Internet
You can connect to the University’s Wi-Fi network using your University email address through eduroam or OWL. The IT Services Work Remotely page explains how to connect your work laptop and mobile devices for work purposes. Computers with internet access are readily available in colleges and in most of the University’s libraries. If you are here just for a few days, eg for a conference, visitor access to IT services can be arranged by your host department or college
If you cannot immediately access Wi-Fi through the University's network, there are many public Wi-Fi hotspots available across the city.
Mobile phones
There are two main types of mobile phone packages:
- ‘Pay-as-you-go’ - you buy a new phone, or a new SIM card to use in your existing phone, and then top up your credit when necessary. You may need to get your phone unlocked so it can make and receive calls in the UK.
- Monthly contract - you pay a fixed amount which allows you to make calls, send texts and download data up to an agreed monthly limit. You will need to provide proof of your residential address in the UK and bank details to set up the payments. This mobile and broadband guide has some useful tips to get a good deal. Some contracts include international calls, but you might prefer to use video call apps such as FaceTime or WhatsApp to keep in touch with your family and friends.
Landline telephones and Internet
There may be an existing telephone line in your property. A line with a fixed connection is known as a 'landline'. To activate an existing landline or to arrange for one to be installed, you will need to contact a telephone provider, such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk or Virgin Media.
There are many different providers of telephone and internet services. You can find quotes on websites such as broadbandchoices, comparethemarket, Gocompare.com and MoneySuperMarket. It is often cheaper to buy telephone and internet services in combination as a 'bundle', which may also include a TV subscription package.
Disclaimer: Please note that the University does not endorse any of the external websites listed above, or elsewhere in this guidance.
We are all now connected by the internet, like neurons in a giant brain.
Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist and cosmologist (1942-2018), graduate of University College, Oxford
