UFS ZERO-RATED DATA ACCESS POINTS TO ACADEMIC CONTENT AND STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
The University of the Free State has managed to secure zero rated (no-cost) URLs from the following cellular providers until 31 December 2016:
- Vodacom (already available)
- MTN (already available)
- Cell C (already available)
- Telkom (8ta) (already available)
This means that accessing the following web links from within South Africa will incur low cost or in certain circumstances no cost.
Resources can be accessed having airtime or data, as well as in certain circumstances without having any airtime or data on your cellphone or 3g/LTE device.
Please note that you need a laptop or desktop to utilise this service. The system is not configured for cellphones, smart phones, IPads or tablets. You can, however, set up your handheld device as a hotspot for your laptop or desktop. You are not required to make any changes to use this benefit. However, to use the UFS KovsiePortal proxy server, some changes is required to your browser settings.
Many of the above-mentioned services make use of 3rd party resources, for example: you might have a course on Blackboard which refers to a Vimeo video. You will require data on your SIM to watch the video.
The UFS has also set up a proxy service which you may utilise to get access to more content on a zero-rated base, like academic resources and other specific faculty services such as:
Commercial websites such as Facebook, YouTube and others are not available via the proxy service.
It is recommended that you read the additional resources listed below.
Please Note:
- To utilise the proxy service, you will have to configure your web browser’s proxy settings. The student decides whether to use or not to use this service.
- Disclaimer: Because of the complexity associated with accessing internet services, the UFS accepts no responsibility or liability for any costs associated with the use of this service.
- The use of this zero-rated service is not mandatory in any way and is purely a value-added service to assist students during this challenging time.
- It is also clearly stated that this is a temporary service which will not continue after 31 December 2016.
For more information about the service and on how to configure your web browser’s proxy settings, please refer to the following topics below. Please note, videos are on Vimeo and therefore costs will incur. Thus, on KovsiePortal, the videos will not play, please use the PDF document as guide.
| What is Zero-rated Access Points? |
PDF |
N/A |
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| Are there any benefits or limitations? | PDF | N/A |
| How does it work? | PDF | N/A |
| What to do if? | PDF | N/A |
| IE Explorer compatibility view setting for Blackboard | PDF | Video |
| IE Explorer configuration using the UFS Limited Service | PDF | Video |
| Google Chrome configuration using the UFS Limited Service | PDF | Video |
| Mozilla Firefox configuration using the UFS Limited Service | PDF | Video |
| Safari Explorer configuration using the UFS Limited Service | PDF | Video |