difference between BES and BIS question

[Bl@nk]

Hi, i hope this hasn't been answered, what is the difference between BES and BIS? I hear BES is for business consumers that need email, calender etc on the go. BIS is for the normal user. Now on BES i have downloaded files as big as 40meg onto my cell. I'd like to know can i download something that big using BIS? What's the difference apart from the price? BIS is R59pm and BES is R98pm. Reason why im asking is because somehow i was put onto BES when i wanted to be on BIS. I want to go to BIS and just want to know if i'll still have the same things im getting now. Namely downloading big files, email and free browsing. Thank you in advance.

If this has been answered please could i get a link to the answer.

 

[Ockie]

Most of what you think is true. BES big advantage is OTA sync with your corp email. So what you see on your phone is what you see on your PC/Laptop email. If you read it on your phone, it will be read on your computer. No intervention from you required. To use BES though for this you need a BES server installed on your corp mail server. If you dont have this then it wont work.

Regarding the download size...I honestly cant answer. I have never personally used BES...but on BIS you are restricted to about 3 - 4 megs per file I think. I have tried to download a big file once and it came up with a message that read something like "Size Restriction" That is on BIS. I was under the impression that the same would go for BES...but I could be wrong about this.

OC

 

[Bl@nk]

thanx for your reply, as far as i know i don't have a BES server anywhere. I do have an option of BES on my phone, something about activating server or something. It's under one of the options but i thought it was off because the box is unticked. Now can you possibly download a big file right now and tell me if you limited to 5megs? if you are then ill stay on BES. Maybe i understand why BES is so expensive then.

 

[CranialBlaze]

BES is corperate, it will not work unless your connecting to a BES server, you can jump on your and and hold your breath, at some point in time your connecting to a BES server and vodacom does not own it.

The reason for the price difference is partially to do with the downloads, BES clients are expected to use more bandwidth and the reason for you being able to download unlimited size is vodacom simply acts as a VPN between your corp mail server and your handset. BES is also substantially slower than BIS as vodacom is only a VPN, all downloads, file transfers, sync, etc is controlled by the BES server.

Example if you have an HSDPA 7.2 handset and actually pickup that speed, but your corp server is connected to a 512k ADSL link then thats the maximum download speed of a file, the speed at which it arrives at your phone from that server may be slightly higher, but thats simply a burst transfer.

The average Joe on the street cant use BES as your phone links to this server, if this server does not exist you have no access to the outside world via the internet as your handset is not provisioned for normal data usage on the vodacom network, so if the corp server is off, so is your internet.

BES is the 21st century version of 2 cups and string, your phone is cup1, your companies server is cup2, and vodacom is the string.

 

[Bl@nk]

ok i think i understand. So if i move to BIS then ill have the restricted download usage. Not sure whether it's ideal to move but i can't afford R100 extra for internet.On the other hand i don't want to download a 10meg file and in the middle it says error!!! So is anyone using BIS here and recommend it to me? Will i still get emails if i switch to BIS?

 

[CranialBlaze]

ok i think i understand. So if i move to BIS then ill have the restricted download usage. Not sure whether it's ideal to move but i can't afford R100 extra for internet.On the other hand i don't want to download a 10meg file and in the middle it says error!!! So is anyone using BIS here and recommend it to me? Will i still get emails if i switch to BIS?

Almost, your misunderstanding the limitations and how they work. Any file exceeding 2.9mb will not download except for an email. Emails are limited to 8mb in total, 3mb for the message body and 5mb for the attachment(s), this does not mean if you have a 1mb attachment you can get a 7mb body however. If you download say an mp3 via the browser or a link in an e-mail, etc the file size must be bellow 2.9mb or it will not start downloading, it will just give you an error and thats the end of that.

You will still get all your emails, etc unless your mails are on an enterprise server, normal pop, imap mail will still work, BBM, browsing, FB the works. Differences are your using the vodacom network to do everything and you are not reliant on the BES server at your company.

 

[rainynight65]

The average Joe on the street cant use BES as your phone links to this server, if this server does not exist you have no access to the outside world via the internet as your handset is not provisioned for normal data usage on the vodacom network, so if the corp server is off, so is your internet.

BES is the 21st century version of 2 cups and string, your phone is cup1, your companies server is cup2, and vodacom is the string.

Remember that if you have BES on Vodacom, it's actually BIS/BES. So what you're saying is not entirely accurate. There is no point in getting BES on your SIM if you're not planning on connecting your BB to a BES server, but even if you do have BES and are not connecting to a BES server, normal BIS functionality is unaffected.

Your statement would be 100% correct for MTN, where it is actually possible to get BES only, instead of BIS/BES as Vodacom do it.

 

[Bl@nk]

Thanx guys but now there's a new problem. If I go from BES to BIS then do I lose my ability to download big files? And no I don't have a company that has BES so I'm not connecting to a server. Where can I test how big a mp3 file I can download? Wanna see if I can download a big mp3.