As of Friday, MTN customers who make use of the popular R59 BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS) will have their data use capped at 200MB.
MTN announced the introduction of its new BIS package, which it is calling BlackBerry Absolute, yesterday. The operator says, while its customers will still have all the features that come with owning a BlackBerry - including BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), BlackBerry e-mail, instant messaging, Internet browsing and BlackBerry App World - the new plan includes a 200MB fair usage policy.
"The BlackBerry Absolute Plan is aimed at optimising the network to make it efficient so as to provide a world-class experience for our customers," says Devan Chetty, GM of core and IP planning at MTN SA.
Chetty says it is important to note that the BlackBerry Absolute plan will not limit customers' experience and connectivity on their BlackBerry handsets. "Our analysis of usage behaviour shows that the majority of our BlackBerry customers fall within the 200MB usage pattern on a monthly basis. This means that those customers who use up to 200MB per month will continue to enjoy BlackBerry features and services. It was with this understanding in mind, and our commitment to providing a world-class Internet experience to our customers, that we designed BlackBerry Absolute."
MTN says it will offer an extra 200MB free, to customers using more than 200MB for the next three months.
"While features such as voice calling, video calling and screen sharing fall out of the Blackberry Absolute price plan, MTN customers can utilise any MTN reduced Internet bundle or the free 200MB data allowance for these services."
For customers who use a limited number of BlackBerry services and consume low amounts of data, MTN says it has tiered BlackBerry plans in place, whereby customers can access selected BlackBerry services from R14.95 to R29.95.
Once MTN customers have depleted the 200MB allocation, they will stay connected to BlackBerry BIS by either using their Internet bundle or getting charged directly from their airtime balance, says MTN.
MTN says there are more announcements regarding mobile data rates to follow.
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