UK networks that support blackberry
Discussion
What UK networks still offer support for the older blackberry user?
I am still on a very outdated (read:expensive) orange contract with the blackberry add on, and have been out of contract for many years but still paying the high rate, so now it is time to update it. Unfortunately Orange as it was at the time does not exist any more, EE can't even give me a straight answer and then tried to tell me blackberry ceased to exist years ago. Not the most helpful. Once I know which networks offer it, I can then start narrowing down on plans, roaming costs etc.
Main phone for day to day is an iPhone, but for business use and email out and about I still use legacy blackberries - 9900/9790 era- that require a blackberry data plan, NOT the classic/passport newer type that work with any regular data plan.
Feel free to take the piss if you like, but I have my reasons for still using one - not least the physical keyboard, more than 1/2 day battery life, and a clear separation between personal/business - and helpful answers hugely appreciated if anyone on here knows.
Cheers
I am still on a very outdated (read:expensive) orange contract with the blackberry add on, and have been out of contract for many years but still paying the high rate, so now it is time to update it. Unfortunately Orange as it was at the time does not exist any more, EE can't even give me a straight answer and then tried to tell me blackberry ceased to exist years ago. Not the most helpful. Once I know which networks offer it, I can then start narrowing down on plans, roaming costs etc.
Main phone for day to day is an iPhone, but for business use and email out and about I still use legacy blackberries - 9900/9790 era- that require a blackberry data plan, NOT the classic/passport newer type that work with any regular data plan.
Feel free to take the piss if you like, but I have my reasons for still using one - not least the physical keyboard, more than 1/2 day battery life, and a clear separation between personal/business - and helpful answers hugely appreciated if anyone on here knows.
Cheers
Edited by GCH on Sunday 8th January 20:27
BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS) is a carrier provided secure service for Blackberry OS 6 and 7 devices. It provides compression of email and web data, and encryption of BlackBerry Messenger services, along with push emails to the handset.
It's not used on BlackBerry OS10/Android devices. The other service; BlackBerry Enterprise Services (BES) provides encrypted email, but needs an enterprise-based server 'somewhere.' If the OP is on BES for company use then it gets More Complicated.
BIS is still a very valuable service because it can be used on non-contract PAYG phones for very low data charges, and provides an extra layer of security. Non-Bis data is routed away from the circuit-switched carrier to internet IP services.
The BB7 OS email client routes IMAP and Pop email through BIS(or BES), though often not while roaming, and there's usually a carrier-specific secure email service thrown in as in slushbox@3uk.blackberry.com. (Not a real address.)
EE and Three still provide BIS, as does (or did) Vodaphone. The downsides are that some carriers charge £5.00 a month for it and some customer support agents have never heard of it.
Three PAYG works well with BIS, and at the moment BIS is free on (my) Three PAYG BB Curve. My phone bill is less than £2 a month, with full email access.
BIS needs to be carrier enabled on the handset, and this tends to happen automatically. It becomes complicated on some used handsets or those supplied by carriers which can lock out the transfer of BIS to a new handset. It takes a complete reset (battery-pull) of the handset to enable it once the service books (settings) are pushed to the handset.
Registration with a BlackBerry ID is needed once BIS arrives, this will lock BIS and email push to the handset. Blackberry are still supplying service upgrades to BIS and BlackBerry ID, one arrived as I was typing this. An existing BB ID can be transferred if you have one.
Finally, BlackBerry Desktop 7 software still functions, and allows backup and system updates of the handset.
So; try a Three or EE PAYG sim with a 'internet/data' add-on, and if the handset allows BIS to install, all is well and you can PAC your number over. There's a potential problem that the handset might be locked to Orange.
Otherwise, you can try the £5 a month BIS install on Three here, it can be stopped when BIS installs as you *might* get the free BIS service afterwards:
http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBISAPI.D...
It's not used on BlackBerry OS10/Android devices. The other service; BlackBerry Enterprise Services (BES) provides encrypted email, but needs an enterprise-based server 'somewhere.' If the OP is on BES for company use then it gets More Complicated.
BIS is still a very valuable service because it can be used on non-contract PAYG phones for very low data charges, and provides an extra layer of security. Non-Bis data is routed away from the circuit-switched carrier to internet IP services.
The BB7 OS email client routes IMAP and Pop email through BIS(or BES), though often not while roaming, and there's usually a carrier-specific secure email service thrown in as in slushbox@3uk.blackberry.com. (Not a real address.)
EE and Three still provide BIS, as does (or did) Vodaphone. The downsides are that some carriers charge £5.00 a month for it and some customer support agents have never heard of it.
Three PAYG works well with BIS, and at the moment BIS is free on (my) Three PAYG BB Curve. My phone bill is less than £2 a month, with full email access.
BIS needs to be carrier enabled on the handset, and this tends to happen automatically. It becomes complicated on some used handsets or those supplied by carriers which can lock out the transfer of BIS to a new handset. It takes a complete reset (battery-pull) of the handset to enable it once the service books (settings) are pushed to the handset.
Registration with a BlackBerry ID is needed once BIS arrives, this will lock BIS and email push to the handset. Blackberry are still supplying service upgrades to BIS and BlackBerry ID, one arrived as I was typing this. An existing BB ID can be transferred if you have one.
Finally, BlackBerry Desktop 7 software still functions, and allows backup and system updates of the handset.
