The Australian mobile market has a lot of competition, so there are some good value prepaid deals available. The catch, however, is that the cheaper providers do not have service in all locations in Australia.

Telstra has the largest network, and the best coverage – even in very remote locations. Correspondingly, however, they’re the most expensive 3g internet provider on the market, by a significant margin. It operates on 850MHz, with additional 2100MHz in some locations, but the 2100MHz network is due to be shut down in the future, so you will need a phone that can do 850MHz to get full coverage.

The Optus and Vodaphone networks (shared, in some places) are smaller, but growing. They covers all Australia’s state capital cities and many towns, especially on the eastern seaboard, but may be unavailable in remote locations. These networks operate on 2100MHz in metropolitan areas, and 900MHz in regional areas.

SIMs can be purchased in stores, and you will need identification, such as a driver’s licence or a passport.

Most mobile virtual network operators use the Optus network.