The simplest way to give overseas staff an Australian phone number is a cloud number that rings in an app rather than on a SIM. The staff member installs the Jet app on their own phone or laptop in Manila, Bangalore, Auckland or London, and an Australian 04 mobile number (Jet Cloud Mobile, $35 a user a month with calls and SMS to Australia included) or a local landline number on a Jet Business Phone seat ($25 a user a month) rings and dials from there over the internet, with no SIM, no roaming and no Australian handset. The third route is an inbound 1300 or local number that forwards to the staff member's existing overseas phone, billed at Jet's international answer-point rates of 5c to 15c a minute on top of the inbound rate.
Updated November 2026. All prices AUD ex GST. Jet figures are from Jet's pricing pages and the Cloud Mobile, Business Phone and Inbound Numbers Critical Information Summaries, version October 2026.
Why a SIM is the wrong tool for this
The instinct is to post an Australian SIM to the staff member and turn on roaming. It works, but it is the most expensive and least manageable way to do it. Roaming is billed by the carrier per day or per megabyte, the number is tied to a SIM in one person's hands, the business cannot see or route the calls, and an Australian prepaid SIM must pass an ACMA identity check before it is activated, which a staff member in Cebu cannot easily do. If the SIM is lost or the person leaves, the number goes with it.
An Australian number hosted on a cloud telco network has none of those problems. The number lives on the business's Australian account, calls are delivered over the internet to wherever the staff member is, and the business routes, records and reports on them from one portal. The rest of this guide is about the three ways to do that at Jet, what each costs and what the staff member needs.
Three ways to give overseas staff an Australian number
| Route | Number the staff member gets | What they need | Caller ID on outbound calls | Jet price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Cloud Mobile virtual mobile number | A real Australian 04 mobile number | Their own phone or laptop, the Jet app, internet. No SIM. | The 04 number; customers can call and text it back | $35 a user a month, calls and SMS to Australian numbers included | Sales, account management and support staff who call and text customers |
| 2. Business Phone seat | A local 02, 03, 07 or 08 number and an extension on your phone system | The Jet softphone app on phone or desktop (or a desk phone), internet. No SIM. | The company's local number | $25 a user a month, calls to Australian numbers included | Offshore teams that sit inside your PBX with queues, IVR and hunt groups |
| 3. Inbound 1300 or local number forwarded overseas | A 1300, 1800 or local number that rings an overseas landline or mobile | Their existing overseas phone. No app. | Not applicable: inbound only. Outbound calls still show the overseas number. | From $10 a month plus 6c a minute inbound, plus 5c to 15c a minute international answer-point rate by country | Receiving calls only, or staff without reliable data |
Cloud Mobile and Business Phone include calls to Australian landlines and mobiles under Jet's Fair Use Policy; calls to 13 and 1300 numbers, international numbers and diverted calls are charged at the rates in the relevant CIS. Inbound numbers on the 1300 3×3 offer are $3 a month plus 3c a minute to an Australian answer point; international answer points attract the additional per-minute rate in the table further down.
Route 1: A Cloud Mobile number in the Jet app
This is the route most businesses with offshore sales or support staff end up on. Each staff member gets their own Australian 04 mobile number, hosted on Jet's network in Australia and delivered to the Jet app on the phone, tablet or computer they already use. Calls to the number ring the app; calls and texts from the app show the 04 number. To a customer in Perth it is indistinguishable from a colleague's mobile in Perth.
Because the call is carried over the internet to Jet's Australian network, the staff member's location does not change the price. The Cloud Mobile CIS lists international roaming as free: there is no roaming because there is no SIM. Calls and SMS to Australian numbers are included in the $35 monthly price; international calls from the app are charged at Jet's standard rates. Numbers are free to set up or port in, there is no lock-in contract, and the business reassigns the number to the next person in the portal when someone leaves.
Jet's Cloud Mobile for international staff page covers the setup in more detail. If the staff member is in Australia rather than overseas, the same product is the answer to getting a business number on a personal mobile.
Route 2: A seat on Jet Business Phone
If the overseas staff are part of a larger team that answers a main office number, a Business Phone seat makes more sense than an individual mobile number. Each seat is $25 a month, includes calls to Australian numbers, and gives the staff member an extension on the company phone system with a local 02, 03, 07 or 08 number. They answer from call queues, hunt groups and IVR menus exactly as an onshore colleague would, using the Jet softphone on their phone or desktop or a desk phone plugged into their home internet. Outbound calls present the company's Australian number.
This is the route for offshore reception, bookings and support desks: the overseas team is simply another set of extensions, and head office sees the same reporting for everyone. Like Cloud Mobile, the service is app based, needs no SIM and has no roaming component.
