Considerations for Business Use

Individual vs. Departmental Billing

NU faculty and staff can buy phones independently or as part of a departmental service plan. Departments with high mobile phone usage among members may want to look into a shared or group plan that places multiple lines on the same bill. To establish such a plan, departments must contact service providers directly. NUIT suggests that once a department has chosen a service provider, it should set up blanket purchase orders to streamline the payment process for these accounts.

Some benefits of departmental billing include the possibility of receiving unlimited minutes for calls made within the department network (between individuals set up on the departmental billing account). Contact your chosen local provider for more details.

Coverage Considerations

To identify the most appropriate coverage area, departments or individuals should consider how and where they will use their phone.

• A national plan, standard for most plans, allows you to call between any U.S. locations for the same per-minute price. This eliminates the hassles associated with roaming and long distance fees. Some carriers offer deals allowing customers who have similar plans to call each other without using their minutes.
  
• Purchase an international plan to make calls around the globe and stay in touch with contacts outside the U.S. If you know where you are likely to travel, check to see whether GSM or CDMA would better suit your needs. GSM is more widely used in Europe, and CDMA is most common in North America and parts of Asia.

Using Mobile Phones On Campus

Mobile phone coverage on both campuses may be unreliable in certain areas. This is largely attributed to the University's proximity to Lake Michigan, which results in areas of poor coverage. In addition, signal strength often diminishes inside buildings both on- and off-campus. Inside many buildings, users are completely unable to receive a mobile phone signal. This may vary based on factors such as mobile phone service provider, phone manufacturer/model and where you are located within the building. Please consult with mobile phone users in your area on campus and/or use the trial period after purchasing a mobile phone to ensure that you are able to use your phone in desired areas.

Connecting with University Applications

Phones with Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) capabilities may allow faculty and staff to connect their mobile phones with essential applications, such as e-mail and scheduling programs (Meeting Maker).