New BlackBerry plans explained
Research in Motion (RIM) issued a statement on Friday (7 September 2012) that included an image explaining the limitation of the cheaper BlackBerry data plans launched earlier this year (2012).
8ta, Cell C, and MTN all launched BlackBerry data plans with fewer features at lower prices, with Virgin Mobile opting for a different model, and Vodacom saying that they would soon launch cheaper packages of their own.
When 8ta announced its R30/month “Social & Email Plan” it said that the main difference between it and the full BIS offering is that only one web-based e-mail account is allowed instead of 10.
Cell C and MTN launched a similar plan, along with a number of other lower-cost BlackBerry data packages.
However, a new graphic released by RIM indicates restrictions that were previously not explicitly stated.
BlackBerry data plans feature comparison
This new table released by RIM reveals that the cheaper BlackBerry plans don’t include BlackBerry Protect, which lets users back up and locate their device.
Third-party instant messaging applications, with the icons for Windows Live and Google Talk specifically shown, also aren’t supported on the cheaper plans.
The table below shows how the pricing of the new BlackBerry plans compare on South Africa’s mobile network operators:
| Feature-specific BlackBerry plans | 8ta | Cell C | MTN | Vodacom | Virgin Mobile |
| BlackBerry Messaging | N/A | N/A | R14.95* | N/A | N/A |
| BlackBerry Social | N/A | R27 | R19.95* | N/A | N/A |
| BlackBerry Social & E-Mail | R30 | R37 | R29.95** | N/A | N/A |
| BlackBerry Internet Service | R59 | R57 | R59 | R59 | R59 |
| * 10MB, out-of-bundle rate is R1/MB | |||||
| ** 25MB, out-of-bundle rate is R1/MB | |||||
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