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 adequate across Canberra's suburbs. Telstra has materially better coverage in Namadgi, the Brindabellas, the Snowies and along the Kings and Monaro Highways. Boost resells the full Telstra network at reseller prices, which is the standard local answer.
OnlineWho: You
2
Buy a starter SIM or eSIM
Available at Canberra Airport, every Coles and Woolworths, Australia Post and the phone shops in the town centres. 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
Register for emergency warnings before your first summer
Canberra is ringed by forested reserves and the ACT Emergency Services Agency pushes warnings through the national emergency alert system and its own app. That only reaches you on an Australian number. If you live near Tuggeranong, Weston Creek, Kambah or anywhere west of the Murrumbidgee, treat this as a first-week task rather than a seasonal one.
Mobile appWho: You
5
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

Canberra has unusually good fixed internet for an Australian city, and it is a real reason to work from here.

Large parts of Canberra were built or rebuilt with fibre to the premises rather than the copper-to-the-node compromise that covers much of urban Australia, and the ACT consistently records among the highest household broadband speeds in the country. For a remote worker choosing between Australian cities, that is a concrete advantage rather than a marketing line — but check the exact address, because the ACT is a patchwork like everywhere else.

Source: community-reported, consistent with published NBN and ACCC broadband performance data

Coverage stops at the edge of the suburbs, and half the reason to live here is past that edge.

Namadgi National Park is nearly half the territory's area and has essentially no mobile coverage. The same is true of the Brindabellas, most of the Monaro and the back roads to the coast. If your weekends involve any of it, buy the Telstra network through a reseller and carry a paper map or a satellite messenger — this is a genuine safety point, not a convenience one.

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 on Canberra's western edge without a local number registered for emergency alerts before summer.
Choosing a network on suburban performance and finding it has nothing in Namadgi.
Signing a 12- or 24-month postpaid contract before you know which town centre you will settle in.
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.