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
Choose the network based on where you will actually travel
In Perth, Optus and Vodafone are cheaper and entirely adequate. If your work involves site visits, FIFO rotations or drives to the South West, the Pilbara or the Goldfields, buy the Telstra network — through a reseller such as Boost, which uses the full Telstra network rather than a reduced footprint.
OnlineWho: You
2
Buy a starter SIM or eSIM
Available at Perth Airport, every Coles, Woolworths, Australia Post and phone shop. eSIMs can be bought online and provisioned without collecting anything.
In personWho: YouTypically AUD 10–40 for a starter pack including initial credit
3
Activate with identity verification
Activation is 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
Move to postpaid once you have credit history
Postpaid and handset contracts run a credit check a recent arrival will typically fail. Prepaid allowances are generous, so this costs you very little in practice.
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

In Western Australia, the network you pick is a safety decision, not a price decision.

WA covers a third of Australia with 2.9 million people, almost all of them in Perth. Outside the metropolitan area and the South West, coverage falls away to a single carrier along the highways and nothing between them. The reseller logic that works perfectly in Sydney breaks the moment you drive north. If you leave the city at all, buy Telstra network coverage.

Source: community-reported, consistent with published carrier coverage maps

You cannot activate an Australian SIM from overseas on a foreign passport.

Identity verification rules require you to be in Australia. Landing with a live local number is not achievable without existing 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

If you drive remote, a satellite messenger is not overkill.

There are stretches of WA highway with no mobile coverage for hundreds of kilometres, and breakdowns there are a genuine emergency rather than an inconvenience. Hire cars and mine site rules often require a satellite phone or personal locator beacon for exactly this reason. A phone plan is not a substitute.

Source: community-reported, consistent with WA road safety and remote travel guidance

Home internet is a wholesale market where the retailer barely matters.

The NBN is a national wholesale network and most retailers resell an identical connection. What varies is the speed tier and the typical evening speed figure retailers must publish. Compare that number, not the brand — and note that Perth's evening peak sits in a different hour than the eastern states, which occasionally works in your favour.

Source: ACCC — broadband speed claims guidance

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying the cheapest reseller then discovering it has no coverage on the roads your job actually requires.
Expecting to activate from abroad on a foreign passport — you must be in Australia.
Signing a 12- or 24-month postpaid contract before you know which suburb you will live in.
Paying an airport premium for a starter pack that is cheaper in any supermarket.
Treating mobile coverage as a substitute for a satellite beacon on remote drives.

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