No more special treatment for BlackBerry: Vodacom, MTN
BlackBerry will not receive special data packages from either Vodacom or MTN on devices running the new BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system, the networks recently revealed to MyBroadband.
“Everything that applies to the Android world now applies to the BlackBerry world,” said Mike Fairon, head of products, services, and innovation at MTN SA.
“It’s important that there is parity in the market between ecosystems,” he said.
Older BlackBerry devices enjoy special BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) deals, which until recently offered unlimited on-device data usage across all South Africa’s mobile networks for a flat fee of around R60 per month.
Following the launch of the BlackBerry Z10 in South Africa, MTN introduced a cap on its BIS product
Although both Cell C and 8ta offer unlimited BBM usage and Vodacom is offering unlimited BBM until the end of May 2013, MTN won’t be offering a similar deal, Fairon said.
MTN is also not going to respond to Cell C’s BlackBerry-specific data packages, Fairon said, but will instead focus on data deals as a whole.
Phil Patel
Vodacom’s consumer business unit boss, Phil Patel, said that they also don’t plan to offer BlackBerry 10 any special treatment.
However, Vodacom does have plans to offer unlimited messaging and social plans for lower-end data packages, Patel said.
In the meantime, Cell C and 8ta seem content to woo BlackBerry users to their networks with their special offerings for the BlackBerry Z10.
More BIS BlackBerry news
Unlimited social, messaging data planned: Vodacom
BlackBerry Z10: the MyBroadband review
BlackBerry Internet Service capped on MTN
Free BBM with BlackBerry Z10 on Cell C
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