Phone and SIM in Australia

Three main carriers — Telstra, Optus, Vodafone — plus dozens of MVNOs reselling their networks (Boost, Aldi Mobile, Felix, Belong, amaysim, Catch Connect, and many more). All three big networks now include 4G and 5G access at no extra cost on most plans.

Quick options

• Prepaid SIM at the airport — Optus, Vodafone, sometimes Telstra at international terminals. Pre-loaded with data, valid for 28 days. Useful for your first week.
• Prepaid via supermarket — Coles and Woolworths sell SIM kits from a couple of dollars. Activate with your passport (you'll need ID — Australia has mandatory mobile ID registration since 2017, so the SIM is tied to whoever activates it).
• Postpaid plan — usually requires Australian credit history. Some MVNOs accept newcomers; the big three are tougher.

How plans are usually priced

• Prepaid recharges run on 7-day, 28-day or 12-month cycles. Most people land on a 28-day "ongoing" recharge.
• The big-three carriers charge roughly twice what a comparable MVNO charges for the same network coverage. The MVNOs lease access on the same towers, so coverage is identical to their host network — Boost uses Telstra, Catch and Aldi use Telstra, Felix uses Vodafone, and so on.
• Telstra's basic prepaid bumped its 7-day recharge from $13 to $15 in May 2026, with 28-day plans up by $5 (with extra data added). Verify current pricing on each carrier's offers page before you sign up.
• Many MVNOs offer "extra data on first three recharges" intro deals. Useful while you're settling in and burning more data than usual.

Practical notes

• Coverage outside cities falls off sharply, especially on Optus and Vodafone. If you'll travel regional, Telstra has the broadest network. Outside the main highways, many towns only have Telstra signal at all.
• Number portability is easy — porting between carriers is a same-day online process. You keep the same number; the gap is usually under an hour.
• eSIMs are widely supported. Useful if your phone has dual-SIM — keep an Aussie number on eSIM and your old overseas SIM in the tray for verification codes while you transition accounts.
• Mobile-phone unlocking: phones bought outright in Australia are unlocked by default. Phones bought on a 24-month contract are unlocked at the end of the contract.

Common gotchas

• A "month" on a 28-day plan is 4 weeks, not a calendar month. Over a year you actually pay for 13 cycles, not 12.
• Unused data on most prepaid plans doesn't roll over. A few carriers (Optus Plus, some MVNOs) do let unused data roll forward — read the plan terms.
• Activate the SIM with the ID of the person who will actually use the number. Australian carriers can refuse service if the registered ID doesn't match the user, and federal anti-fraud rules make swapping awkward.
• If you get a "your number has been ported away" SMS you didn't ask for, treat it as urgent — port-out scams are real. Call your carrier on the official number on the back of the SIM kit (or via their app), not on any number in the SMS.