Before you start

Passport or ID for SIM registration
Meldezettel and an Austrian IBAN, for most postpaid contracts
An unlocked or eSIM-capable handset
Landlord and, in protected zones, heritage consent for installations

Step-by-step

1
Register the SIM — anonymous prepaid does not exist here
Since 1 January 2019 every Austrian SIM, prepaid included, must be registered against identification. Supermarket starter packs are activated with your ID at the till or through the operator's app.
In personWho: YouDay 1
2
Buy from a discounter, not a network brand
A1, Magenta and Drei run the networks; HoT (sold through Hofer), spusu, yesss! and others resell the same coverage for a fraction of the price with no minimum term. There is little reason for a newcomer to sign a 24-month contract.
In personWho: You
3
Prepaid now, postpaid once the bank account exists
Postpaid contracts want an Austrian IBAN for direct debit and often a Meldezettel, so a cheap prepaid SIM in week one removes the pressure to commit before the paperwork chain completes.
In personWho: You
4
Ask what reaches the flat, not the street
In the protected old-town zones the honest answer is often copper or a shared cable line rather than fibre to the apartment. If your work depends on the connection, make it a viewing question and ask to see a recent speed test rather than a marketing map.
In personWho: You
5
Order the fixed line early and expect consent hurdles
Two to four weeks and a technician visit is normal. In a building inside an Altstadtschutzzone, new cabling that affects the façade or the stairwell can require permissions beyond the landlord's, which adds weeks rather than days.
OnlineWho: You2–4 weeks, longer in protected buildings
6
Register for the household media levy
The ORF-Beitrag is charged per household regardless of whether you own a television, replacing the old device-based fee since 2024. It is assessed against your registered address and will find you shortly after the Meldezettel does.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport or ID
Meldezettel
Austrian IBAN, for postpaid and fixed line
Landlord consent, plus heritage consent in protected zones

Things most newcomers don’t know

Austria has required identification for every SIM, prepaid included, since 1 January 2019.

This is unusual in Western Europe and means the anonymous starter pack used elsewhere simply is not sold here. Practically it just means carrying your passport to buy one. It also means a SIM someone else registered for you before you arrived is legally theirs, which becomes awkward when you want to port the number or dispute a bill.

Source: RTR; Telekommunikationsgesetz

Graz's old town is protected by its own state law, and that reaches your internet connection.

The Grazer Altstadterhaltungsgesetz defines graduated protection zones across the historic core, controlling what may be attached to façades, roofs and courtyards. Running new fibre into a flat in the strictest zones can require consent beyond the landlord's, so a building on a fibre-covered street may still only offer VDSL or shared cable. Ask what terminates in the flat, and treat the answer as a lease-signing question if you work from home.

Source: City of Graz; community-reported

The discounters ride the same three networks at a fraction of the brand price.

Austria's mobile-resale market is one of Europe's more competitive, with supermarket and independent operators using the A1, Magenta and Drei networks at identical coverage and, outside peak congestion, the same speed. Signing a 24-month network contract for a subsidised handset is usually the most expensive available way to buy both the data and the phone.

Source: RTR tariff comparison

The ORF-Beitrag follows the household, not the television set.

Since 2024 the public broadcasting levy is charged per registered household regardless of whether anyone owns a TV or radio, replacing the old device-based fee. It is assessed against your main residence, so it arrives shortly after registration. In a student city where flatshares change composition constantly, working out who in the flat is liable and how it is split is worth doing at the start of a tenancy rather than at the end.

Source: ORF-Beitrags-Service

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing a 24-month network contract in week one for a subsidised handset.
Assuming a fibre-covered street means fibre inside a protected old-town building.
Attempting a postpaid contract before the Austrian bank account exists.
Expecting to buy an unregistered prepaid SIM.
Leaving the ORF-Beitrag unclaimed between flatmates until an unpaid bill accumulates.

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