MTN and Research in Motion have introduced BlackBerry Connect.
The disruptive push technology enables Nokia 9500 Communicator, Nokia 9300 and Sony Ericsson P910i users in SA to manage and synchronise their e-mail and calendar, and view attached documents from their handsets.
According to MTN business segment senior manager Joash Chellan, BlackBerry Connect is simple, easy to load and use.
"It is a very seamless technology and one does not have to remember complicated IP addresses," he says.
BlackBerry Connect offers MTN subscribers wireless e-mail synchronisation with their PC e-mail program, calendar reconciliation and remote address look-up. Up to 30KB of attached data (up to three pages of text) can be viewed. While larger documents cannot be opened, the receipt of documentation can be used as a confirmation mechanism, which can be especially important for a business user, Chellan says. Advanced security with Triple DES encryption is an additional feature supported by BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
Chellan says BlackBerry also lowers the barriers of entry to BlackBerry technology, as purchasing a handset is costly. People who have compatible handsets but are not BlackBerry subscribers can migrate to the solution while remaining loyal to their preferred handset brand and using the same interface.
Chellan says the ready market created by people who already have the handset will allow for an increase in penetration of the market.
"We are not saying that BlackBerry Connect is the Holy Grail of connectivity and will replace the PC," Chellan says. BlackBerry Connect also works with roaming, he adds.
Competition strategy
COO officer Barkley McGrath says while MTN will continue to innovate, it will not rush to launch products without ensuring excellent quality levels first.
He says MTN`s intention is not to compete for competition`s sake, but to launch products that make business sense and add value for customers.
MTN`s marketing of BlackBerry through pilots run with major corporations has been successful, Chellan says. Once the company has used the technology for several months, it can purchase or return the device. So far, MTN has achieved a conversion rate of 80%, he notes.
Chellan says it is important to note that MTN is not backing a one-horse race. "MTN will support other technologies with varying pricing requirements."
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