New BlackBerry packages: what you need to know

The new BlackBerry packages in South Africa forms part of BlackBerry’s “project Crosby” which was introduced some time ago

Staff Writer

February 11, 2013

Numerous new BlackBerry packages were launched in South Africa over the last few months, which forms part of BlackBerry’s “project Crosby”. This project was introduced some time ago by BlackBerry to target different segments of the market.

According to a project Crosby document, BlackBerry has nine packages from which mobile operators can choose.

The lower end packages, including the BlackBerry messaging plan, is aimed at the low end of the market.

The BlackBerry Absolute package, which MTN is rumoured to be planning to launch on 1 March, is aimed at the high-end of the market.

The following table, based on a presentation about BlackBerry’s Crosby project, provides an overview of BlackBerry’s tiers. It also provides an overview of the operators which launched some of these packages in South Africa.

It should be noted that these are not BlackBerry 10 packages. These products are BlackBerry 7 and earlier services to complement the existing BIS offering in South Africa.

BlackBerry Plan	What you get	Target Customer	South African launches
BlackBerry Messaging plan	BBM 1 BB branded email address	Generation Y transitioners Average age 24 Most are single, no kids Students (35%) and entry level professionals Go getter, goal-oriented personalities Young and connected	MTN – R14.95
BlackBerry MessagingPlus Plan	BlackBerry Messenger BlackBerry Mail(blackberry.net) Instant Messaging (all portals)	Mobile Men Less educated, lower income than other segments Blue collar workers, small business owners and mid-level office personnel Multi-tasking Women Predominantly married/in relationships Most are parents Mix of working and non-working women	No SA launches
BlackBerry Email Plan	BlackBerry Messenger BlackBerry Mail(blackberry.net) 1 email integration	Mobile Men Less educated, lower income than other segments Blue collar workers, small business owners and mid-level office personnel Multi-tasking Women Predominantly married/in relationships Most are parents Mix of working and non-working women	No SA launches
BlackBerry Social Plan	BlackBerry Messenger BlackBerry Mail (blackberry.net) BIS Browsing App World Social Networking BlackBerry Maps	Mobile Men Less educated, lower income than other segments Blue collar workers, small business owners and mid-level office personnel Multi-tasking Women Predominantly married/in relationships Most are parents Mix of working and non-working women	Cell C – R27.00MTN – R19.95
BlackBerry Email Plus Plan	BlackBerry Messenger BlackBerry Mail(blackberry.net) 1 email integration Instant Messaging (all portals)	Mobile Men Less educated, lower income than other segments Blue collar workers, small business owners and mid-level office personnel Multi-tasking Women Predominantly married/in relationships Most are parents Mix of working and non-working women	No SA launches
BlackBerry Social PlusPlan	BlackBerry Messenger BlackBerry Mail(blackberry.net) Instant Messaging (all portals) BIS Browsing App World Social Networking BlackBerry Maps	Mobile Men Less educated, lower income than other segments Blue collar workers, small business owners and mid-level office personnel Multi-tasking Women Predominantly married/in relationships Most are parents Mix of working and non-working women	No SA launches
BlackBerry Social and Email Plan	BlackBerry Messenger BlackBerry Mail(blackberry.net) 1 email integration BIS Browsing (with Hotspot Browser via Wi-Fi only) AppWorld Social Networking BlackBerry Maps	Mobile Men Less educated, lower income than other segments Blue collar workers, small business owners and mid-level office personnel Multi-tasking Women Predominantly married/in relationships Most are parents Mix of working and non-working women	Cell C – R37.008ta – R30.00 MTN – R29.95
BlackBerry Complete Plan	BBM 1 BB email address Social Networking App World Browser 1 integrated email address All Instant Messaging client	Mobile Men Less educated, lower income than other segments Blue collar workers, small business owners and mid-level office personnel Multi-tasking Women Predominantly married/in relationships Most are parents Mix of working and non-working women	No SA launches
BlackBerry Absolute Plan	BBM Instant Messaging Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter,MySpace) Browser App World Email (up to 10 email integrations) BES Express	Successful Professionals Average age of 40 Most are married, most have kids Very career oriented Well-educated, earn high incomes Very, very busy Strong adopters of technology Heavy multi-channel communicators	MTN (rumoured) – R59.00
BlackBerry Internet Service	BBM Instant Messaging Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter,MySpace) Browser App World Email (up to 10 email integrations) BES Express	Successful Professionals Average age of 40 Most are married, most have kids Very career oriented Well-educated, earn high incomes Very, very busy Strong adopters of technology Heavy multi-channel communicators	Cell C – R57.008ta – R59.00 MTN- R59.00 Vodacom – R59.00 Virgin Mobile – R59

The table shows that the ‘BlackBerry Absolute’ package and the BIS service are basically the same.

The main difference is that BIS is associated with unlimited, flat rated Internet access while ‘BlackBerry Absolute’ is likely to be associated with a capped service.