BIS pricing comparison

RichardG said:
I have a 3G handset not a stupid EDGE handset - I download videos, porno etc but the trick only works if you are pre-paid and must have zero-rated airtime
Click to expand...
I've always got airtime and have no issues.
 
Budza said:
I have a data bundle on my 5800. Works out cheaper than BIS and I get ~150megs a month.

I have Nimbuzz on all day, so no more SMSing. I can make extended VOIP calls and I don't get charged extra. I use the on phone browser every once in a while, and can download whatever and watch Youtube. All for no extra charge. In about a year I have once had my usage get to within 95% of bundle value, so ~150megs seems fine for my usage patterns. I get carryover too. I'm probably way above the average BB user in terms of data.

The BIS sheeple just love the uncapped bit, which usually equals no surprise bills. I have a 3G contract through a 3rd party, so when my bundle is used up, that's it. No OOB. No shock bills.

I'd love to know what the oke that gets "4GB a month" does to use that much data. Is it usable, quality stuff, or just random stuff for the sake of using data? Can it be sustained for 24 months?
Click to expand...

I use 150 megs of stuff in any weekend day. I don't know what I do but I do it. I have a Samsung Galaxy S and I played with it for a day and used up my 500 meg data bundle in that day, in that morning. Granted the BIS wouldn't have downloaded it at that speed, but at night on MTN atleast all the stuff downloads fairly quickly. You can download small youtube clips etc and the clips is usaully between 30 to 40 Megs - You download 15 of those and you are already at atleast 450 Megs. In 10 days you can have 4 Gigs, well I don't download that much every month but I have reached that numbers a few times already. I downloaded all the iphone vs samsug galaxy s clips from youtube and the iphone vs sgs vs torch clips and stuff similar to that. If you do that with your phone with a 2 gig bundle you are going to pay an extra R389 or what ever the price of a 2 gig bundle is atleast.

I even have wifi at home in addition to my 500 meg data bundle at home and the 500 meg still doesnt cut it for when I am away from home.

I don't understand why some people feel to bash different phones. Android is nice, the iphone is nice and BB is nice. You must just pick something that suits you.

Edit - Hey Oronte, how is your SGS treating you. Which phone do you use the most now?
 
I use my Galaxy now, but I'm likely to go back to Blackberry at the end of the year. I really have to watch my data on the galaxy and now I actually turn my PC on to browse the internet and send e-mails (I miss my hard keyboard too). It is really easy to go over my bundle so I've turned of most of the cool features to save on data usage. Phones like the Torch 2, Storm 3 and the touchscreen Dakota all sound quite good. They should be released towards the end of the year.
 
Rouxenator said:
OK, in the past I may have taken a stab at blackberry just because it seemed like fun at the time, but after reading what blackberry users actually experience in real life the picture has changed. Now I am not sure anymore who deserves the stabs, inferior phones using inferior servers or the users that fall for (and appear to enjoy) such nonsense.

Really, I expected more than just [-]free[/-] R60 narrow band on half backed handsets. I can now understand why the underpaid secretaries and tea girls at work use these phones.
Click to expand...

Go troll somewhere else
 
I should correct myself, those iphone clips isn't 30 to 40 megs each (Don't know why I thought it were), they are between 5 and 9 megs and I downloaded 17 of them so it is about 110 megs and not 450 as I stated that I have done in a day (On edge mind you).

oronte said:
I use my Galaxy now, but I'm likely to go back to Blackberry at the end of the year. I really have to watch my data on the galaxy and now I actually turn my PC on to browse the internet and send e-mails (I miss my hard keyboard too). It is really easy to go over my bundle so I've turned of most of the cool features to save on data usage. Phones like the Torch 2, Storm 3 and the touchscreen Dakota all sound quite good. They should be released towards the end of the year.
Click to expand...

Ja, I think I am also going to go back to BB, I already used up all my data the day I got it so I can't use my SGS for the rest of the month so I walk around with my BB. I don't think I like the touch screen idea anymore, so I will either stick with the Bold series or will go for something like the torch 2.
 
Go to options---- status- type buyr then it will show you how much data you have used on your blackberry. I don't know how accurate it is but nevertheless a good estimate.
 
Is that for a month or the entire lifespan of the phone?

Because mine has been stuck on exceeded some number for a while now. Is there a way to reset it?
 
Last edited:
To me it looks like the phones lifespan. The exceeded number grows though plus I don't know how to reset.I'm sure there is a way just have to google for it.
 
Different strokes for different folks. I'm in IT, so can use my work PC for internet during the day. Luckily we're not overly restricted in the sites we can access. At home I have ADSL, so I use wireless or a laptop when home.

My on phone usage is therefore lower than someone who doesn't have these options.

