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 for rides, deliveries and bank verification codes. No identity registration is required at any point.
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 allowance.
OnlineWho: You
4
Turn Wireless Emergency Alerts ON and leave them on
Tornado warnings here are issued for small polygons and give minutes. Alerts are the primary way you find out at 2am, which is when a disproportionate number of Alabama tornadoes happen. They are loud and they are supposed to be. Silencing them after one test is the worst telecom decision available in this state.
Mobile appWho: YouDay 1
5
Buy a NOAA weather radio programmed to Jefferson County
A battery-powered weather radio keeps working when the mobile network is congested or the power is out, and it wakes you for a warning. It costs very little. In Alabama it is standard household equipment in a way it is nowhere else in this app, and local meteorologists will tell you to buy one on air every February.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
6
Find your shelter and learn the siren limitations
In a house that means an interior room on the lowest floor away from windows; in a flat it may mean an interior corridor or a ground-floor neighbour, so ask the building manager on day one. Outdoor sirens are designed to be heard outdoors and will not reliably wake you — which matters more here than almost anywhere, because so many of these storms are nocturnal.
In personWho: You
7
Keep a power bank and a plan for a multi-day outage
Severe weather here takes trees down across whole neighbourhoods and power with them. A charged power bank, a car charger and a plan for refrigerated medication matter as much as the tornado plan itself, because the aftermath lasts longer than the event.
In personWho: You
8
Check broadband by address before you sign
Use the FCC's National Broadband Map for the specific street address. Fibre coverage across the Birmingham metro is uneven street by street rather than neighbourhood by neighbourhood, and for a remote worker on an out-of-state salary — a common and financially sensible arrangement here — it is a working requirement.
OnlineWho: You
9
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 you lose the number.
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

Alabama's tornadoes are nocturnal, seasonal in winter too, and invisible.

Dixie Alley differs from the plains on all three counts, and the combination is why the death toll is disproportionate. You cannot see one through the rain and the trees, they happen in November and January as well as April, and they arrive when people are asleep. Your phone and a weather radio are the entire warning system.

Source: National Weather Service — Birmingham

A weather radio is not redundant with a phone here.

In a widespread event the mobile network congests and the power goes; a battery radio programmed to your county does neither, and it will wake you. In Alabama it is ordinary household equipment, and if you mention you do not have one, someone will tell you to get one.

Source: community-reported

The United States 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 — you can buy one in a supermarket and be online in minutes.

Source: FCC — consumer guides

For a remote worker, Birmingham's arithmetic is unusually good — if the fibre is there.

An out-of-state salary against Birmingham rents is one of the better trades available in the United States, which makes broadband a working requirement rather than a comfort. The FCC's map is address-level and free; coverage here is genuinely uneven street by street, and the leasing office's claim is not evidence.

Source: FCC — National Broadband Map

Common mistakes to avoid

Silencing weather alerts after one loud test, in the state where they matter most.
Relying on outdoor sirens to wake you for a 2am warning. They will not.
Applying for postpaid with no credit file and facing a large deposit.
Bringing a carrier-locked handset from abroad and discovering it on arrival.
Signing a lease for remote work without checking the address on the FCC broadband map.
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.