vB Easy Archive - Blackberry Pay As You Go

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Blackberry Pay As You Go
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Posted by: rmobile

The pay as you go information that I see all seems to be geared to regular cell phones. If one has an unlocked Blackberry, is it possible to buy voice and BIS data service on a pay as you go basis in Canada, the US, the UK and France? If so, who are the carriers? I know that in Canada it would be Rogers, assuming that they offer it, but what about elsewhere?

Thanks.

Posted by: Moderator HF 7

In North America BIS access is available on post paid accounts only, not pre paid. If you want BIS access you'll need a BlackBerry data plan which aren't available on pay go accounts.

Posted by: rmobile

Thanks, so it's a matter of whether Europe is different.

Does anyone know what BB functions work if one travels from Canada to the US, or vice versa, and uses a pre-paid SIM card? Just voice/SMS?

I guess what I'm basically asking is whether there are options other than paying roaming charges.

Posted by: Moderator HF 7

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmobile

Does anyone know what BB functions work if one travels from Canada to the US, or vice versa, and uses a temporary/pay-as-you-go SIM card? Just voice/SMS?

If you travel from Canada to the Unites States and use a pre paid sim card you'll be able to use your BlackBerry for voice/sms only. On Rogers Wireless data roaming rates while in the United States are quite reasonable (1 cent per KB) unless you're on the $15 personal email BlackBerry data plan where it's 5 cents per KB for data roaming in the United States.

Posted by: jase88

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8830/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/109)

Given that carriers must pay a monthly portion of data fees to RIM, I doubt you'll see many prepaid options available.

Posted by: rmobile

I would have thought that there is quite a strong potential market for prepaid Blackberry voice plus data access and that RIM's moves into the consumer market would only expand that demand.

I hope that someone comments on whether it is possible to purchase prepaid BB data access in Europe.

Based on the responses so far, it isn't clear to me why someone would want an unlocked BB except for reasons relating to resale value. Is there another reason?

What I'm getting from this is a better understanding of why some people talk on the internet about travelling with their BB to use it for data, but take another phone to use with a local SIM card for voice.

Interesting.

Posted by: rmobile

I am really interested at this point in knowing why someone would either buy an unlocked Blackberry from an independent retailer, at full price, or pay an unlocking service, or arrange with a co-operative carrier, to have one unlocked.

It seems like a waste of money and/or time unless one wants to use a BB for voice, but not data, while travelling and wants to avoid roaming charges. I say voice rather than data because I have trouble imagining that people move between/swap out a local SIM card for voice and their regular carrier's SIM card for data.

Am I missing something?

If I do understand this correctly, I suspect that we are going to see prepaid Blackberry for both voice and data in the not too distant future. Does the iPhone have this kind of issue?

Posted by: rmobile

It turns out that a company called Call in Europe offers short-term Blackberry data in Europe: http://www.callineurope.com/

It's referred to in this recent thread on the Crackberry forum: http://forums.crackberry.com/f2/tra...olutions-26285/

Posted by: rmobile

It also appers that T-mobile has started offering prepaid Blackberry in the U.S. under what they call a FlexPay option. See this thread from yesterday on blackberryforums.com, and the related T-mobile web pages: http://www.blackberryforums.com/gen...rvice-kind.html

Posted by: briareus

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmobile

I would have thought that there is quite a strong potential market for prepaid Blackberry voice plus data access and that RIM's moves into the consumer market would only expand that demand.

I don't see a practical way of doing this. Being push, a BB needs to stay in constant communication. It just wouldn't be cost effective and the consumer would have no control over a certain portion of data usage.

Getting RIM it's cut is probably another concern but I bet that could be worked out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmobile

Based on the responses so far, it isn't clear to me why someone would want an unlocked BB except for reasons relating to resale value. Is there another reason?

International travel isn't the only reason for unlocking a device. Some people switch among GSM carriers frequently. Some people may travel with their BB and use a local SIM for voice only. I'm sure there are other reasons as well.

I don't see the point in fixating about it. Either you need an unlocked BB and you get it unlocked or you just leave it locked and not worry about it...