 2026-11-05. The first line is free. It may not work from some IP phones, and it does not take calls from hidden numbers. The second line is the one named in the outage notice, and the English page does not say it offers English.
If you want a backup for next time
docomo has a backup line service that uses KDDI’s network during an outage. It will not help today, because you have to apply first. ahamo’s guide says the setup details arrive by SMS about 14 days after you apply. It runs on eSIM, so your phone must support that, and it has limits on speed and data. If you are thinking about plans anyway, docomo’s prices also change on 1 December, as we explain in docomo’s December price change.
FAQ
My phone shows 5G and works fine. Do I need to do anything?
No. You do not need to change a setting if your line is working.
Will switching to 4G cost anything?
docomo’s notice does not mention a fee for choosing 4G. It is a setting on your phone, and you can change it back yourself.
Was this a cyberattack? Is my data at risk?
docomo says the cause is still under investigation, and that it has found no sign of unauthorized access or a cyberattack so far. It has not reported any data leak in these notices.
Is d払い (d Barai) down too?
docomo’s financial group posted a separate notice on 5 November about d払い being hard to use, and a later notice is marked as recovered. If a payment fails, the cause may be your own connection, so try Wi-Fi or another way to pay.
Related reading
Sources
- NTT docomo: recovery notice as of 1:20 a.m. on 6 November 2026 (Japanese)
- NTT docomo: eighth notice on the 5G SA outage, 7 p.m., 5 November 2026 (Japanese)
- NTT docomo: seventh notice, 6 p.m., 5 November 2026 (Japanese)
- NTT docomo: 5G SA (Standalone) service page (Japanese)
- NTT docomo: Contact Us (English)
- docomo Financial Group: notice on d払い, 5 November 2026 (Japanese)
- ahamo: guide to the backup line service (Japanese)
- Apple Support: Use 5G with your iPhone
- Google: Connect to mobile networks on a Pixel phone
- Fire and Disaster Management Agency: 119 emergency calls (Japanese)
- Keitai Watch: docomo’s outage is on 5G SA, 5 November 2026 (Japanese)
