Preamble

The Telephone Operation of the University of KwaZulu-Natal provides the telephone requirements for all campuses. In addition,, this section is also involved with the provision of cellular telephones where it is deemed operationally necessary.

OVERVIEW

This policy means that the University will not own any cell phones and will only subsidize personally owned cell phones in circumstances where it is deemed essential for the efficient execution of the employee's job. In this approach, the cellular phone contract will not be held by the University but will be held in the holder's name and become the full responsibility of the holder. The University will however make a non taxable contribution toward the use of the phone, the initial amount being set at a maximum of R250 per month for a cell phone, R300 for Data cards (3G) and R350 for Blackberry handsets.

POLICY

The University of KwaZulu-Natal will only grant cell phone subsidies in cases where the staff member concerned is required by the University to have a cell phone in order to efficiently carry out his/her job. There is no automatic subsidy and all subsidy requests must be approved by the respective Dean / Divisional Director.
If however, the Head does require that a staff member has a cell phone for genuine University business then a subsidy can be applied for as per the following procedures.
In order to implement this policy, it is necessary that each cell phone holder fill out a service provider application form in order to take over the contract. Each contract cell phone subscriber will be contacted by the telephone department and provided with a set of forms to be completed and signed. The University will then submit these to the service provider. Successful applicants will be informed by the service provider after which time, the cell phone and its contract will become the sole responsibility of the subscriber.
The University has negotiated contracts with three cellular Service Providers (Nashua, MTN and Vodacom). These Service Providers will automatically debit the University for its portion of the monthly account and the remainder (if any) will then become the holder's responsibility, being automatically debited to their bank account. 

        1. All new requirements for cell phones will be handled in one of two ways: 

                • The pay-as-you-go system on behalf of the departments, when the equipment is required for departmental use only, not to be under any individual’s name. 
                • A split billing system on contracts, in terms of which the University will pay the first R250 of the monthly account to the service provider (or the actual amount due if less than R250). Legitimate expenses,
                    i.e. in respect of official University cellular phone usage in excess of R250 per month, will be reimbursed on due motivation. If legitimate requirements consistently exceed R250 per month, then the 
                    university contribution will, following substantiation of the expenditure by reference to itemized billing reports, be reviewed upwards. Such reimbursement and review will take place once every six months, 
                    based on the half year billing periods ending in June and December, respectively. In exceptional circumstances (for example, where a member of staff has had to incur significant cellular phone costs as a
                    result of official foreign travel), application may be made for reimbursement as soon as is practicable after the expenditure has been incurred.

        2. Responsibility for determining into which category prospective cellular telephone users are to be placed rests primarily with the relevant Dean/Head of Division, who will be expected to consider the particular
            circumstances and requirements of individual members of staff on whose behalf applications are made. The Telephones department is available to act in an advisory role to determine the most suitable contract
             type and cost-effective arrangement to be entered into.

        3. If it is anticipated that R250 per month will not suffice for legitimate expenses, application may be made in advance to increase the University contribution. Such applications, together with the periodic reviews 
            giving rise to requests for upward revisions referred to in 1. above, must be made through the Dean/Head of Division to, and be approved by, the relevant Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

        4. Existing subsidies, payable in the form of cellular telephone allowances, currently at a level of R150 per month (which, for employee’s tax (PAYE) purposes, are wholly taxable) on private contracts will remain 
            in force but no new arrangements of this sort will be made. Subsidised users will be encouraged, but not required to convert to the split billing system described in 1. above.

        5. This policy will apply only to cell phone expenditure from University-funded budgets.

        6. Staff who have obtained the approval from their head of School / Division to obtain a cellular phone subsidy should follow the underlying procedures and then fill out and submit the supplied form.

CRITERIA FOR APPLICATIONS TO BE CONSIDERED

The following criteria are applicable when the award of a cellular telephone / data card allowance is considered:

1. Immediate availability for making crucial decisions on a 24-hour-a-day basis 
2.  Essential liaison / communication by staff who are on official duty in isolated places where ordinary telephones are not available
3. Staff members that are required to be contactable immediately in case of emergencies and standby duties as required by their Dean / Head. (e.g. ICT staff etc) 
4.  The availability of funds.

