Guidance for Johns Hopkins University Faculty and Staff on Corporate Cellular Purchases (cell phones, smart phones, tablets or other devices with cellular Internet capabilities)

Johns Hopkins University policy dictates that a device ordered through the University must be used for business purposes only.  Any personal use of the device, apart from occasional incidental use, must be repaid to the university.  For details of the policy, see https://apps.finance.jhu.edu/policyapp/displayGuideContents.do?guideId=CT.

A justification form (http://finance.jhu.edu/depts/tax/cell_justification_jhu.pdf) must be completed and retained by the department for these types of orders.  The completed form should be sent to Tom Hall in the business office.

Some sponsoring organizations may have limitations on purchases of cellular devices, so you should make sure that the sponsor approves of the purchase before using sponsored funds.

Procedure

To proceed with the purchase or upgrade of a device and plan through the university, go to the appropriate Telecommunications site depending on the provider you want to use:

AT&T (recommended)

http://www.it.johnshopkins.edu/restricted/telecom/services/cellular/att.html

Verizon

http://www.it.johnshopkins.edu/restricted/telecom/services/cellular/verzion.html


Follow the instructions on these pages to order.  For any pre or post purchase questions, contact cellular@jhu.edu.


AT&T tips:

  1. You can upgrade your existing corporate device by choosing the option to “Upgrade phone/device”. It will provide you information about whether the service is eligible for discounted pricing.
  2. We recommend adding a Lightning car charger and an OtterBox case for iPhone purchases.
  3. When choosing a voice and data plan, stick to the ones you have. If you are forced to choose a different plan for one or the other, choose the "pooled" plan if possible. If you have questions about choosing a data plan, it is best to call AT&T for answers, particularly if you intend to use the device internationally anytime soon. Your department staff should be able to review past billing to determine how much your previous plans have cost, and whether you have chosen appropriate plans to meet your typical usage.
  4. After finishing selecting your options, click “Checkout”
  5. A form will ask for your contact info and shipping information, as well as the cost center or IO number and name, the department admin (the person responsible for approving purchases on the cc/io you provide), and business area (SON is 165).
  6. Orders are usually approved very quickly and shipped directly to you from AT&T.

International Travel

If traveling outside the US, contact your provider (AT&T or Verizon) or IT@JH telecom about available international plans to help reduce the cost of calls and data usage while abroad. Consider avoiding using data and making phone calls unless connected to wi-fi hotspots in the country. You can make phone calls over a wi-fi connection if you enable this feature on your phone (if supported). For iPhone on AT&T, see https://www.att.com/devicehowto/tutorial.html#!/interactive/id/interactive_1500009071?make=Apple&model=iPhone7