Optus SIM / eSIM
Optus is the second largest telco in Australia, boasting over 10 million mobile subscribers. All Optus customers get the choice of either a traditional SIM card or an eSIM plan.
Traditional SIM cards must be physically installed into your device to connect with your SIM plan. eSIM plans, on the other hand, are activated digitally without needing any physical installation.
eSIMs have several advantages over traditional SIM cards. For instance, while you would have to wait for a standard SIM card to get shipped in the post, eSIMs are already installed in compatible devices – making activation much quicker. eSIMs also allow for a second phone number – one on your traditional SIM card and another on your built-in eSIM.
However, making use of an Optus eSIM plan requires an eSIM-compatible device. Nowadays, that isn’t such a difficult task. As a result, several brands are selling eSIM phones in Australia.
Keep in mind that, although eSIMs are superior to physical SIM cards, both methods provide the same network experience on an Optus plan.
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How to activate traditional Optus SIM
Your Optus SIM card has to be activated if you’re a new customer or an existing customer whose SIM card got lost, stolen, or damaged.
- New customers
Within 4 hours of receiving your SIM card in the post, it will automatically be activated if you subscribed to a postpaid SIM plan. Prepaid SIM cards have to be activated online. - Lost, stolen, or damaged
Existing customers whose SIM card is lost, stolen, or damaged have to order a replacement SIM at an Optus store, over the phone, or through messages on the My Optus App. You can only activate replacement cards over the phone or at an Optus store.
How to activate eSIM with My Optus App
If you have an eSIM device, you can activate your Optus eSIM plan in minutes. Here’s a brief tutorial:
- New customers order their Optus eSIM plan online by selecting “eSIM” when asked how Optus should connect them. You can also order over the phone, through Messenger, or in-store.
- Optus will send you a link to download your eSIM plan onto your phone’s eSIM and activate it.
You can also download and activate your Optus eSIM plan on your My Optus app:
- Open My Optus and log into My Account.
- Go to Account > select eSIM > select Set up my eSIM
- You can tap Continue, Next, or Skip to get to the activation stage.
- Choose Download eSIM > Set Up Mobile Plan > tap Continue to download your eSIM.
- To activate, restart your phone or turn airplane mode on/off.
- Opus will activate your SIM plan within 15 minutes to 4 hours.
Optus network coverage
When you activate your Optus SIM plan, you get access to the second widest mobile coverage in Australia, reaching 98.5 percent of the population. The telco offers 5G plans as well, with an average download speed of 268.8Mbps.
The telco is less willing to disclose its 5G coverage percentage, but we know that over 700,000 households can access Optus’ 5G network, and the provider has over 1,000 5G sites.
Optus’ 4G network has a broader reach with 97.3 percent, so if you’re in an area where 5G service is spotty, you can rely on its fast 4G Plus network.
Summary
The best way to activate an Optus eSIM is to install My Optus – the telco’s self-service app. Activating a physical SIM card is also simple, although it can be fiddly with a physical SIM card. In all likelihood, however, if you’re like most people, you will fight through activating the SIM plan and then forget all about it.
The advantage of activating using the My Optus App is that you will then have a helpful tool installed on your phone that you can use to measure your usage and recharge your service.