Mobile service operators (MNOs) have signed agreements with the Department of Higher Education that allow DUT students and staff to access specific DUT websites without incurring any data charges. This agreement has certain limitations that you need to know about.
You must have some data on your phone to access a DUT zero-rated website.
There will be no data charge when you browse the webpages on the zero-rated websites. However, you will incur data charges when you download media, such as PDFs, pictures, or videos.

Staff and students will be able to browse Moodle without incurring any data charges. However, charges will be incurred when content is downloaded from Moodle.

Browsing databases, electronic books, journal articles and other resources on the Library site will not attract data charges; however, following links to resources that are not on the DUT domain will attract data charges.

Students will be allocated 10 GB of anytime data and 20GB of night data (please check with your service provider on the night data times). The data will be valid for 30 days from the date of allocation. The MNOs have reported several failures in loading student data.

The most common issues are listed below:

• The account associated with the number owes money. Data cannot be loaded until the balance has been settled.
• The number is inactive/deactivated.
• The number is invalid. This may be that they number was entered incorrectly. The number needs to be updated in DUT’s ITS system by the student.
• In the case of Telkom, HIGH_ROAMERS are not part of the R99 bundle deal. The Telkom subscribers in this category must purchase a SIM Card from their partner Vodacom.
• The number was ported to a different MNO. DUT will need to move the number to the list of subscribers the number was ported to.

If you have not received your data, it could be due to one or more of the above reasons. It is important your cell number is correct on the DUT Student iEnabler System and that there are no issues with your cell number.

Please see below for assistance to verify or change your cell number on the student iEnabler system.

Go to: https://mercury.dut.ac.za/pls/prodi41/w99pkg.mi_login?numtype=S  

Update your Cell number and Residential address After logging in, go to STUDENT ADMIN èPERSONAL CONTACT DETAILS to update your cell number. Click on ADDRESS VAILDATION to update your residential address

Contact the data support helpdesk if you are experiencing data issues. The following email address datasupport@dut.ac.za has been setup for students’ and staff data issues support. If you have any data issues or have questions, please send an email to the above address. Kindly include the include the following information in your email:

• Your full name
• Your student number or staff number
• Your cell phone number
• Your service provider (Cell C, MTN, Telkom, or Vodacom)
• A description of your issue/problem

• Switch off your mobile data unless you need to use it.
• Switch off location or GPS-related apps as they constantly using data to determine your whereabouts.
• Configure your mobile device to never update using mobile data.
• Disable automatic media downloads.
• Enable data saver mode.
• Be aware of apps running in the background.
• Uninstall unnecessary applications.
• Monitor your data usage.
• Create bookmarks and use them to access the zero-rated websites you use frequently.
• Do not leave background tabs open in your browser; they may be consuming data.
• Install an ad-blocker in your browser.
• Rather than stream audio-visual content repeatedly, download it once and re-use it.
• Set video sites like YouTube to use a lower quality.
• Switch off auto-play for video sites such as YouTube.
• Switch off video for online collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and set them to use only audio by default.
• Download and work on documents offline.
• Reduce the size/quality of media before sending.
• If you are using a wireless network, monitor the devices that connect to your router.
• Set a password on your Wi-Fi router to control who can use it to connect to the Internet.

You can use your phone’s mobile data to connect another device (such as a phone, tablet, or computer) to the Internet. Sharing a connection this way is called tethering or using a hotspot.

7.1 Android hotspot configuration

Step 1: Turn on your phone’s hotspot

Open your phone’s Settings app

• Tap Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering > Wi-Fi hotspot
• Turn on Wi-Fi hotspot
• To see or change a hotspot setting, such as the name or password, tap it. If needed, first tap ‘Set up Wi-Fi hotspot’.

Tip: If you do not want your hotspot to require a password, pick None under “Security.”

Step 2: Connect another device to your phone’s hotspot

• On the other device, open that device’s list of Wi-Fi options
• Pick your phone’s hotspot name
• Enter your phone’s hotspot password – if set
• Click Connect

7.2 APPLE hotspot configuration

• Go to Settings > Cellular or Settings > Personal Hotspot
• Tap the slider next to Allow Others to Join

If you do not see the option for Personal Hotspot, contact your carrier to make sure that you can use Personal Hotspot with your plan.