I could imagine, if I didn't have access to a PC and were still somewhat of a geek, my phonebill would be crazy :)
 
Typical MTN in overcharging consumers. When is 8ta coming to the table to have MTN run for the money?
 
I am standing for MTN on this one, yes they sometimes piss me off, but having 2 blackberry contracts with them, I have never been let down by the Blackberry Service, uptime is great compared to the other networks and the speed is faster than the other networks in my own experience. I do not mind paying a few rand more for propper blackberry internet service. Also, MTN uses blackberry internally as part of their organization, so if the blackberry service is down, its not just their users, its part of their own company aswell, thats why when a problem occurs, it is sorted out quite fast.

And when at a small coastal town, when I try using my hsdpa phone the internet sucks, but when I use edge on my blackberry on MTN, the speed is fair.:D
 
Brakanjan said:
I am standing for MTN on this one, yes they sometimes piss me off, but having 2 blackberry contracts with them, I have never been let down by the Blackberry Service, uptime is great compared to the other networks and the speed is faster than the other networks in my own experience. I do not mind paying a few rand more for propper blackberry internet service. Also, MTN uses blackberry internally as part of their organization, so if the blackberry service is down, its not just their users, its part of their own company aswell, thats why when a problem occurs, it is sorted out quite fast.

And when at a small coastal town, when I try using my hsdpa phone the internet sucks, but when I use edge on my blackberry on MTN, the speed is fair.:D
Click to expand...


I think all the operators offering BIS/BES use it internally, but by no means is this a show-stopper if it goes down. As for MTN resolving problems efficiently and quickly - HAHAHA! sure buddy!

I've never once experienced BIS/BES downtime on Cell C....
 
xistenz said:
How would they monitor this? Surely they can't tell if a PC is hooked up to the phone?
Click to expand...

They dont regularly monitor but they can somehow pick up when you use the zero rated apn's e.g blackberry/Vlive apn on your pc...

A couple of people got caught and severely charged.
 
Rouxenator said:
So what speeds do you get on this BS and how much data do the users typically consume?
Click to expand...

Is the speeds not dependant on the capabilities of your device? if you have a curve then sorry you get EDGE/GPRS depending on the area you're in. If you have a bold I/II or storm, you get faster speeds such as 3G....
 
ngwenyas said:
Is the speeds not dependant on the capabilities of your device? if you have a curve then sorry you get EDGE/GPRS depending on the area you're in. If you have a bold I/II or storm, you get faster speeds such as 3G....
Click to expand...

Yes, but you only go as fast as the standard 3G no HSDPA. And remember 3G via BIS is slower than normal 3G.

Pavan said:
I think all the operators offering BIS/BES use it internally, but by no means is this a show-stopper if it goes down. As for MTN resolving problems efficiently and quickly - HAHAHA! sure buddy!

I've never once experienced BIS/BES downtime on Cell C....
Click to expand...

I have only once experience downtime on MTN in my two years on BIS. I don't know how BIS on Cell C is as I have never seen it, but BIS has only been around for a short time on Cell C so it is not a fair comparison just yet.
 
phoneJunky said:
Yes, but you only go as fast as the standard 3G no HSDPA. And remember 3G via BIS is slower than normal 3G.



I have only once experience downtime on MTN in my two years on BIS. I don't know how BIS on Cell C is as I have never seen it, but BIS has only been around for a short time on Cell C so it is not a fair comparison just yet.
Click to expand...

I agree, its not a fair comparison, Cell C's blackberry service just started off, lets see in 4 years time if there was any downtime and compare again on Cell C, BIS downtime has also been once for me in two years on MTN. I dont understand how he would know the BIS regards to "As for MTN resolving problems efficiently and quickly - HAHAHA! sure buddy!" if he is on Cell C BIS.
 
phoneJunky said:
Yes, but you only go as fast as the standard 3G no HSDPA. And remember 3G via BIS is slower than normal 3G
Click to expand...
There are plenty of HSDPA blackberrys - are you saying the networks limiting it to 3G?
 
Apart from greed, complacency and incompetence, are there any valid reasons the networks don't offer similar packages to non-Blackberry users? I.E. Uncapped on-phone usage with T&Cs.

Same question goes to Nokia, Samsung, Apple etc; If BB can make the pricing model work, why are none of them offering something similar?
 
Aztech said:
Apart from greed, complacency and incompetence, are there any valid reasons the networks don't offer similar packages to non-Blackberry users? I.E. Uncapped on-phone usage with T&Cs.

Same question goes to Nokia, Samsung, Apple etc; If BB can make the pricing model work, why are none of them offering something similar?
Click to expand...

One valid reason might be BlackBerry's data compression. Everything you send or receive over a BIS-connected 'Berry is compressed before hitting the operator's network.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X