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
A charged power bank between November and March

Step-by-step

1
Activate a US eSIM before you fly, or buy prepaid on landing
An eSIM bought before departure means you land with a working US number, which matters because banks, the DMV and rental applications all send SMS codes. No identity registration is required at any point in the US.
Mobile appWho: YouDay 1
2
Check your handset is unlocked and band-compatible
Handsets bought on contract abroad are frequently carrier-locked, and some regional models miss US band combinations. With 3G shut down there is no fallback network. Run your exact model through the carrier's compatibility tool.
OnlineWho: You
3
Start prepaid rather than fighting a credit check
Postpaid runs a credit check and a newcomer with no file is declined or asked for a deposit of several hundred dollars. Prepaid has no check, no contract and is usually cheaper for the same data on the same towers.
OnlineWho: You
4
Check what broadband reaches the exact address
Greater Hartford's housing runs from 1890s triple-deckers to new suburban builds and the fibre footprint is uneven street by street. Use the FCC's National Broadband Map for the specific address before signing, particularly if you work from home.
OnlineWho: You
5
Leave emergency alerts on through the winter
Federal Wireless Emergency Alerts carry winter storm, blizzard, ice and flash flood warnings. Set them up in October, not in the middle of your first nor'easter, and note that Connecticut also gets the remnants of tropical systems in late summer.
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6
Plan for a multi-day outage taking your home internet with it
Heavy wet snow, ice and summer storms bring down lines across a heavily wooded state most years, and restoration in a leafy suburb can take days. Home broadband goes with the power even when the mobile network holds on generators. A charged power bank, a hotspot allowance on your mobile plan and a known café or library with power are the standard local preparations for remote work.
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Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

A Connecticut power cut lasts days, not hours, and the trees are why.

This is one of the most heavily wooded states in the country and the overhead distribution network runs through all of it. Heavy wet snow, ice and tropical remnants bring limbs down onto lines every year, and a leafy suburban street can wait two or three days for restoration. For anyone working from home this is the practical planning problem of living here — a hotspot allowance and a power bank are not paranoia.

Source: community-reported

The US has no SIM registration of any kind.

Most countries in this app require passport registration to activate a SIM and several require biometrics. The US requires nothing at all for prepaid — you can buy one with cash and never give a name. Arriving from India, Nigeria or the Gulf, the total absence of paperwork reads like an oversight. It is deliberate.

Source: community-reported

Broadband here is an address-level question, not a town-level one.

Hartford's housing stock spans 130 years and the fibre build has followed no obvious logic. The FCC's National Broadband Map answers it for the exact address. For anyone whose job depends on the connection, this belongs at the viewing rather than after the lease.

Source: FCC — National Broadband Map

The credit check is the barrier to postpaid, not the paperwork.

Carriers screen credit before offering a postpaid plan, and a newcomer with no file is declined or charged a deposit of a few hundred dollars. Nobody at the counter explains that prepaid avoids the check entirely, runs on the same towers, costs less, and converts to postpaid later once you have history.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Switching off Wireless Emergency Alerts and missing a blizzard or ice storm warning.
Signing a work-from-home lease without checking what broadband reaches that exact address.
Assuming a power cut here is a few hours — plan for days.
Bringing a carrier-locked handset and discovering it after landing.
Relying on a foreign number for bank and DMV SMS verification.

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