8.1 DUT Pinboard notices

Friday, 9 April 2021

All registered students will be provided with mobile data to facilitate remote, online learning. This will be loaded onto your cell phone/mobile device that you had detailed on your profile at the time of registration. The University shares the mobile device numbers of registered students with the various Mobile Network Operators (MNO) and the MNOs then load the data directly to the student’s registered device/number.

In fact, data loading agreed with MNOs for April is today, 9 April 2021. Thus data will have been loaded before Monday, 12 April 2021 when FTEN students start their remote, online learning. If you have any issues with data secured via DUT, please click on this link: https://bit.ly/3rYU3FEa/

Saturday, 27 March 2021

PROVISION OF DATA FOR STUDENTS AND CAMPUS WIFI IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
The University will continue to provide data for all registered students for the months of April 2021 and May 2021. Following a meeting with the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), the University submitted a list of 26000 cell phone numbers of returning students and newly registered students, to the MNOs on Tuesday 23 March 2021. The MNO’s have confirmed that the data will be loaded onto the numbers as per the list received.
For students who have registered during the course of this week, those cell phone numbers will be submitted to the MNOs on Monday, 29 March 2021 and the data will be loaded by the MNOs at the end of next week.
Until further notice, the University will continue to provide data for qualifying staff who are working remotely.
The University has undertaken a WiFi improvement project. The procurement process has already commenced and the supplier is expected to commence with the improvement project in April 2021.

Thursday, 14 January 2021

DATA AND DEVICES

All students who are still completing their 2020 programmes have been contacted, informing them of the data provision
for January 2020. The names of students were based on a list that was provided by the six faculties. Students in this
group, who have been identified by the faculties as being eligible students for data, were sent an email and an SMS
encouraging them to update their cell numbers on the ITS system by last Monday, 11 January 2021. The list was then
sent to MTN, Cell©, Telkom and Vodacom on Tuesday, 12 January 2021, so that the cell phone operators could start
loading the data. Another list is being compiled for eligible students who were missed during the compilation of the
first list. That second list will be processed today, Thursday 14 January 2021.

The University will also provide data for January 2021 and February 2021 for staff who are approved for working
remotely – and those staff members working to assist students who are completing the 2020 academic programme in
January 2021. Eligible staff must apply by clicking on this link: https://bit.ly/2ZminE8

If you have any issues with data secured via DUT, please click on this link: https://bit.ly/3rYU3FEa

The procurement of learning devices for NSFAS funded students is being handled by DHET. The University is not
involved in securing devices for NSFAS funded students. Since our previous statement to you, we have been informed
that DHET will be meeting with their preferred service providers this week and we hope that this will be a step closer
to NSFAS funded students receiving their devices in the near future.

Wednesday, 06 January 2021

DEVICES AND DATA PROVISION

Provision of devices for NSFAS students is a national competence via DHET. The DUT Finance team has been working with NSFAS regarding the handling and distribution of students’ devices. NSFAS is currently updating the circular regarding these devices. The circular was supposed to be sent out before the end of December 2020. Students will be informed once the updated NSFAS circular has been received.

However, just as multi-modal/blended learning continued in various other ways in 2020 without these devices having been delivered, absence thereof shall not hinder the academic programme. Several strategies have been employed by students individually and staff, too, to circumvent this challenge. Students who are not NSFAS recipients have the responsibility to provide their own devices as DUT’s Solidary Fund is very limited.

The University will provide data for eligible students who are engaged in academic activity during January 2021. These students are part of the group of 8709 that still have academic work to complete before the end of January 2021. Going into February 2021, further investigations will be conducted to determine the best course of action, if any, with regard to data for students.

Students in this group, who have been identified by the faculties as being eligible students, can apply for data by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/38jxBPX. This link will only allow eligible students to submit a request. If ineligible students use the link to apply, the system will reject their applications.

The University will also provide data for January 2021 and February 2021 for staff working remotely and those staff working to assist students who are completing the academic programme in January 2021. Eligible staff should apply by clicking on this link: http://bit.ly/3nhU2cA. This link will only allow eligible staff to submit a request. If ineligible staff use the link to apply, the system will reject the application.

If you have any issues with data secured via DUT, please click on this link: http://bit.ly/3rYU3FE. This link is the preferred method of submitting data issue queries, however, the datasupport@dut.ac.za email address can also be used to submit data issues.

If you have any questions regarding your data, send an email to datasupport@dut.ac.za and provide:

• Your full nameYour DUT student number
• Your cell phone number
• Your service provider (Cell C, MTN, Telkom, or Vodacom)
• A description of your issue/problem