Telecommunications Office
Mobile services
Following agreement between the University and Vodafone Corporate, Departments and Colleges of the University will be able to use the benefits of the OGC agreement and purchase mobile phones and services at very attractive rates.
The added benefit of this agreement is that these mobile phones can be treated as mobile extensions (Mobex Phones) connected to the main University Telephone Network. This means:
- 5 Digit short-code dialing between Mobex phones and University extensions.
- Calls from University extensions to Mobex phones are reverse charged, so any University extension can call a Mobex phone, regardless of it's access level.
- The ability to call forward a University extension to a Mobex phone.
- New features are being planned for the University phone system that will only work with Mobex phones.
An institution will usually deal direct with Vodafone via their Telephone Liaison Officer (TLO).
Available Handsets
A wide range of mobile handsets is available, from basic units to the latest smart phones. They are very realistically priced and for the more basic units can come free of charge. Your Telephone Liaison Officer (TLO) will be able to tell you details of the handsets available under this scheme.
Charges
Prices for handsets start at just £50 pounds. With the £50 equipment credit, this means some handsets cost nothing to buy. All new phones are subject to a 24 month contract.
Line rental for handsets starts at £2 per month (ex VAT). There are no bundled minutes or texts with the University contract (unlike most consumer tariffs). Tariffs for smart phones (e.g. Blackberry, Andriod, iPhone) have a bundled data allowance. See the relavent handset page for the details for each device type.
All charges for mobex phones are made direct to your institution by Vodafone, except the reverse-charge internal calls, which are billed by the Computing Service.
For full details of all charges for mobex phones, see Mobex Charges.
How you can order one
As Vodafone Corporate will invoice your Institution directly for the service, your request for a Mobile service will have to be made through your TLO.
You cannot buy phones under this agreement from Vodafone shops in the high street.
Phone Numbers
When you get a mobex phone, you get two phone numbers: A normal full UK phone number (e.g. 07123 456789) and a 5 digit short code (59876). The Number Ranges page details the mapping between the full and short numbers.
These numbers should be treated as belonging to the University. If you decide to move the number outside of the University Vodafone contract (e.g. to another supplier) then it will would no longer be possible to call that mobile number from the University phone system or other Mobex phones.
Conversely, it is not possible to port a number from another supplier into the University mobex scheme.
Voicemail
By default, voicemail is enabled on all new SIMs. To disable voicemail on your mobile phone, dial "1210". To re-enable voicemail dial "1211".
Getting further information & help
Contact the Telecommunications Office