Route 3: Forward a 1300 or local number to an overseas phone
If the staff member only needs to receive calls and you do not want them to install anything, a Jet inbound number can forward to an international landline. The inbound number itself is $10 a month plus 6c a minute on the Standard plan (or $3 a month plus 3c a minute on the 1300 3×3 offer). On top of that, the Inbound Numbers CIS charges an international answer-point rate per minute that depends on the country.
| Rate group | Per minute (added to the inbound rate) | Destinations include |
|---|---|---|
| Country A | 5c | India and India mobile, UK, USA, Canada, Ireland and Ireland mobile, Singapore, Malaysia and Malaysia mobile, China and China mobile, Japan, Korea, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Israel, Greece |
| Country B | 10c | Hong Kong and Hong Kong mobile, Indonesia, Thailand and Thailand mobile, Japan mobile, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Russia, Brazil mobile, Chile mobile, Norway mobile |
| Country C | 15c | Vietnam and Vietnam mobile, Pakistan and Pakistan mobile, Cambodia and Cambodia mobile, Indonesia mobile, Hungary, Kuwait, Algeria, Dominican Republic, Greece mobile, Israel mobile |
Source: Jet Inbound Numbers Critical Information Summary (PDF), International Call Costs, version October 2026. Calls can be answered on business (landline) numbers only unless the mobile option is listed for that country. The Philippines and New Zealand do not appear on the published list; contact Jet before planning to forward calls there.
Worked example: a 1300 number on the Standard plan forwarded to an office landline in Bangalore costs $10 a month plus 11c a minute (6c inbound plus 5c Country A). Five hundred minutes of calls a month is $65. The same number forwarded to a Jet app anywhere in the world is $10 plus 6c a minute, or $3 plus 3c on the 3×3 offer, with no international component at all, which is why most businesses put the app on the overseas phone instead of forwarding to it.
The limitation of this route is that it is one way. The staff member can receive calls on the Australian number but any call they make back shows their overseas number and is billed by their local carrier. For staff who ring customers, use route 1 or 2.
What the overseas staff member needs
- An internet connection. Home broadband, office Wi-Fi or 4G and 5G data all work. Calls use the device's own data; the app does not provide connectivity of its own.
- The Jet app. Free on iOS and Android, with desktop versions for Windows and Mac. One login per staff member.
- A headset for desk work. Optional but worth it for support and sales roles.
- Nothing else. No Australian SIM, no Australian address, no handset shipped from Australia, no roaming plan, and no visit to a carrier store for an ID check. The number is held on the business's Jet account against its ABN.
Setup is done from the Jet portal in Australia: add the user, assign or port a number, send them the app login. New staff are typically live the same day; porting an existing Australian number takes a few business days with no downtime.
Caller ID, compliance and the fine print
Caller ID
Outbound calls and SMS from the Jet app present the Australian business number. Customers see an 04 or local number, can save it, and can call or text it back; the staff member's personal number stays private. Calls are carried on Jet's own Australian carrier network, so caller ID is presented natively rather than spoofed through a third party, which matters for deliverability as Australian carriers tighten scam-call filtering.
Who holds the number
The number belongs to the business, not the staff member. It is registered to your Jet account and ABN, and because no SIM is issued the ACMA identity-check rules for prepaid mobile services do not apply to the individual user. If a staff member leaves, you reassign the number in the portal; the customer relationships stay with the business.
Australian rules still apply
An Australian number used to contact Australian customers is bound by Australian rules wherever the agent sits. Telemarketing calls to Australian numbers must respect the Do Not Call Register. Recording calls needs the consent your state's surveillance legislation requires; our call recording compliance guide sets out the rules state by state. Jet's call recording add-on ($10 a month per number, with AI call summaries) records both legs of the call and stores recordings in Australia, which simplifies privacy and data-residency conversations with customers.
Emergency calls
The Jet app supports calls to 000, but an overseas staff member who needs emergency services should use the local emergency number on their own phone. Brief them accordingly.
Data and quality
Voice uses a modest amount of data and is sensitive to jitter rather than raw speed, so a stable connection matters more than a fast one. Where staff work from home on variable connections, a wired or 4G backup and a headset resolve most quality complaints.
What it costs: Jet's figures
| Item | Price (AUD ex GST) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jet Cloud Mobile, per user | $35 a month | Australian 04 number; calls and SMS to Australian numbers included; no setup fee; month to month |
| Jet Business Phone, per user | $25 a month | Local number and extension; calls to Australian numbers included; no setup fee; month to month |
| Inbound 1300, 1800, local or virtual mobile number (Standard) | $10 a month plus 6c a minute | Plus 5c to 15c a minute to an international answer point; 1300 3×3 offer $3 plus 3c with a 3-month minimum |
| Call recording with AI summaries | $10 a month per number | Included on the 1300 5×5 offer |
| IVR / auto attendant | $25 a month per account | |
| Call queue, geographic routing, postcode routing | $50 a month per account, each | |
| CRM Sync (Salesforce or HubSpot) | $40 a month per account | |
| Porting | Free in; $50 to port out |
A five-person offshore support team on Cloud Mobile is therefore $175 a month; on Business Phone seats it is $125 a month, plus $50 if you want them in a call queue. There is no per-minute charge for the Australian calls those teams make and receive, so the bill does not move with volume. Full detail is on the pricing page.
