Companion plan
Connect your cellular Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch to the mobile network with a companion plan. Take calls, stay reachable and use your watch's safety features on the go, all on your existing mobile number.
A companion plan gives your cellular smartwatch its own connection to the mobile network, sharing the same number as your phone. When someone calls, your phone and watch ring together, and calls you make from your watch show your usual number.
Go for a run, take the dog out or duck down the street without your phone, and still take calls, stream music, get notifications and use features like Emergency SOS, fall detection and location sharing. Most watches use around 100MB of data a month, so the included 1GB goes a long way.
Setup takes just a few minutes from the watch app on your phone, with no physical SIM to wait for.
Add a companion plan to your eligible 5G mobile plan. It's billed alongside your mobile service, with no lock-in contract and no excess data charges.
Min. cost $10
SMARTWATCH ADD-ON
Download speeds are capped at 100Mbps.
Includes
Add Companion from your phone once your eligible 5G mobile plan is active.
Please check our Critical Information Summaries for more information. Learn more›
Your companion plan works wherever your phone does. See predicted 4G and 5G coverage at your address.
The mobile product of Lightning IP uses the Telstra Wholesale Mobile Network, with predicted coverage areas in all Australian major cities, most outer-metro areas and larger regional centres, as well as many smaller towns and transport corridors. Predicted coverage details are available at our mobile coverage map.
A companion plan is designed for everyday use around Australia.
Calls ring on your phone and watch at the same time, and your watch shows your usual number when you call out.
Companion plans don't include standard SMS or MMS on the watch, so use apps such as iMessage or WhatsApp to message.
Your watch has its own 1GB, separate from your phone's data. If you use it all, data pauses until your next billing period, with no extra charges.
Companion plans work across Australia on the same mobile network as your phone. International roaming isn't available.
You can connect one watch at a time, and swap to a new watch from your watch app whenever you upgrade.
If your mobile service is suspended, so is your companion plan. If it's cancelled or ported away, the companion plan ends too.
Getting started
You set up your companion plan yourself, from the watch app on your phone.
You'll need an eligible 5G mobile plan with us, and a GPS + Cellular watch from the same brand as your phone.
On iPhone, open the Watch app and tap Mobile. On Samsung, open the Galaxy Wearable app, then Watch settings and Mobile plans.
Enter your mobile number and 6-digit PIN, then the one-time code we send to your phone by SMS.
Review the plan details and tap Accept & add device. Your watch is usually connected within minutes.
Why lightning IP
Our network isn't designed as an afterthought to metro infrastructure. We plan, invest, and optimise specifically for regional towns, business precincts, and essential services accounting for distance, demand, and real-world conditions so your connection performs when it matters most.
You'll need a GPS + Cellular Apple Watch (Series 4 or later, including Ultra) paired with an iPhone, or a GPS + Cellular Samsung Galaxy Watch (Active2, Watch3, or Watch4 and later) paired with a compatible Samsung phone. Your watch and phone must be the same brand. Google and other brands aren't supported. See which phones and plans are eligible for the full list.
Companion plans can be added to our 5G mobile plans. They aren't available on mobile broadband (data-only) plans. Your phone also needs to support VoLTE calling, which almost all recent phones do.
Companion plans don't include standard SMS or MMS on the watch. You can still send messages from your watch using apps such as iMessage or WhatsApp.
Your watch's mobile data pauses until your next billing period starts on the 28th. There are no top-ups or excess charges, and unused data doesn't roll over. We'll email you when your watch has used 50%, 85% and 100% of its data.
No. Companion plans work in Australia only, and international roaming isn't available. If your watch has Wi-Fi, some features such as notifications may still work over Wi-Fi.
Open your watch app, tap Manage Telstra Account, then select your watch and tap Remove. Don't use Remove Telstra Plan, as that removes the plan from your watch without cancelling it. You can also contact us. If you cancel part-way through a billing period, that month's charge isn't refunded. See managing your companion eSIM plan.
Your first bill includes a part-month charge from the day you activate to the 27th, the next month in advance, and a one-off eSIM charge. After that, your companion plan is charged at $10 a month alongside your mobile service.
Get started
Add a companion plan to your 5G mobile plan, or talk to our team if you'd like help checking your watch is compatible.