Before you start

An unlocked or eSIM-capable phone
Passport
An Australian address — a hotel is fine
To be physically in Australia if activating online with a foreign passport

Step-by-step

1
Pick the network, then a reseller on it
Optus and Vodafone are cheaper and fine across Adelaide. Telstra has the widest regional coverage, which matters if you plan weekends in the Flinders, the Riverland or on the Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas. Boost uses the full Telstra network at reseller prices.
OnlineWho: You
2
Buy a starter SIM or eSIM
Available at Adelaide Airport, every Coles, Woolworths, Australia Post and phone shop. eSIMs can be bought online and provisioned without collecting anything physical.
In personWho: YouTypically AUD 10–40 for a starter pack including initial credit
3
Activate with identity verification
Activation happens online and requires identity documents. A foreign passport is accepted, but you must be physically in Australia to activate with one online.
OnlineWho: YouUsually minutes; occasionally a few hours
4
Move to postpaid once you have credit history
Postpaid and handset contracts run a credit check that a recent arrival typically fails. Prepaid data allowances are generous, so staying prepaid for six months costs very little.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with a valid Australian visa
Australian address
Australian bank account and credit history, for postpaid plans only

Things most newcomers don’t know

You cannot activate an Australian SIM from overseas on a foreign passport.

The identity verification rules require you to be in Australia. Landing with a live local number is not achievable unless you already hold Australian identity documents. Buy the SIM early if you like, but plan the first hour after landing around activating it.

Source: Carrier activation requirements under the Telecommunications Service Provider Determination

The Adelaide Hills sit on the city's eastern edge and carry genuine bushfire risk every summer — the 2015 Sampson Flat and 2019 Cudlee Creek fires both reached within thirty minutes of the CBD. The Alert SA app and the national emergency alert system push warnings to phones in an affected area, which only works with a local number. This is a first-week task if you live anywhere east of the foothills.

Source: SA Country Fire Service — Alert SA and warnings

Coverage drops fast once you leave the metropolitan area, and SA is mostly non-metropolitan.

The wine regions are close and well covered, but the Flinders Ranges, the Eyre Peninsula and the outback tracks are not. If your work or weekends take you beyond the Adelaide Hills, buy the Telstra network through a reseller rather than paying Telstra prices or discovering a Vodafone plan has no signal at Wilpena.

Source: community-reported, consistent with published carrier coverage maps

Home internet is a wholesale market where the retailer barely matters.

The NBN is a national wholesale network, so most retailers resell an identical connection. What varies is the speed tier and the typical evening speed figure retailers must publish. Compare that number rather than the plan name or the brand.

Source: ACCC — broadband speed claims guidance

Common mistakes to avoid

Expecting to activate from abroad on a foreign passport — you must be in Australia.
Living in the Adelaide Hills without a local number registered for emergency alerts before summer.
Signing a 12- or 24-month postpaid contract before you know which suburb you will live in.
Paying an airport premium for a starter pack sold cheaper in any supermarket.
Choosing an NBN plan by brand rather than by the published typical evening speed.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.