
Boost Mobile is the latest provider to start offering eSIM mobile plans in Australia, but it currently only allows customers to acquire one through its mobile app. A Boost Mobile spokesperson told our sister website Reviews.org/au this is to ensure only customers who have a compatible device are offered the option.
This makes Boost unique in the eSIM space, with most other providers typically giving customers the choice of eSIM or a physical SIM when checking out through their website. Vodafone MVNO felix does however also use its app to pre-qualify customers for eSIM, and sets it as the default option if applicable.
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.
While Telstra has technically offered its MVNO partners like Boost Mobile eSIM support from 2021, adoption has been quite slow. Until last year, Everyday Mobile (formerly Woolworths Mobile) was the only Telstra-powered provider to offer eSIM. Tangerine, More, Superloop, and Exetel started offering the tech last year.
Tangerine and More CEO Andy Branson last week told WhistleOut that implementing eSIM wasn't an easy feat for the telco, and took "many months". He described the option as "hugely successful", however, and said that over 8,000 customers activated a Tangerine or More eSIM in the first eight weeks.
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 largely limited to premium devices, which historically was a reason why value-focused providers didn't rush to implement it.
Outside of the Telstra network, many smaller providers including iiNet, TPG, Kogan Mobile, Circles.Life, 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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