UC Mobile Picks Up Momentum, Adds New Features

UC promises to be a hot destination this fall – in fact, there will be few "Hot-ter" spots in the entire state of Ohio.

The university’s technology unit, UCit, working with its partner Cincinnati Bell, has continued to progress throughout the summer towards full implementation of the UC Mobile project.

With its network fully in place and operational, UC not only can offer three-bar signal coverage across all of its Uptown East and West campuses, its expansion into the surrounding community has made this one of the largest Wi-Fi Hot Zones in the state of Ohio.

Students at UC are already able to use UC Mobile cellular service, and that gets kicked up a notch on Sept. 20 – that’s when UC Mobile plans to have operational three of its specialized applications that will truly set the service apart from what competitors can offer.

Those services include:

• Blackboard Unplugged: Students will receive SMS messages on their phones informing them of changes in their courses.
• Shuttle Bus Notification: You’ll be able to use your phone to determine the real-time locations of UC shuttle buses, as well as their estimated time of arrival at selected pick-up locations.
• UC Mobile Help: Phones will have pre-programmed access to UC Public Safety for campus assistance, making this a portable cousin to the UC Help Phone system.

The rollout for UC Mobile has gone well so far.

"We look forward to the arrival of the students this fall to see a full-scale implementation of the projects we’ve been working on all summer," says UC Vice President and Chief Information Officer Fred Siff. "Working with our partner, Cincinnati Bell, UCit has been making progress on reaching all of the goals for the UC Mobile project. We think the students are going to be very excited over the new services that will be available to them through this project."

Cincinnati Bell is operating a kiosk within UC’s Tangeman University Center where cell phones that are part of the UC Mobile package can be seen and information can be found about all aspects of the UC Mobile project. After successfully reaching out to incoming students during the Orientation period, the focus for expanding the plan will now begin to shift to resident students and faculty and staff.

Cincinnati Bell will be sponsoring a series of UC Mobile events during Welcome Week at UC from Sept. 18-23, with many giveaways, including free slushies. The schedule of what is planned includes:

*Sept. 18, 3:30 p.m. – UC Mobile will participate in Taste of Uptown. Students will receive free giveaways, free slushies and a chance to win a free iPod.

*Sept. 20, 8 p.m. – On McMicken Lawn, UC Mobile will sponsor "Movie Under the Stars," with a free screening of "Scary Movie 4."

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