More affordable BlackBerry service plans for MTN clients
Publish date: 05 July 2012 by Hanleigh DanielsMTN South Africa has announced the introduction of three new BlackBerry service plans, providing local BlackBerry smartphone users with more choice when it comes to the services they access via their smartphones.
The operator’s BlackBerry customers are now able to select a BlackBerry plan that best suits their specific requirements, with the first of these new packages being the BlackBerry messaging plan for R14.95 per month. This plan provides MTN BlackBerry clients with access to BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) as well as one web-based email account such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or Hotmail.
According to the company, this plan is tailored towards the needs of customers that use their device to send and receive email, and stay in touch with their friends and family via BBM. These users do not really need to use the internet or other data services.
For users who are more socially inclined, MTN offers the new BlackBerry social plan for R19.95. This plan delivers access to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, access to BlackBerry App World for the downloading of apps, on-device internet browsing and BBM. In addition, users will be able to access their BlackBerry email account (username@mtn.blackberry.com).
The BlackBerry social and email plan costs R29.95 per month and enables customers to employ BBM, browse the web, access their email as well as their social networks. Besides all the benefits of the BlackBerry social plan, users who opt for this package will also receive access to one web-based email account.
All of these BlackBerry service plans are now available on the MTN network. The BlackBerry messaging plan and BlackBerry social plans both have a data allowance of 10 MB each, whilst the BlackBerry social and email plan features a 25 MB data allowance. Customers will be charged at R1 per MB for any additional data access that is not included in these new BlackBerry plans.
MTN stated that the existing BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) plan at R59 per month, will still be available on its network. BIS provides BlackBerry users with unlimited access to BlackBerry data services such as on-device web browsing (does not include video streaming services like
YouTube), BBM, access to social networking sites, BlackBerry App World as well as up to ten corporate and personal email accounts.
“MTN understands its customers’ needs and is able to tailor unique packages to meet these needs,” explained Serame Taukobong, chief marketing officer at MTN SA.
“We observed that there are BlackBerry customers that do not have the BlackBerry Internet Service activated for a variety of reasons and this pointed us towards the need to introduce more options to address the range of unique customer requirements. We therefore designed these three packages to offer choice to our customers and empower them with a customised cellular service to meet their specific needs.”
In related news, RIM
recently announced that the BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone is available locally. The BlackBerry Curve 9320 is available on an MTN AnyTime 100 contract for R179 per month over 24 months, which includes a user's BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service) subscription.
I am really disappointed with my all time favourite Network espeaccilly on the BIS issue ... We are no more getting what we want we pay more for less and that I know you trying to make up a solution to this bt I can say rather keep things the way itwas or you'll lose more n more customers. ..I KNW YOU DO THIS YOU HVE NEVER FAILED US