How the alternatives compare
These are the other options businesses ask about. Each is described by how it is structured rather than by a price, because the costs depend on the carrier, plan and country.
| Option | How it works | What the business controls | Where it falls down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud number in the Jet app | Australian number hosted on Jet's network, delivered to an app over the internet | Number ownership, routing, recording, reporting, reassignment, all from one portal | Needs a working internet connection at the staff member's end |
| Australian SIM or eSIM with international roaming | A carrier plan in Australia, activated after an ACMA ID check, used abroad on roaming | Little: the number sits on a SIM in the staff member's phone; no business routing or recording | Roaming is charged per day or per megabyte by the carrier; the ID check is hard to complete from overseas; the number leaves with the SIM |
| Microsoft Teams Phone number (Skype was retired in May 2025) | An Australian number attached to a Teams user through a Microsoft calling plan or a carrier connected to Teams | Routing and reporting inside the Microsoft 365 admin tools | Needs a Microsoft 365 licence plus a Teams Phone licence plus a calling plan per user, set up by an administrator; no mobile 04 numbers and no SMS to customers |
| Forward an Australian mobile to the overseas phone | A carrier diversion from an Australian SIM to an international number | Only the diversion; nothing is visible or routable | Every forwarded minute is charged at the carrier's international rate; the Australian SIM has to stay active somewhere; outbound calls still show the overseas number |
How to set it up
- Pick the route. Staff who call and text customers: Cloud Mobile. Staff who answer a shared office line as part of a team: Business Phone seats. Receive-only with no app: an inbound number forwarded overseas.
- Sign up online. Cloud Mobile and inbound numbers can be bought online in a few minutes; Business Phone seats are set up with the Jet team.
- Choose or port numbers. New Australian numbers are free; porting an existing number in is free and takes a few business days.
- Send the staff member the app login. They install the Jet app, sign in, and the Australian number is live on their device.
- Set routing and recording. Time-of-day routing, overflow, queues, IVR and recording are configured in the portal and apply the same way to overseas and onshore staff.
Frequently asked questions
Can overseas staff have an Australian phone number?
Yes. An Australian number does not have to sit on an Australian SIM. A cloud telco such as Jet Interactive hosts the number on its network in Australia and delivers calls to an app on the staff member's phone or computer anywhere there is internet. Jet Cloud Mobile gives each overseas staff member an Australian 04 mobile number for $35 a month with calls and SMS to Australian numbers included; a Jet Business Phone seat gives them a local landline number and extension for $25 a month.
Does an overseas staff member need an Australian SIM to use an Australian number?
No. With an app-based number there is no SIM at all: the staff member keeps their own local SIM for personal use and the Australian business number rings in the Jet app over Wi-Fi or mobile data. That also means no Australian ID check, no roaming plan and no handset to ship.
What number shows when overseas staff call Australian customers?
The Australian business number. Calls made from the Jet app present the Cloud Mobile 04 number or the Business Phone local number as caller ID, so customers see a familiar Australian number and can call or text it back. The staff member's personal overseas number is never shown.
How much does it cost to give overseas staff an Australian number?
At Jet, $35 a month per staff member for a Cloud Mobile virtual mobile number with calls and SMS to Australia included, or $25 a month per seat on Jet Business Phone with calls to Australia included. A 1300 or local inbound number forwarded to an overseas phone is $10 a month plus 6c a minute inbound plus an international answer-point rate of 5c to 15c a minute by country. All prices are AUD ex GST with no setup fee and no lock-in contract.
Can I forward my 1300 number to a call centre in the Philippines or India?
You can forward a Jet 1300 number to an international landline at the per-minute rate in Jet's Inbound Numbers Critical Information Summary: India is 5c a minute (landline or mobile), and the list includes the UK, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and about 60 other destinations. The Philippines and New Zealand are not on the published list, so ask Jet before you rely on forwarding there. The app route avoids the question entirely because the call terminates on the internet rather than on a foreign carrier.
Is call quality good enough from overseas?
Calls run over the internet to Jet's network in Australia, so quality depends on the staff member's connection rather than their country. A stable home broadband or 4G connection and a headset are enough for business calls; the Jet app runs on iOS, Android, Windows and Mac. Teams in the Philippines, India and the UK use it this way every day.
Do Australian call recording and telemarketing rules apply to staff overseas?
Yes, treat them as if they apply. The number is Australian, the customer is in Australia and the business is Australian, so the Do Not Call Register rules for telemarketing to Australian numbers and the state-based consent rules for recording calls both need to be followed regardless of where the agent sits. Jet's call recording add-on records both legs of the call and stores recordings in Australia.