July 10, 2006
Colleges experiment with cell-phone service
Colleges experiment with cell-phone service -- some optional, some mandatory with tracking functions for safety. Wired reports.
"With nine out of 10 college students carrying cell phones -- and many of them using traditional landline phones rarely or not at all -- schools are seeking ways to maintain a line of communication while deploying technologies they believe students want and need.
Some colleges are abandoning the wires and phone jacks in their dormitories. Many of those systems, formerly a source of extra revenue for institutions, now operate at a loss.
The University of Cincinnati has begun a voluntary program offering all incoming freshmen a free mobile phone featuring the Bearcat mascot on the welcome screen, while Morrisville State College in New York has replaced landlines in its dorms with mandatory school-issued handsets.
Other colleges, however, are sticking with traditional phone service, worried that cellular may not be as reliable in an emergency.
As a replacement, some are introducing their own cellular services and handsets customized to connect students with campus services and information, while adding security and instructional tools."
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2006/07/012895.htm