The simplest way to get a business number on your personal mobile in Australia is a virtual mobile number delivered through an app: you keep your own SIM and personal number, and a second Australian 04 number rings and texts on the same handset. Jet Cloud Mobile does this for $35 a month per user with calls and SMS included and no lock-in contract; the alternatives are a local 02, 03, 07 or 08 number forwarded to your mobile (from $10 a month plus 6c a minute), a 1300 number (from $3 a month) or a second SIM or eSIM plan from a mobile carrier.
Updated November 2026. Prices AUD ex GST. Jet prices are from the Jet pricing page; other providers' prices were retrieved from their public pages on 29 October 2026 and are linked where cited.
Why you want a second phone number for work
Handing out your personal mobile number to customers works until it doesn't. You can't tell a customer from a friend before you answer, there is no business voicemail, the number walks out the door if a staff member leaves, and you are on call for as long as the phone is on. The fix is a separate work number that still rings on the one phone you carry. There are four ways to do it, and they differ in what callers see, what they cost and who owns the number.
Four ways to get a work number on your personal phone
| Option | What callers see | Example monthly cost | What you need | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual mobile number in an app (cloud mobile) | A real Australian 04 mobile number | Jet Cloud Mobile: $35 per user, calls and SMS included. Ozetel virtual mobile number: $9 plus $10 setup, 3c to 8c per minute, inbound forwarding only. | Your existing phone and an app; no new SIM | Anyone who wants to call, text and be called on a business mobile number from their own phone, with the business owning the number |
| Local landline number forwarded to your mobile | A local 02, 03, 07 or 08 number | Jet: $10 plus 6c per minute inbound. Ozetel: $3.95 plus 4c to 10c per minute. | Any phone to forward to; outbound calls still show your personal number unless you use an app | Businesses that want a local presence in one city or suburb |
| 1300 or 1800 number | A national 1300 or 1800 number | Jet: from $3 plus 3c per minute (1300 3×3 offer), or $20 unlimited. Other providers $5 to $27.50 plus 10c to 45c per minute. | Any phone to forward to; same outbound limitation as a local number | Businesses selling Australia-wide that want a national, non-geographic number |
| Dual SIM or eSIM (second carrier plan) | A second 04 mobile number | The price of a second mobile plan from your carrier, in your name | A dual-SIM or eSIM-capable phone and an ID check with the carrier | People who want a second line with no app and don't need the business to own it or report on it |
Option 1: A virtual mobile number in an app
A virtual mobile number is a standard Australian 04 number that lives in the cloud rather than on a SIM. An app on your phone registers with the provider's network over mobile data or Wi-Fi, so calls and texts to the business number ring in the app on the handset you already own, and calls you make from the app show the business number as caller ID. Your personal number and SIM are untouched.
This is the only option that gives you a mobile number on both inbound and outbound calls without a second SIM. Because the number is held by the business account, not the staff member, it can be reassigned when someone leaves, and because every call passes through the provider's platform you get call logs, recording and reporting that a carrier SIM cannot provide. The trade-off is that the app needs a data connection, which also means it works overseas with no roaming charges.
Pricing is either per user with calls included, or a cheap number plus per-minute rates. Jet Cloud Mobile is $35 a month per user with calls and SMS to Australian numbers included, no setup fee and no lock-in; call recording with AI summaries is a $10-a-month add-on. For comparison, Ozetel's virtual mobile number is $9 a month plus a $10 setup charge and 3c a minute to a fixed line or 8c to a mobile (retrieved 29 October 2026); it is an inbound number that forwards to a phone or PBX rather than an app with outbound calling.
Option 2: A local 02, 03, 07 or 08 number forwarded to your mobile
If you want to look like a local business rather than a mobile one, a geographic number is the cheapest way to add a second line. The number is virtual, so you nominate your mobile as the answer point and it simply rings. At Jet a local number is $10 a month plus 6c a minute inbound, with time-of-day routing, voicemail to email and porting included; Ozetel lists local numbers from $3.95 a month plus 4c a minute to a fixed line or 10c to a mobile (ozetel.com.au, retrieved 29 October 2026).
The limitation is outbound calls. When you ring a customer back from your mobile's dialler, your personal number shows, which is the problem you were trying to solve. You either answer in an app that can present the local number, as the Jet app does, or accept that the local number is inbound-only.
Option 3: A 1300 or 1800 number
A 1300 number works the same way as a local number but reads as national. Callers pay a local call rate (an 1800 is free for them) and the business pays a per-minute rate for the calls it receives. Jet's 1300 3×3 offer is $3 a month plus 3c a minute to any landline, mobile or app; a standard 1300 or 1800 number is $10 a month plus 6c a minute, or $20 a month unlimited. Other providers' entry plans run $5 to $27.50 a month with 10c to 45c a minute for calls answered on a mobile. The full breakdown, with sources, is in our guide to how much a 1300 number costs in Australia.
Pick this option if you sell Australia-wide or run advertising and want one number in every campaign. Pick a mobile number if your customers expect to text you or to see a mobile when you call them.
Option 4: Dual SIM or eSIM
Most recent iPhones and Android phones can hold two lines at once: a physical SIM plus an eSIM, or two eSIMs. A second prepaid or postpaid plan from a carrier gives you a second 04 number natively in the phone's dialler, with no app. It costs whatever that plan costs, and it works without data because it is a normal mobile service.
