All housing units will have telephones (and TV's and videos) installed before you arrive. You will be given your phone number (and exact address) about 2 weeks before you arrive. In the past, phone bills sometimes have proved to be a source of difficulty. There have sometimes been unclaimed calls which all those using the phone have had to share. In addition, it has been difficult to allocate special discounts made available by phone companies to individuals using the service. Due to these past bill-related difficulties all phones are now connected for local calls only. This clearly saves a student from being charged for someone else's expensive calls. We have two options for calls outside Oxford. Callmate Phonecards These have proven to be a cheap and easy option for overseas calls, providing discounts to various countries (e.g. USA, 8p. a minute). The WISC office can give information on where to purchase phonecards. First Telecom If you would prefer an account to your own credit card then First Telecom is another option that has been used by previous students. It is quite simple, you will need to phone 0845 215 1640 and have your own credit card available (this call is free). If they ask who referred you, please quote account number 27329. First Telecom has staff who we have found to be very helpful in answering any enquiries that you may have. According to last year's students the credit card system makes it easier to call the U.S. and cuts the cost by at least half. If you call your family regularly you may wish to ask them to call you back on their phone since calls from America are cheaper than British calls. To cover the cost of phone installation and local calls (bills are sent to WISC so you need not worry about phone bills) we normally deduct the average cost of about $140 (2007) a term from housing deposits. If any student would like a copy of the bills, these can be provided. Naturally, students will be charged if they download a large amount of data using the WISC Internet connections.