eSIM for Australia. eSIM for Australia: Telstra and Optus coverage, what a local SIM really costs, and how to keep your own number live in Sydney. No roaming bill.
Australia is served by Telstra, Optus, Vodafone Australia. 5G across all the capital cities and the major regional centres. Strong LTE along the entire east coast. The interior is covered by Telstra along the highways and not much else anywhere.
Australian prepaid is easy to buy and reasonably priced, with generous data allowances by international standards. The decision that matters is which network, not whether to buy one.
Optus and Vodafone are perfectly good in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Once you are on the Stuart Highway, in the Kimberley, crossing the Nullarbor or anywhere in the Red Centre, Telstra is effectively the only network, and the others simply are not there.
Australia is out of bundle for European carriers and at the standard day-pass tier for US ones. The distances involved mean a typical Australia trip is long, which makes daily roaming charges accumulate hard.
The alternative to both: Ringo is a global eSIM subscription that ports your existing phone number, so calls, SMS and two-factor codes keep working in Australia and 180+ other countries on one flat monthly plan.
Telstra, and in practical terms only Telstra. Its regional and remote footprint is far larger than Optus or Vodafone, and on outback highways the others are frequently absent entirely.
Mostly, with gaps. The towns are covered and there are stretches between them, particularly through the Otways, where you lose service.
Domestically it is reasonable, with large prepaid data allowances relative to Europe. Roaming into Australia from a European carrier is where the cost appears.
Ringo Light Australia data eSIM, on sale now: 10 GB, 30 days €29.99; 20 GB, 30 days €44.99; Unlimited, 3 days €8.99; Unlimited, 7 days €17.99; Unlimited, 30 days €59.99. Works across Australia. 10 or 20 GB of data for 30 days at full speed with no daily cap, one payment. Unlimited data (fair use policy applies) for 3, 7 or 30 days. Installed once, next to your own SIM and number.
Every region and country on sale
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