Before you start

An unlocked handset, or an eSIM-capable one
A US address for postpaid, but not for prepaid
A payment method — prepaid accepts foreign cards, postpaid usually does not

Step-by-step

1
Activate an eSIM before flying, or buy prepaid on arrival
A US eSIM activates before you land so you have a working number immediately. No identity registration is required at any point, for either option.
OnlineWho: YouDay 1
2
Check your handset is unlocked and band-compatible
Phones bought on contract abroad are frequently locked, and US band combinations trip up some regional models. With 3G shut down there is no fallback network to land on.
OnlineWho: You
3
Start prepaid rather than fighting a credit check
Postpaid runs a credit check. With no US file you will be declined or asked for a deposit. Prepaid has no check and is usually cheaper for the same data.
OnlineWho: You
4
Check the FCC broadband map before signing a lease
The metro spans the pre-war neighbourhoods around downtown, the 1960s and 1970s middle ring, and the new-build south-east and Ascension Parish subdivisions, all built out at different times by different providers. The FCC's national map reports at address level and is free.
OnlineWho: YouBefore signing a lease
5
Leave Wireless Emergency Alerts on and add the parish system
WEA reaches any US handset with no signup and carries hurricane, tornado and flash flood warnings. The parish runs its own opt-in notification service on top, which is where evacuation and shelter-in-place detail lives — and next to a chemical corridor, shelter-in-place is a real category of notice.
Mobile appWho: YouWeek 1
6
Plan for the network going down with the power
Tropical systems take out grid power across this region for days, and cell sites run on backup that eventually runs out. A charged power bank, downloaded offline maps and one out-of-state contact everyone in the household knows to call are the standard local preparations, and they cost nothing.
Mobile appWho: You
7
Port rather than cancel if you switch later
Number portability is a legal right and works between carriers and MVNOs. Request the port from the new carrier — never cancel the old service first, or the number is gone.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport for postpaid; nothing at all for prepaid
US address for postpaid
A payment card — prepaid usually accepts foreign cards, postpaid rarely does

Things most newcomers don’t know

Shelter-in-place is an alert category you probably have not needed before.

Living near a petrochemical corridor means an industrial release is a real, if uncommon, event, and the correct response — close windows, shut off the air conditioning, stay inside — is the opposite of what people instinctively do. The parish notification system carries those notices; Wireless Emergency Alerts carry the weather ones. Sign up for both in week one, because working out the difference during an incident is too late.

Source: FCC — wireless emergency alerts

The US has no SIM registration at all.

Most countries in this app require passport registration to activate a SIM. The US requires nothing whatsoever for prepaid, which makes arriving with a working local number the easiest administrative task of the whole move.

Source: FCC — consumer guides on mobile service

Check the address, not the city, for broadband.

The FCC's map reports availability at address level. This metro's core is pre-war, its middle ring is 1960s and 1970s, and its south-eastern edge is still being built, so two flats a few miles apart can have completely different options. This is the cheapest pre-lease check available and almost nobody does it.

Source: FCC — National Broadband Map

Assume the network goes when the grid does.

Hurricane outages here last days rather than hours, and cell sites eventually exhaust their backup. The National Weather Service office serving this region publishes the warnings; a battery radio, a power bank and an agreed out-of-state contact are what actually work when neither the power nor the towers are up.

Source: National Weather Service — New Orleans/Baton Rouge forecast office

Common mistakes to avoid

Muting emergency alerts and missing a flash flood or shelter-in-place notice.
Signing a lease without checking the FCC broadband map for that exact address.
Bringing a carrier-locked handset and discovering it on arrival.
Applying for postpaid with no credit file and facing a large deposit.
Assuming the mobile network will survive a multi-day power outage.
Cancelling the old carrier before requesting the port, and losing the number.

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

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