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

1.  A staff member who is awarded a cellular telephone / data card allowance is personally responsible for obtaining a device, entering into a line rental contract in his / her own name and for the monthly payment of the account. 
2.  The user is the owner of the device and therefore s/he will be responsible for insuring the instrument and for its replacement in the case of loss or damage. 
3.  The approved allowance for the period 1 January to 31st December 2008 is: Cell Phones (normal) R250.00 Data cards: 3G (500 Meg) R300.00 Cell Phones (e-mail, etc. eg. Blackberry devices) R350.00 Individuals with Blackberry subsidy cannot have Data cards (3G) subsidy.
4. If the official calls amount to more than the prevailing allowance, the staff member is entitled to claim back the amount exceeding the allowance via the monthly expense claim form, on submission of proof and explanation on the official claim form. The additional expenditure has to be approved by the Dean / Head. 
5. An additional claim from a budget cost point shall only be approved if the claimant already receives a cell phone allowance.

PROCEDURES FOR APPLICATION

1. Applications should be completed on the prescribed application form, available on http://telephones.ukzn.ac.za
2. Applications for cell phones / data cards from research grants must be accompanied by a letter of authorization from grantor
3. All applications should be submitted for approval to the Dean/Divisional Director.
4. The Dean/Head of the Department/School considers the application in the light of the policy, criteria and availability of funds.
5. The approved application should then be sent to the Human Resources department, which will make further arrangements for the payment of the (taxed) allowance via the payroll. The relevant cost center must be entered on the form.

Allowances at the access more than R500 should be approved by the Executive member.

    A. Staff with no pre-existing Cell Phone

If the staff member has no existing cellular phone or she / he has a phone but is not prepared to use it for University business then a new, split billing contract can be applied for. Note that the contract must be taken out in the employee's own name.

Please follow each step below:

1. Confirmation must first be obtained from your HOS / HOD that he/she will support a cell phone subsidy. 
2.  The University has split billing agreements with three service providers and these are the only service providers that may be used. Staff qualifying for a subsidy should call one of the following service providers and decide on a contract that would be most suitable for them.
                    A. Nashua (Vodacom, MTN and Cell C) - call 031-250-5555
                    B. Vodacom SP (Vodacom only) - call 082 277 3511 (KZNVodacomBusiness@vodacom.co.za)
                    C. MTN SP (MTN only) - call 031 502 8673 / 031 502 8581 (businesskzn@mtn.co.za) 
3.  Obtain, complete and submit a set of application forms from the chosen service provider
4. Once the service provider application forms have been completed, the contract accepted and the cell phone delivered, print and complete the form “Application for a Cell Phone Subsidy for University Business” available here in either CellphoneApplicationForm form or cellphoneApplicationForm form. Alternatively, contact one of the telephone system staff as follows:
                 1. Telephone Services Manager (2492) or Assistant Administrator (8098)
5. Once this form has been completed and duly signed by the Head of Division / Dean as being a requirement for the job, please submit the form to one of the above Telephone Section staff.
6. The Telephone Section will then complete the arrangements between the chosen service provider and the Finance Division.

B. Staff with a pre-existing Pay-As-You-Go Cell Phone

The University does not support Pay-as-you-Go cell phones but a conversion to a cell phone contract can usually be made. This allows you to keep your existing cell phone number.
Please refer to section A above.

C. Staff with a pre-existing Cell Phone Contract (Nashua, Vodacom SP or MTN SP)

If you have an existing cell phone contract with one of the contracted service providers (Nashua, Vodacom SP or MTN SP then proceed from step 4 in section A above.

D. Staff with a non contracted Service Provider Cell Phone Contract

If you have a contract with a non-contracted service provider (e.g. iTalk or Autopage) then you are encouraged to terminate this contract and take out a new contract with one of the contracted service providers as detailed in section A above.
If however, you are adamant that you wish to retain your number and contract and your Head of School / Division is equally adamant that you must have a cell phone for your job, then you can recover a portion of the contract cost and the cost of specifically justified University job related calls by submitting quarterly requests as follows:

1. Every quarter, make copies of your cell phone accounts for the previous quarter and highlight the University business calls you have made. This does not include the contract subscription except in exceptional circumstances where approved by your Head of School and the Finance Division.
2. Complete a “Monthly Expenses Claim Form” and submit it with the copies of your cell phone accounts to Finance. Please note that the claim must not exceed the R250 limit that the University has agreed to.
3. Note that these re-imbursements will appear on your salary slip and are thus subject to income tax. 
4. Cell phone / Data card / Blackberry subsidy is not a benefit but it is for operational basis.

POLICY DURATION

This policy is effective from the underlying date and will be in force until official notice is given to the contrary.
Authorised: ........................................................ Date: ................................................