The drawbacks are ownership and visibility. The number is on an account in someone's name, usually the staff member's, so it leaves when they do. There is no call recording, no shared call log and no way for the business to route or report on calls. Every time the phone rings you still have to work out which line it is. For a sole trader who just wants two numbers it can be enough; for a team it rarely is. Our eSIM vs Cloud SIM comparison goes through the differences in detail.
ACMA ID requirements: what you need to sign up
Australian numbers are regulated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), and no phone number is anonymous. What the provider must check depends on the kind of service.
- Prepaid mobile SIM or eSIM. Before activation the carrier must collect your name, date of birth and home address (or business name and address if you are activating for a business) and verify your identity, either by sighting ID documents, by checking them against the government Document Verification Service, through an existing account with that carrier, or via a financial transaction in your name (ACMA, ID checks for prepaid mobiles, retrieved 29 October 2026).
- Porting a mobile number to a new provider. The gaining provider must run an additional identity verification step under the Telecommunications (Mobile Number Pre-Porting Additional Identity Verification) Industry Standard 2020 before the port goes ahead, typically a one-time code sent to the number being moved.
- Virtual mobile, local, 1300 and 1800 numbers. These are business services. You sign up in the business's name with contact details and an ABN, and the provider records the account holder against the number in the national public number database. There is no SIM to activate, so there is no prepaid ID check, which is why a cloud number can be live in minutes.
Jet Cloud Mobile: a real Australian mobile number on the phone you already have
Jet Cloud Mobile gives each person on your team a dedicated Australian 04 business number through the Jet app on their own phone. There is no second handset and no second SIM. The number is owned by the business and reassigned in the portal when someone leaves, and every call and text is logged and reported, with optional recording and AI call summaries.
- Calls and SMS included at $35 a month per user, month to month, with no setup fee and no lock-in contract.
- Live in about five minutes. Choose a new number or port your existing mobile number across at no charge, install the app on iOS or Android, and start taking calls.
- Business number on outbound calls and texts, so customers see one number whichever way the conversation starts.
- Business hours, voicemail and routing set from the Jet portal, so after-hours calls go to a professional greeting instead of your dinner table.
- Works anywhere with data, including overseas, with no roaming charges.
- Grows into a phone system. The same app answers 1300, 1800 and local numbers, joins call queues and IVRs, and syncs calls to HubSpot or Salesforce if you need it.
If you are a sole trader or a team of two, buy Jet Cloud Mobile online and you will have a business number on your phone today. If you have a larger team or numbers to port, book a demo and we will set it up with you. For a step-by-step on living with two numbers on one phone, read how to separate work and personal calls on your existing mobile.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have two phone numbers on one phone in Australia?
Yes. You can add a second number to the phone you already own either with a dual-SIM or eSIM plan from a carrier, or with a virtual mobile number that rings in an app such as Jet Cloud Mobile. The app route needs no new SIM, keeps the number in the business's name and adds call logs, recording and reporting; the eSIM route gives you a second native line on a second carrier plan.
How do I get a second phone number for my business without a second phone?
Sign up for a virtual mobile number, a local number or a 1300 number from a cloud telco and nominate your existing mobile (or the provider's app) as the answer point. With Jet Cloud Mobile you choose or port a number, install the Jet app, and the business number is live on your phone in about five minutes, with no hardware and no second SIM.
What is a virtual mobile number?
A virtual mobile number is a standard Australian 04 number that is hosted on a provider's network instead of a SIM card. Calls and SMS to it are delivered to an app on any phone, tablet or computer, and calls made from the app show the virtual number as caller ID. It looks and behaves like any other mobile number to the people who call it.
How much does a business number on a personal mobile cost?
Between $3 and $35 a month depending on the type of number. At Jet a 1300 number starts at $3 a month plus 3c a minute, a local or virtual mobile inbound number is $10 a month plus 6c a minute, and Jet Cloud Mobile, which adds outbound calling and texting from a real 04 number in the app, is $35 a month per user with calls and SMS included. All are month to month with no setup fee.
Do I need ID to get a business mobile number?
For a prepaid SIM or eSIM, yes: ACMA rules require the carrier to collect your name, date of birth and address and verify your identity before activation. For a virtual mobile, local or 1300 number you sign up as a business with your contact details and ABN, and the provider records the account holder against the number; there is no SIM activation and no prepaid ID check. Porting any mobile number to a new provider triggers an extra identity verification step.
Can customers text my virtual mobile number?
Yes, if the service supports SMS. Jet Cloud Mobile includes SMS to and from Australian numbers in the $35 monthly plan, and messages appear in the Jet app alongside your calls. Inbound-only virtual numbers and 1300 numbers generally do not carry SMS.
Does the business keep the number if a staff member leaves?
With a cloud number held on the business's account, yes: you reassign the number to the next person in the portal and the departing staff member's personal phone simply stops ringing for it. With a carrier SIM in the staff member's name, the number leaves with them unless the business holds the account and ports it.
Is a 1300 number or a mobile number better for a small business?
A 1300 number reads as national and is the cheapest to run, from $3 a month at Jet, but it cannot receive SMS and customers can't tell it is a mobile. A virtual mobile number costs more per month but lets customers call and text one number and see a mobile when you call them back. Many Jet customers run both from the same app: a 1300 number in advertising and a Cloud Mobile number for day-to-day customer contact.