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Johannesburg - The popular BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) will not be available on BlackBerry 10, but will continue on the BlackBerry 7 platform, the company confirmed.
"You will not see the traditional BlackBerry Internet Service pricing that you have currently on the BlackBerry 7 portfolio on the BlackBerry 10 portfolio," Alexandra Zagury, BlackBerry managing director for South Africa and Southern Africa told News24.
The company released its revitalised platform on Wednesday in launch widely seen as the Canadian-based firm's comeback as it tries to lure back customers, particularly in developed markets.
The new platform launched with a touch screen Z10 and a touch and keyboard Q10, but the devices on the BlackBerry 7 platform will not be abandoned.
"BlackBerry 10 is our new operating system, and it will co-exist alongside BlackBerry 7," said Zagury.
Prices
She said that the new devices represented a new look at mobile computing and are ready for higher speed Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks in SA.
"With BlackBerry 10, we're moving from mobile messaging to mobile computing so we have a much more powerful platform - an LTE ready platform that that consumes tremendous amounts of data."
Prices for SA have not been announced, but all the mobile operators have indicated they will carry the device and expectations are the smartphones will sell in a high end bracket.
Operators in SA have priced the all-you-can-eat BIS at around R60 a month, making it attractive to users who are particularly sensitive to the price of data.
The advantage has seen wide adoption of BlackBerry devices in the country and limited the growth of smartphones with alternative operating systems.
The company said the mobile operators have the freedom to decide on packages, as with the tiered service launched in 2012.
"Just a couple of months ago on our BlackBerry 7 platform, we launched the tiered services and you would have seen that each of the carriers interpreted those services very differently and have come to market with different propositions," Zagury said.
Data
BlackBerry 10 users are likely to consume more data because of the additional services built into the devices like video chat in BBM (BlackBerry Messenger).
Zagury said that consumers would have to decide on a BlackBerry platform based on their needs.
"Right now and especially in the next year or so, a BlackBerry person in South Africa has to ask themselves: What do they do and what do they need of a smartphone."
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"You will not see the traditional BlackBerry Internet Service pricing that you have currently on the BlackBerry 7 portfolio on the BlackBerry 10 portfolio," Alexandra Zagury, BlackBerry managing director for South Africa and Southern Africa told News24.
The company released its revitalised platform on Wednesday in launch widely seen as the Canadian-based firm's comeback as it tries to lure back customers, particularly in developed markets.
The new platform launched with a touch screen Z10 and a touch and keyboard Q10, but the devices on the BlackBerry 7 platform will not be abandoned.
"BlackBerry 10 is our new operating system, and it will co-exist alongside BlackBerry 7," said Zagury.
Prices
She said that the new devices represented a new look at mobile computing and are ready for higher speed Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks in SA.
"With BlackBerry 10, we're moving from mobile messaging to mobile computing so we have a much more powerful platform - an LTE ready platform that that consumes tremendous amounts of data."
Prices for SA have not been announced, but all the mobile operators have indicated they will carry the device and expectations are the smartphones will sell in a high end bracket.
Operators in SA have priced the all-you-can-eat BIS at around R60 a month, making it attractive to users who are particularly sensitive to the price of data.
The advantage has seen wide adoption of BlackBerry devices in the country and limited the growth of smartphones with alternative operating systems.
The company said the mobile operators have the freedom to decide on packages, as with the tiered service launched in 2012.
"Just a couple of months ago on our BlackBerry 7 platform, we launched the tiered services and you would have seen that each of the carriers interpreted those services very differently and have come to market with different propositions," Zagury said.
Data
BlackBerry 10 users are likely to consume more data because of the additional services built into the devices like video chat in BBM (BlackBerry Messenger).
Zagury said that consumers would have to decide on a BlackBerry platform based on their needs.
"Right now and especially in the next year or so, a BlackBerry person in South Africa has to ask themselves: What do they do and what do they need of a smartphone."
- Follow Duncan on Twitter
