R 69-00 unlimited Internet – a twist in the tale
MyBroadband published an article on Vodacom’s new Blackberry tariff plan allowing unlimited email and Internet access for a flat rate of R 69 per month.
This news created a great deal of excitement for many Blackberry subscribers, especially since Blackberry owners can use their smartphone as high-speed, wireless modems for their laptop.
Blackberry confirmed that all the devices promoted by Vodacom, namely the Blackberry Curve 8310, the Blackberry Pearl and the Blackberry 8800, are capable of being used as a ‘tethered modem’ to connect to a laptop or PC.
Bluetooth or a USB cable can be used to connect, and as such EDGE enabled phone users can expect speeds of up to 240 Kbps.
Twist in the tale
Vodacom Blackberry subscribers using their smart phone as a modem may however be in for an unpleasant surprise.
Blackberry provider Research In Motion (RIM) have engineered encryption into the device to ensure that only the Blackberry’s native browser can access the Internet using the zero-rated APN (Access Point Name).
While the Vodacom website states that “Bolt on to your existing Vodacom contract for only R69 and enjoy unlimited usage of email and the Internet from your BlackBerry device”, this rate is not applicable when using the device as a modem.
“The one thing that customers need to bear in mind is that the data consumed when using the device as a tethered modem will have to pass through the Internet APN (Access Point Name) in order to work. This means that the unlimited browsing is limited to on-device browsing only,” said a Blackberry spokesman.
Users will therefore pay out-of-bundle data rates of R 2-00 per MB when using their Blackberry as a tethered modem unless they purchase a separate bolt on data bundle for their contract to reduce the per-MB rates.
Vodacom further pointed out that current Blackberry bolt-on subscribers – who pay R 139-00 per month for the service – will not automatically migrate to the lower R 69-00 per month, but they can contact their service provider and request to be placed on the new lower-cost package.
Still a good deal
Whilst access is far from unlimited when using a Blackberry device as a modem, something that will be a big disappointment for many Blackberry fans, the unlimited data and email usage on the device itself is still a positive development in the market.
And unlike many similar international offerings, Vodacom has no ‘fair usage’ policy restricting users to a certain amount of data per month.
Flat rated services are not easy to find in South Africa, and with free Vodafone Satellite Navigation thrown in for R 69-00 per month it remains one of the best mobile deals in the cellular market.
MTN is also a Blackberry provider, and according to their website the company offers some unlimited e-mail usage with no additional data costs on the BlackBerry APN. Like Vodacom, the device can however not be used as a tethered modem on the flat-rated BlackBerry APN.
MTN further points out that new, aggressive price plans are in the pipeline for their BlackBerry solutions.
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