Just a Phone Call Away

When, where and why was Brastel first started?
Brastel is a Tokyo-based company established in 1996. Primarily, the company was offering callback services to the Brazilian community in Japan. Due to partnerships with Japanese carriers in 1998, Brastel began to offer connections directly from Japan, and in 2000, we were the first to launch a rechargeable prepaid calling card, the Brastel Card.

Describe Brastel’s main customer base.
Our main customers had been the foreign community living in Japan but recently, because of the use of Brastel Card on smartphones, we are noticing a rapid increase of Japanese users as well.

How much does it cost to use Brastel’s services?
The Brastel Card can be topped up from ¥500 using credit cards and PayPal. At convenience stores, the recharge amount starts from ¥2,000. International calling rates start at ¥2.99 per minute; calls to mobile phones in Japan are ¥5.5 per 30 minutes, and to fixed phones ¥8 per every three minutes.

How does Brastel compete with free online video calling services?
Using the Brastel Card on smartphones through the Cloud Softphone app allows users to not only place outgoing calls but also incoming with a 050 IP phone number offered free of charge. App users can call each other for free, and non-users can call to the 050 number paying as a local call even if the user is overseas. The Cloud Softphone app can also receive push notifications and you don’t have to be signed in to receive the call, which means the battery consumption is much less.

What is Brastel Remit?
Since 2012 the company started the remittance service Brastel Remit to help the foreign community living in Japan to send money to their loved ones overseas. All procedures are available online, from subscription to remittance request. We offer a fast-sending option called Easy Transfer where you can register up to five recipients. For each recipient you receive a bank account or deposit card where anytime you wish to make a remittance to that person, you just need to deposit the money into that account. The transfer is automatically processed without paperwork. Once you have opened an account, and if you use internet banking, you can probably make a transfer in a couple of minutes. At the bank and most of our competitors, you will be required to fill in a remittance request every single time, which can be time consuming, plus you pay higher transfer fees at the bank. The service is currently focused in the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Eastern European countries but will soon start services to South America as well.

Toll-free: 0120-659-534
From mobiles: 03-5637-5904
brastel.com