UC Mobile Begins Pilot Programs
by Diana Noelcke
We introduced UC Mobile powered by Cincinnati Bell at Student Orientation, and began rolling it out to faculty, staff, and upperclassmen in late October.
Phase I Status Update
Part of Phase I involved the design and installation of cellular base stations and additional rooftop antennas. The preliminary survey specified the CAS Administration building, Old Chemistry, and Daniels Hall. The final design determined locations to be Daniels and Rieveschl.
We completed Daniels' cellular buildout at the end of September. The new Athletic Center will have their enhanced underground cell phone coverage by the end of the 2006 calendar year.
Along with the cellular infrastructure buildout, we have been working on the Wireless Data (Wi-Fi, i.e., Wireless Fidelity) buildout. We will be marketing UPTOWN WI-FI early spring '07. We began in late summer with a pilot covering the Calhoun Street redevelopment area. We have begun provisioning the University's existing wireless Wi-Fi to allow public access to the Internet from various locations on campus. Public Internet access will utilize Cincinnati Bell's network, whereas UC's private Internet will remain on the campus network.
UC Mobile Applications
UC Mobile is more than great cell phone service at a great price. It features UC-centric applications, designed for the UC student; these applications are not available anywhere else. All three applications, Mobile Help Phone, Course Alerts, and Shuttle Bus Notification, will function on any UC Mobile Bearcat phone – from the no-cost Nokia to the high end i-mate K-JAM.
Mobile Help Phone - With any UC Mobile voice service plan you can dial *UC to connect directly to the University of Cincinnati’s Public Safety office. You can use this UC Mobile feature for:
- General campus safety information
- Vehicle jumpstarts on or near campus
- Vehicle unlocking on or near campus
- Making a UC Police report
With campus cellular coverage guaranteed on 90% of the campus, you will be able to make a Mobile Help Phone call from virtually anywhere on campus.
Course Alerts – Rather than having to log in to see if an instructor has posted new online course material, students with any UC Mobile voice service plan may opt-in to receive a text message anytime something changes within any of their courses mounted on Blackboard. Students whose UC Mobile service also has a data plan will receive a URL link embedded in the message. With a click, the student can download and view the posted change on his or her phone.
Shuttle Bus Notification – A student with a UC Mobile data plan can check where the next shuttle bus is to be at any stop, and receive, via phone browser, the next three Expected Time of Arrivals. During peak season, the University operates twelve separate shuttle routes, each with multiple stops to assist everyone in getting around the campus. This service uses actual times, not published schedules, ensuring that students don’t waste precious time waiting for a shuttle bus to arrive.
UC Mobile Kiosk
Please visit the UC Mobile kiosk in TUC for our latest Holiday offer, which has been extended through January 2007.
UC Mobile Pilots
We are starting three cell phone pilots in January. The College of Allied Health Services, the Department of Athletics, and Admissions have all volunteered faculty and staff to participate in the pilot for ten weeks.
We have three groups, testing:
- Cell phone use only (taking away the testers' landlines)
- Additional service (adding a cell phone to each tester's landline service)
- Existing cell phone users having UC Mobile features and applications added to their current cell phone.
The results of the pilots will help define and design future enhanced offerings of UC Mobile.
For more information, please visit the UC Mobile web pages.
|
