Cell C gets BlackBerry Z10

The long-awaited BlackBerry 10 flagship smartphone will be available from Cell C from 1 March.

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Third mobile operator, and third in line to launch the long-awaited BlackBerry flagship device, Cell C has announced availability and pricing details for the Z10 - which will be available from all Cell C stores at the end of this week.

Cell C says it has paired a range of BlackBerry deals and service plans with the new BlackBerry Z10 - for its Prepaid, TopUp and Postpaid customers.

"Cell C Prepaid, TopUp and Postpaid customers who have a BlackBerry Z10 smartphone can select from three Cell C service plans to complement their current chosen subscription - The Lite Plan, The Essential Plan and The Premium Plan."

The company says customers who subscribe to any one of these service plans will receive unlimited BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for life. This includes texting and file-sharing (photos, video clips and voice notes).

Furthermore, says Cell C, BBM Chat is free over WiFi and will be charged as part of the data bundle if over the Cell C network. "New BBM features (voice calling, video calling and screen-sharing) are not part of the unlimited BBM offer."

Cell C says a monthly data allocation is included with each service plan. "Should the data allocation be depleted within the month, data will then be charged at the new out of bundle rate for BlackBerry customers, at 15c per MB."

Cell C's service plans for the Z10 will be available as a recurring (automatic renewal) and once-off (valid for 30 days) option for activation by Cell C Prepaid, TopUp and Postpaid customers.

As with Vodacom and MTN, Cell C confirms the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) South African cellphone users have grown accustomed to is not available for the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

"BIS, BlackBerry Enterprise Service, BlackBerry Social and BlackBerry Social and e-mail plans are not available for the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones. However, these service plans will continue to be available for Cell C customers using BlackBerry smartphones on BlackBerry Operating System (OS) 7.1 and earlier."

Cell C has created four Straight Up Postpaid Hero Deals for the new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, starting from R389 per month on a Straight Up 100 package (including a Cell C Service Plan for the BlackBerry Z10).

Cell C CEO Alan Knott-Craig says the company expects the BlackBerry Z10 will be popular "among a wide range of customers, from students to professionals".

Cell C Service Plans for the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone

New Cell C Straight Up Deals for the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone