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Requirement for mobile communications

A relatively small number of faculty and staff require a university-funded cellular device. The criteria for determining when that path requirement has been met remains subjective and rests with the supervisor. It is unlikely that people who work primarily from one work location (e.g. desk) or are not subject to regular and frequent mobile communication requirements will meet the requirement standard. Those faculty or staff members who participate in the Work from Home program are not automatically eligible for university-sponsored mobile communications.

For those who meet eligibility criteria, the BYOD program will apply. Eligible faculty and staff will receive a mobile allowance through the payroll system to offset a portion of their personal mobile communication costs.

Mobile phone allowances

Three mobile phone allowance tiers are available based on usage needs and the institutional necessity of mobile access for the person’s current role. The tiered amounts are intended to offset the incremental costs one might incur when using their device for university purposes, not to reimburse anyone’s full mobile communication costs. Supervisor approval is required for participation in the mobile allowance program.

Tier 1: $25/month

Intended for those with low mobile usage and basic communication needs (primarily voice calls and text messaging, and limited data requirements).

Tier 2: $50/month

Suitable for those with moderate mobile usage who require regular access to data for tasks such as email, basic web browsing and accessing some mobile applications.

Tier 3: $85/month

Reserved for faculty and staff in roles that demand significant off-campus mobility, require immediate communication for safety reasons or necessitate critical after-hours access and on-call support resulting in high mobile usage.

The amounts above are not intended to reimburse anyone’s full mobile compensation cost, but, rather, offset the incremental costs one might incur when using their device for university purposes.

Please note: all faculty and staff are required to use Duo Mobile for multi-factor authentication. Using Duo Mobile does not make one eligible for a mobile phone allowance.

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Current university corporate device + plan holders

If you have a university-issued cellular device and plan, you will need to transition to the BYOD program by March 31, 2026. Those hired as of June 1, 2025 who are eligible will be automatically enrolled in the BYOD program.

Current faculty and staff members with a university-issued mobile phone will undergo an assessment with their supervisor. Based on that assessment:

• If the phone is still required for work, the ownership of the university-issued device will be transferred to the faculty or staff member and transitioned to the BYOD model. For details, follow the steps in the Transitioning Your U of A Mobile Device guide.

• If a mobile device is no longer required, the faculty or staff member will continue using available tools like Google Chat, Meet and email. If devices are no longer required, they may be returned to IST (352 General Services Building).

Once approved for participation in the BYOD program, you will be responsible for managing your mobile accounts, devices and payments. The university will not provide direct support for account setup, billing inquiries, phone-specific technical issues or device replacement.

Faculty and staff with existing mobile reimbursement plans 

If you have an existing payroll reimbursement program in place for a mobile device plan, you will have your reimbursement rate aligned with the current program once the majority of university-issued corporate devices are transitioned. You and/or your supervisor will get an email with additional details when it is time for these changes to begin. You will still need to undergo an assessment with your supervisor to determine your updated eligibility for the program and the appropriate reimbursement tier.

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Supervisors

Supervisors play an essential role in the successful implementation of the BYOD program. Your primary responsibilities include:

1. Assessing faculty or staff member needs: You will be responsible for evaluating whether someone’s job duties require them to have a mobile phone. This assessment should be based on the criteria outlined in the Guide to assess your telecommunications needs, specifically focusing on roles that require:
   • High mobility during the workday.
   • Reachability outside of regular business hours.
2. Approving mobile allowances: You will approve the appropriate monthly mobile allowance based on your assessment of the faculty or staff member’s needs. The allowance should align with their required usage tier, as detailed in the Transitioning Your U of A Mobile Device guide.
   • Important: Allowance approvals should be based on the requirements of the faculty or staff member’s current role, not on personal preferences for phone features or data usage.
3. Approving mobile allowance requests: You will need to approve the Mobile Allowance Request forms submitted by your faculty or staff member. By approving these requests, you are verifying that:
   • The faculty or staff member’s need for a mobile phone has been assessed and meets the university's guidelines.
   • The requested allowance tier is appropriate for the faculty or staff member’s role and usage.

Faculty/staff responsibility: Please ensure your faculty and staff members understand that once the number transfer to a personal plan is complete, they will be responsible for managing their own mobile accounts, devices and payments. The university will not provide direct support for account setup, billing inquiries, phone-specific technical issues or device replacement.

Device ownership: Current university-issued cellular devices will become the personal property of the faculty or staff member transitioning to the BYOD program.

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TEMS Administrators

You play a crucial role in facilitating the transition to the BYOD program, specifically in transferring existing cellular numbers from university-owned to faculty or staff member-owned plans.

Your primary responsibilities include:

1. Facilitating number transfers: For faculty or staff members who are approved to retain their current cellular phone numbers, you will be responsible for initiating the process within the TEMS system.
2. Providing information: You should be prepared to guide departmental telecom contacts regarding the porting process, including:
   • Confirming the current service provider (Bell or TELUS) for university-owned cellular plans, if requested.
   • Ensuring that departmental telecom contacts are aware of the required porting information (account numbers, etc), as outlined in the Transitioning Your U of A Mobile Device guide.
3. Adhering to timelines: ensure that cellphone users are aware of the 10-day timeframe for them to complete the number transfer process after the transfer request is approved. Expired approvals will require the faculty or staff member to restart the process.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a transfer of responsibility?

