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
Buy the Telstra network unless you will never leave the city
Optus and Vodafone are cheaper and adequate in Greater Hobart. Telstra's regional footprint in Tasmania is materially better and it is the network locals default to for anything past the suburbs. Boost resells the full Telstra network at reseller prices, which is the standard answer.
OnlineWho: You
2
Buy a starter SIM or eSIM
Available at Hobart Airport, every Coles and Woolworths, Australia Post and the phone shops in the CBD and at Eastlands and Northgate. 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 summer
Tasmania has severe bushfire seasons — the 2013 and 2018–19 fires both reached settled areas — and the Tasmania Fire Service and national emergency alert system push warnings to phones in an affected area. That needs a working Australian number. Treat it as a first-week task if you live anywhere against the bush, which in Hobart is most of the city.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Carry something that works where phones do not
Tasmania's walking tracks are its main attraction and most of them have no coverage at all. A personal locator beacon can be hired free or cheaply from Service Tasmania and several outdoor retailers, and the state actively encourages walkers to carry one. This is the local norm, not an extreme-sports precaution.
In personWho: You
6
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

Coverage in Tasmania is a safety decision, not a convenience one.

The reason to live here is the country beyond the suburbs, and most of it has no signal on any network — the south-west, the Central Highlands, the walking tracks, and long stretches of the east and west coast roads. Telstra's footprint is meaningfully larger than the others'. Pair it with a personal locator beacon for anything on foot, which Service Tasmania and outdoor retailers hire out cheaply.

Source: community-reported, consistent with published carrier coverage maps and Tasmania Parks guidance

Tasmania is at the end of undersea cables, and that shapes the internet here.

All of the state's internet capacity arrives by submarine cable across Bass Strait. Everyday performance is fine, but the state has historically been more exposed to single points of failure than a mainland capital. Practically, choose an NBN retailer on its published typical evening speed and, if you work remotely for a living, have a mobile fallback plan you have actually tested.

Source: community-reported, consistent with published network infrastructure information

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.
Choosing a network on Hobart performance and finding it has nothing past Huonville.
Walking a Tasmanian track relying on a phone for emergencies rather than hiring a personal locator beacon.
Living against the bush without a local number registered for fire warnings before summer.
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.