Australia eSIM for Indians (2026): roaming, prices and the 000 phone check

Indian travellers to Australia usually choose between a Jio or Airtel roaming pack, an Australian prepaid SIM, or a travel eSIM installed at home. Before any of that, check your phone: Australia blocks handsets that cannot call 000 over 4G, whichever SIM is inside.

Prices side by side

Other sizes: 1 GB for 7 days is ₹149 for a stopover, and 3 GB is ₹349, 20 GB is ₹1,399 and 50 GB is ₹2,899, each for 30 days. Unlimited gives 1 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps, and costs ₹399 for 3 days, ₹649 for 5 days, ₹1,199 for 10 days, ₹1,799 for 15 days and ₹3,399 for 30 days. Even on a short trip the 30-day plans cost less: 5 GB for 30 days is ₹499, while 5 GB for 7 days is ₹849. For a 15-day trip, Jio's ₹1,555 pack gives 12 GB plus calls; on the eSIM, 10 GB is ₹799 and 20 GB is ₹1,399. Every plan is on the Australia eSIM page.

How much data you need

Networks, coverage and the 000 check

Older and budget phones are the ones to check. Look up your model's VoLTE and Band 28 support with the maker before you book anything, and if it falls in one of the four groups, travel with a newer phone.

eSIMKite's Australia plans connect to Telstra and Optus, two of the three national networks; the third is Vodafone, run by TPG Telecom. In Opensignal's May 2026 report, Optus won the most awards, including every 4G and 5G video, games and download speed award, with 5G downloads of 199.9 Mbps, 28 Mbps ahead of Telstra. Telstra kept the coverage awards: the most coverage where people live, work and travel.

Ookla's Speedtest Global Index for September 2026 puts Australia's average mobile download speed at 180.4 Mbps, 44th in the world.

• Outback and regional trips: Telstra has the widest coverage, but says coverage is not available everywhere. From 2026, operators publish standard outdoor maps that rate 4G and 5G coverage as good, moderate, basic or none, so check the map for your route.
• 3G is gone: all 3G networks closed by November 2024, so only 4G and 5G remain. Phones without 700 MHz (Band 28) lose 4G in areas covered only by that band.

Bank OTPs, WhatsApp and UPI

A travel eSIM is data only. Your Indian SIM stays in the phone as the second line, so your number, WhatsApp account and bank SMS stay with it. More in keeping WhatsApp and bank OTPs working abroad.

• Jio: the roaming packs include SMS (25 on the ₹951 pack, 100 on the ₹1,555 pack). If you skip a pack, check in the MyJio app that your plan can receive SMS in Australia.
• Airtel prepaid: Airtel's IR activation pack costs ₹118 for 28 days, at standard charges. If you skip the 5 or 10-day pack, check in the Airtel Thanks app whether you need it to receive SMS abroad.
• Airtel postpaid: new postpaid plans (from 8 Oct 2026) include one free 5-day roaming trip a year, with 5 GB, 60 minutes and free incoming SMS. Airtel has not listed the countries.
• Vi: check the roaming and SMS rules for your plan in the Vi app before you fly.
• WhatsApp and calls: WhatsApp, FaceTime and other internet calls run over the eSIM's data or Wi-Fi. Normal calls in Australia need VoLTE.
• UPI and cards: UPI merchant payments were not live in Australia on 31 August 2026. Sydney's Opal network takes contactless cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, and Melbourne's trains, trams and buses take Visa and Mastercard. Neither lists RuPay, so carry a Visa or Mastercard.

Before you land

• Incoming Passenger Card: most arrivals still fill in the paper card, in English, handed out on board or in the terminal. It is compulsory, and Australian Border Force provides a Hindi sample card for reference.
• Digital declaration: the Australia Travel Declaration in the Qantas app is still a pilot for invited Qantas passengers into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Everyone else uses the paper card.
• Visa: Indian passport holders need a Visitor visa (subclass 600); check the Home Affairs visa page for current fees and rules.
• Rides: Uber runs in Sydney, where a sample UberX fare to the Opera House is A$28, and DiDi says it is in 28 Australian cities.
• Transit apps: the Opal travel app in Sydney and the PTV App in Victoria handle top-ups and trip history. Sydney caps adult fares at A$19.30 a day Monday to Thursday and A$9.65 Friday to Sunday, but the Sydney Airport station access fee is outside the cap.

Set it up at home

1. Check your phone takes an eSIM: iPhone XS or newer, Google Pixel 3 or newer, and recent Samsung Galaxy S and Z models. Dial *#06#: if an EID shows, it does. For Australia, also check it supports VoLTE and 700 MHz (Band 28), so it can call 000.
2. Buy the Australia plan and scan the QR code on Wi-Fi before you leave India. It takes about two minutes.
3. Leave the eSIM line off until you land. The plan starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination, not when you buy it.
4. After landing, turn the eSIM line on, switch on data roaming for it, and set it as the line for mobile data.

Step-by-step pictures for iPhone and Android are in how to install a travel eSIM.

When a local SIM or roaming is the better choice

Choose a Jio or Airtel pack if you will make many normal calls on your Indian number. For a two-week trip, Jio's ₹1,555 pack gives 15 days, 12 GB, 150 outgoing minutes and unlimited incoming calls, and Airtel's ₹1,298 pack has 200 minutes for 10 days. If you mostly call India from hotel Wi-Fi, Jio also sells Wi-Fi calling packs: ₹121 for 100 minutes over 2 days, or ₹521 for 500 minutes over 10 days, if your phone supports Wi-Fi calling.

For a long stay, or if you need an Australian number, a local prepaid SIM makes sense. Optus says you need the SIM, a credit or debit card, a valid form of ID and a 4G or 5G phone to activate its prepaid SIM; it does not say whether a foreign passport alone is accepted. We found no official tourist SIM prices at Sydney or Melbourne arrivals.

Free options help on arrival. Sydney Airport's T1 International terminal has free Wi-Fi (choose 'Sydney Airport Free WiFi'; a sponsored message plays first and the connection is not encrypted). Melbourne Airport's free Wi-Fi covers T2, T3 and T4, but not T1, which Qantas runs.

Questions

Get your Australia eSIMQR code on screen and by emailQR code by email after a document check · 4G/5G · from $1.99

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Written by the eSIMKite team and checked by Vicky Pathak. Prices checked on 21 October 2026. We sell travel eSIMs, so every outside figure links to where we found it.