
Telstra's budget brand Belong is "aiming" to launch eSIM mobile plans later this year, a Telstra spokesperson told WhistleOut. There's no fixed timeline for this yet, but the Belong website says the feature will be ready "in the not-too-distant future".
While many Telstra network providers now offer eSIM - including Boost Mobile, which is also owned by Telstra - Belong has lagged behind on this front. Tangerine, More, Superloop, and Exetel all started offering eSIM as an option for their Telstra-powered mobile plans in 2023. Telstra itself first started offering eSIM mobile plans in 2019.
As of this week, Tangerine and More also offer smartwatch eSIM support.
eSIM - an electronic SIM or embedded SIM - is a rewritable SIM card that’s built into a cellular device like a smartphone or smartwatch. Unlike a physical SIM, there's no need to pop open a slot or pry off a case to put it in; an eSIM never leaves your phone. Instead, you simply download a "software SIM" from your provider of choice.
eSIM-compatible handsets have been available for several years now, with Apple introducing the tech in 2018 and Samsung in 2020. It is still, however, more common in premium devices, which historically was a reason why value-focused providers didn't rush to implement it. We have now seen it in cheaper phones, like Samsung's new $549 Galaxy A36.
Outside of the Telstra network, many smaller providers including iiNet, TPG, Kogan Mobile, SpinTel, and amaysim all support eSIM now. Here's a look at the most popular SIM-only plans from providers that offer eSIM:
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These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week: