BIS is not dead

BlackBerry 10 will co-exist with BlackBerry 7, and those who value BIS above rich media, apps and games, will still have the option with BlackBerry 7 OS handsets.

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BlackBerry's popular R59 flat-rate data plan - BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) - is not going to fade into obscurity, as is widely rumoured.

However, BlackBerry users who want to take advantage of the new BlackBerry 10's interactive media and broad apps-oriented environment cannot have their cake and eat it. As for those for whom the set data fee with unlimited data is a priority, BIS for BlackBerry 7 is going to remain unchanged.

Much hype and speculation surrounded the build-up to this week's launch of BlackBerry's (formerly Research In Motion) new operating system. Particularly of concern among South African consumers was the idea of no longer having BIS - a feature that has always differentiated BlackBerry from the likes of Apple's iOS and Android smartphones.

From day one, BlackBerry has touted the fact that BlackBerry 10 is fundamentally different to its predecessor. "BlackBerry 10 is a completely new and unique mobile computing experience that is different from the BIS available on BlackBerry OS 7 smartphones."

BlackBerry notes its carrier partners own the proposition in the market. "[The carriers] will make pricing and availability announcements in the coming weeks for BlackBerry Z10."

BlackBerry has also assured South Africans that BlackBerry OS 7 will co-exist alongside BlackBerry 10 in SA, Africa, and around the world. "BIS packages for OS 7 remain available to our customers in SA."

Rory O'Neill, VP Product & Channel Marketing at BlackBerry, says the first release of BlackBerry 10 is targeted at a different market segment to BlackBerry 7. BlackBerry on Wednesday unveiled two initial devices - the Z10 (touch-screen) and the Q10 (qwerty keyboard and touch-screen).

O'Neill says the targeted segment for BlackBerry 10 is one in which there is a richness required in the mobile Internet above and beyond just core social messaging. "So there's a requirement to have rich apps that stream data, there's a requirement to have rich apps that do video conference calls, that's a different type of profile and a different type of user."

He says BlackBerry "really believes" in the R59 per month unlimited data proposition, and will consequently work closely with mobile networks to keep it in the market.

"We are not end-of-life-ing BlackBerry 7. We're continuing to innovate BlackBerry 7 and for the segment of the market where social messaging and that experience is really important, we will continue to have, and we will continue to build out new experiences both from a hardware and software perspective."

O'Neill notes that, in SA, BIS is a brand in its own right. He says BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry 7 - which he says is synonymous with BIS in SA - are two different segments of the market. "It's important that we keep both segments served."

Spiwe Chireka, senior analyst at IDC, says the changes in data plans for BlackBerry 10 are not unusual, nor do they spell doom for the company. She likens it to when a new version of iPhone or Samsung is released, or when an upgrade to Android OS systems comes out. "The previous versions do not necessarily become redundant."

While the operators are, for the most part, unwilling to speak about BlackBerry 10 and the commercial offerings that will come with it, 8ta has confirmed that subscription charges will fall away with BlackBerry 10, and that mobile networks will package unique offerings for consumers.

The operator explains why: "[BlackBerry] has redesigned the architecture of the BlackBerry 10 to enhance the user experience of consumers who download apps, games, music, videos, books, magazines and more via their handset.

"Significantly, BlackBerry 10 traffic will terminate on the carrier Internet APN unlike the current BIS and BlackBerry Enterprise Server traffic that terminates on the blackberry.net APN."

Presumably, SA's operators will follow more or less the same model in terms of data charges on BlackBerry 10. 8ta says it will offer a range of data and voice packages "to cater for the varied needs of BlackBerry 10 users".

World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck said previously that the best outcome from operators would be a "combo data plan" that allows users to choose what they want from BIS (and for how much), and what they want from a data plan (and how much of it they want).