OIT negotiates lower admin cellular phone rates for 2008-09
Aug. 28, 2008
Duke departments will pay about 9 percent less for faculty and staff cellular service this year, thanks to new contracts negotiated by the Office of Information Technology.
“Through our negotiations and centralization of cellular contracts, Duke has saved an average of $450,000 per year compared to market rates over each of the last three years,” said Angel Wingate, assistant vice president. “We are very pleased to be able to reduce Duke's overall cost for cellular service, and to pass along the savings to departments.”
The new contracts, which also include discounted prices for phone hardware options, take effect Sept. 1. Monthly data plan rates will remain the same as last year.
By pooling all Duke departments’ minutes, OIT provides a cushion for individual users and departments that may exceed their monthly quota. Through an “autoplan” feature with Alltel and Verizon, OIT automatically bumps users who exceed their monthly plan limits to the next largest monthly plan for that billing cycle to avoid more costly overage penalties.
AT&T has joined Alltel and Verizon on Duke’s list of preferred providers beginning this fall. Faculty and staff can save on their personal phone services with all three vendors through Duke’s employee discount program. The discount can be applied at any time, not just when a contract is signed.