Mobile Data Contracts
Getting the right or affordable contract as been flagged up in many of the Project Managers' Reports. As funding is for capital, invariably data contracts aren't included in the cost and many projects found it difficult to secure mobile devices complete with suitable contracts. Contracts typically commit the purchaser to a fixed term contract with monthly line rental. An option is to purchase Pay-As-You-Go phones yet many found these difficult to purchase in bulk.
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Credit card, cash or cheque
Accrington & Rossingdale College were looking for unlimited 3G broadband however suppliers were reluctant to provide and help and guidance until a contract had been signed. They also experienced issues where suppliers would only take cash or credit card transaction and were reluctant to do business without signed documentation confirming purchase throughout a recognised project.
Bolton College have also found an issue where hight street stores will not accept cheque payments. The limit of the College credit card was not large enough to make bulk purchases. They also advise to check whether a high street store can actually deliver a large order - they are keen to take orders but can they deliver in the time you need?
Brockenhurst College grasped the mettle early and negotiated with the major mobile phone network operators. They managed to agree a contract with T-Mobile UK under the OGC (Office of Government Commerce) Framework and ensuring that the devices would be available on order. Their delivery took only 10 days from order.
Instant Messaging
Call charges can be expensive however Lowestoft College were happy with their Internet package which allowed them to use webmail. But the biggest success was the use of Microsoft Office Communicator which allowed them to do instant messaging. This proved very popular.
Cost of Sim cards
Many projects have indicated that the cost of Sim card purchase is variable. Lewisham College aimed to use text messaging as part of the teaching and learning process yet found that many of the Pay As You Go phones held by learners ran out of credit. They are considering using Blyke who provide texts and calls to all 16-24 year olds. (It is worth noting that this free service incorporates advertising)
Network Coverage and Speed
Some of the technical issues reported have been solved after time. Certain devices indicate suitable WiFi connectivity such as the Samsung Omnia phones yet drop the WiFi connections in certain geographic areas. Although some WiFi issues can be resolved by updating the hardware on devices other issues might emerge such as cost in finding other connectivity, “Using the phones to access data in the form of Internet browsing, mapping and file downloading when outside of a WiFi connection zone meant using GPRS data transfer. This was expensive and many students complained about the cost of maintaining pay as you go credit” Truro Consortium reported.
Oaklands College are pleased with O2 coverage in their rural areas. At the time of purchase O2 only offered 2 levels of data service - a 200MB or a 3GB service. They assumed that, as they wished to transfer rich media to each student's phones, the best package to opt for would be the 3GB plan.
Due to the slow connection speed in reality nobody came close to using their full allowance indicating that a smaller package would have been sufficient. Oaklands recommend a 1GB plan - a perfect compromise.
Oakland College experienced a further problem. They required calls to be locked down and texting facilities to specific numbers. This meant a delay in waiting for prepared locked SIM cards. They strongly advise to double check all information sent to suppliers as O2 failed to add 2 essential numbers to the card - the modem and the number for the SMS service! This meant that all the SIM cards needed to be unlocked manually and updated which added hours to the project. It is worth noting that some SIM cards allow total unlocking whereas others couldn't be unlocked after several attempts. O2 provided a service to unlock the cards at £3 per device.
Other issues the College experienced was the lack of 3G connectivity - The SIMs provided only managed to achieve GPRS/EDGE connections.