Bring your mobile phone and find a GSM operator

You are coming to study in Sydney...I think it can be safely assumed that everyone of you already use one or more mobile phones. If you have a GSM mobile phone, take it with you. If you have a CDMA, leave it at home and/or give it to someone else. You'll only be using your GSM mobile phone here in Sydney. If you are staying more than 1.5 years...you might be able to get a mobile phone for free when you sign up with one of the several operators (more about this later on...).



In Sydney there are several GSM operators such as Telstra, Optus, Vodaphone, 3, Soul, Dodo (just to name a few). Ask your friends, most will be using one of the first four major operators. Each with their own package for pre-paid and post-paid (contracts). There are certain packages that allows you to make cheaper calls to your home country. The ones with contracts/post-paid sometimes come with a free phone. The catch is your are locked in to a certain period of time and your handset will be locked to the operator. It will be unlocked at a certain cost or after a certain period of time.

The good thing about mobile phone numbers in Australia is you switch operators but use the same number. Also 3G coverage is quite good in Sydney. You won't see too many cell towers as you might see back home but the signal is good if not great. 3G and GPRS are not cheap but it's worthwhile activating it for future use (will discuss some future use in future blogs).

Check-out the following websites for more information:
[Link]
Telstra
Optus
Vodafone
3
Soul
Dodo