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COVID-19 Update 24: Data access: All four major mobile service providers on board

- Wits University

Students will get 30GB of data if registered on MTN, Vodacom, Cell C or Telkom.

Dear Students

Wits University is pleased to announce that you can now access 30GB of data (10GB Anytime & 20GB at night) if you are registered with any of the four networks - MTN, Vodacom, Cell C or Telkom. This service is at no cost to students. The offer is valid for one month starting on 20 April 2020, and should be used wisely for online learning and educational purposes. 

Here are some tips to maximise your data usage:

Streamline social media apps to save bandwidth. Visit https://wits-e.wits.ac.za/x/FZjd2e to find information on how to reduce data usage on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

  1. Turn off automatic media downloads in apps such as WhatsApp
  2. Turn off auto play in video apps like YouTube
  3. When viewing videos, select low resolution options. High Definition (HD) videos use high volumes of data.
  4. Turn off automatic system updates and if possible, choose critical updates only. Schedule these to take place at night.
  5. Email documents in a zipped format but use email as a last resort. Content should rather be loaded on Moodle/Sakai where possible.
  6. Turn off cloud storage and syncing options such as iCloud.
  7. If your device has low data or data saver modes, activate them.

 Use the following links to streamline data usage on your devices:

Android devices

Tips on how to reduce data usage for Android devices.

Visit https://wits-e.wits.ac.za/x/FZjd2e and under the Android devices section find information on how to:

  • Turn on data saver mode
  • Turn on “Lite Mode” on Google Chrome for Android
  • Check your mobile data usage
  • Set mobile data usage warnings or limits
  • Set a data limit and automatically turn off mobile data
  • Turn mobile data on and off
  • Explore Android version and user guides

iOS Devices

Visit https://wits-e.wits.ac.za/x/FZjd2e and under the iOS devices section, find information on:

  • Tips on how to reduce data usage for iOS devices. These steps will vary depending on the model of the device that you are using as well as the version of iOS you have installed. Please refer to the online user manuals if your version isn't covered here.
  • Turning on low data mode
  • Limiting apps using data
  • Limiting background data usage
  • Turning off the iCloud drive
  • Turning off automatic downloads

We hope that these are helpful. We wish you all the best on your online learning journey. 

SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM 

19 APRIL 2020

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