A transfer of responsibility is when an account is moved from a corporate plan that the university manages to an individual plan. For example, if you have a TELUS corporate plan through the university today and move to a personal plan with TELUS or another mobility provider.

How is my mobile allowance plan tier determined?

What reimbursement tier you qualify for is based on the amount and type of use of a mobility service required for work purposes. Individual units will determine these needs. Refer to the published Mobile Phone Allowance Request form and discuss with your supervisor.

How long will it take to transfer my corporate account to a personal account?

It typically takes 20-30 minutes to complete the transfer process with your chosen provider.

Once the “note of authorization” is placed on your U of A mobile account, you will need to contact your chosen service provider to begin the transfer process. The note of authorization is only valid for 10 days, so you will need to contact them within that time frame. You will be responsible for completing this step since the university is not able to create personal accounts with service providers.

What do I need to tell my service provider to start the transfer process?

When you contact your service provider, you will need to let them know that you are a ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ faculty or staff member and that you want to transfer responsibility for your phone (if you are staying with the same provider) or port your number (if switching to a new provider) to take advantage of the offers. Please identify that you have a note of authorization on your account and then provide your mobile account number, which can be found in the Transitioning Your U of A Mobile Device guide.

What information will I need to provide to a mobile provider when transitioning to a personal device and plan?

You will need to provide one of the following to demonstrate a relationship to the university, depending on what the mobility provider requires:

• a photo of your ONECard
• an employment verification letter, on U of A letterhead
• pay stubs (you may black out fields of your pay stub that you do not wish to share with the mobility provider, since it only needs to display that you are currently employed and who your employer is)

Why are Exclusive Partner Programs only available with some carriers?

The university was approached by certain providers who chose to offer these programs. If other providers are approved by the university to offer a similar program to all campus staff, we will update this information accordingly. Specific providers determine what programs they offer and what those programs entail.

Will I be required to publish my number if I'm using a personally owned mobile phone and receiving an allowance?

There are different options available, which will depend on your role and on your agreement with your supervisor.

1. Share your number/publish it on the
   • This number should never be published beyond the staff directory, as it belongs to the staff member and will become unavailable should their position or role change.
   • This is reasonable when communications are generally limited to U of A staff interactions.
2. Purchase a dedicated device and/or plan for work and use the mobile phone allowance to pay for it
   • The allowance is meant to cover the business needs of a mobility service only.
   • The mobile allowance plan tier is determined by the specific mobile services a staff member needs (i.e. basic voice and messaging).
   • Your mobile allowance plan tier will not change if you purchase a dedicated device for work or have a device using multiple plans via multiple SIMs.
   • New physical SIMs or e-SIMs to be added to a new or an existing device need to be obtained directly from your chosen mobile provider; the U of A is unable to keep stock for all the possible providers.
3. The unit provides a U of A number for the mobile device at an additional monthly charge
   • This service may be ordered through the .
   • If a U of A number is required for inbound-only calls, then a call forward can be set up for $10/month in addition to the reimbursement rate.
   • If calls are initiated by the staff member and need to be seen as originating from a U of A number, then a softphone service should be set up at $18/month in addition to the mobile phone allowance. The softphone would be installed on the mobile device and leveraged to cover the required scenarios.

Are there freedom of information and protection of privacy implications or concerns for me using a personal plan for work purposes?

The FOIP Act is being split into two Acts, the Access to Information Act and the Protection of Privacy Act, at the end of May 2025. For this question, the answer below relates to the Access to Information Act (ATIA).

If records are created on a personal device for purposes related to your employment capacity, those records would be considered university records subject to the ATIA (including email, chats, texts, etc.). Therefore, it is recommended that if you are using a personal device to create university records, you should move those university records from your personal device and into the university’s approved IT systems (Google Drive, Gmail or a network drive) as soon as possible. Once in the university-approved system, delete any university records from your personal device.

Having Google applications installed on your phone does not constitute a local record, as the app displays content stored on servers external to the device. Copying or creating records outside of these apps is strongly discouraged.

If a university record remains on a personal phone and has not been moved into an approved IT system at the time the ATIA request is made, the record is still considered a university record and it is still subject to ATIA. Even though the records are not in the university’s custody, they are under its control and subject to the university’s policies, retention periods, etc. Should an ATIA request be made for university records that only exist or reside on a faculty or staff member's personal device, the record, not necessarily the device, must be provided to the Information and Privacy Office.

Are data plans for laptops/tablets included in this initiative?

Corporate mobility plans for laptops and tablets are in scope for this initiative. The primary goal is to evaluate the functional needs of the unit and meet those needs without service duplication. If a faculty or staff member has a mobile phone as well as a data plan on a tablet, it is recommended that you connect your tablet to your mobile phone hotspot. If units utilize devices with data plans for work tasks, it may be appropriate to maintain a corporate plan for such devices.

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