So; try a Three or EE PAYG sim with a 'internet/data' add-on, and if the handset allows BIS to install, all is well and you can PAC your number over. There's a potential problem that the handset might be locked to Orange.
Otherwise, you can try the £5 a month BIS install on Three here, it can be stopped when BIS installs as you *might* get the free BIS service afterwards:
http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBISAPI.D...
Edited by Slushbox on Monday 9th January 08:46
Edited by Slushbox on Monday 9th January 09:02
Yes it is BIS I am referring to, not BES.
I appreciate some of the 'just switch to iphone' sentiment, but I already have an iPhone as my personal phone.
I have a select few email accounts that forward certain things to my single iCloud email and that is it. I do not have any other email accounts added onto my iphone and nor do I want them, hence I never send email from it.
For email use and quick typing nothing can touch the physical keyboard. I appreciate that for some it may be the other way around, but for my current needs, this is the best solution.
This is for my solely business use blackberry, which I keep completely separate from personal use.
It has separate and specific email accounts, and a separate number in a different country. It is not an issue carrying two phones when I am on business travel, and when not, I just don't need it with me!
Very much a case of consciously choosing to switch off, instead of being available 24/7, which is compounded by emails coming in at all times from multiple continents and time zones.
It seems from the responses that I may still be in luck, despite the absence of any mention on their websites, so just a case of getting staff who have any idea what they are talking about.
I appreciate some of the 'just switch to iphone' sentiment, but I already have an iPhone as my personal phone.
I have a select few email accounts that forward certain things to my single iCloud email and that is it. I do not have any other email accounts added onto my iphone and nor do I want them, hence I never send email from it.
For email use and quick typing nothing can touch the physical keyboard. I appreciate that for some it may be the other way around, but for my current needs, this is the best solution.
This is for my solely business use blackberry, which I keep completely separate from personal use.
It has separate and specific email accounts, and a separate number in a different country. It is not an issue carrying two phones when I am on business travel, and when not, I just don't need it with me!
Very much a case of consciously choosing to switch off, instead of being available 24/7, which is compounded by emails coming in at all times from multiple continents and time zones.
Jimmy Recard said:
Get a BlackBerry Q10. You still have the keyboard, but you don't need that special network support with BB10
I do have a blackberry classic which I tried for a while but I honestly prefer the older ones. Not so much a fan of BB10 and the hub vs the simplicity of OS5/6/7, and the separate inboxes on the home screen. Zero interest in the latest BB handsets because they are android. If I couldn't find a UK network that still supported the older ones I would then use the classic, but I wanted to investigate keeping the legacy one first, but without being ripped off by my now out of date contract.It seems from the responses that I may still be in luck, despite the absence of any mention on their websites, so just a case of getting staff who have any idea what they are talking about.
"I do have a blackberry classic which I tried for a while but I honestly prefer the older ones. "
Same here, tried the Q10/Z10, but BB OS7 has a 'designed for purpose' feel to it, and what it does with messaging and calls, it does extremely well. There are no personal data or location feeds to Google/Zuck. (Snaptwit, Whatserp, Farcebook et al use aside.)
I ran some checks for this thread, my Three PAYG BIS feed is running for free at the moment so no charges for data received or sent through BIS. I pay only 3p a minute for calls, 2p for texts. Email from 2 accounts is therefore free, and doesn't use any credit. (So far.) I did pay a fiver to set it up, a year ago.
To tail this off, it seems the way forward is to get a free EE or Three PAYG sim, add a fiver data credit and switch on BIS. This will test if the handset is locked or not, if all is well, the old number can be PAC'd over and the old contract cancelled. A PAYG number can then be converted to a monthly contract if needed.
What we don't know is how long BIS will be supported by UK carriers, but BB have stated for the 'foreseeable future'.
New & refurb OS7 BB Bold-9900's are on Ebay now at silly prices, for the Android-phobic.
Free Three PAYG sims are here:
https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order
Free EE Sims:
http://shop.ee.co.uk/price-plans/free-sim?WT.MC_ID...
Same here, tried the Q10/Z10, but BB OS7 has a 'designed for purpose' feel to it, and what it does with messaging and calls, it does extremely well. There are no personal data or location feeds to Google/Zuck. (Snaptwit, Whatserp, Farcebook et al use aside.)
I ran some checks for this thread, my Three PAYG BIS feed is running for free at the moment so no charges for data received or sent through BIS. I pay only 3p a minute for calls, 2p for texts. Email from 2 accounts is therefore free, and doesn't use any credit. (So far.) I did pay a fiver to set it up, a year ago.
To tail this off, it seems the way forward is to get a free EE or Three PAYG sim, add a fiver data credit and switch on BIS. This will test if the handset is locked or not, if all is well, the old number can be PAC'd over and the old contract cancelled. A PAYG number can then be converted to a monthly contract if needed.
What we don't know is how long BIS will be supported by UK carriers, but BB have stated for the 'foreseeable future'.
New & refurb OS7 BB Bold-9900's are on Ebay now at silly prices, for the Android-phobic.
Free Three PAYG sims are here:
https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order
Free EE Sims:
http://shop.ee.co.uk/price-plans/free-sim?WT.MC_ID...
Slushbox said:
To tail this off, it seems the way forward is to get a free EE or Three PAYG sim, add a fiver data credit and switch on BIS. This will test if the handset is locked or not, if all is well, the old number can be PAC'd over and the old contract cancelled. A PAYG number can then be converted to a monthly contract if needed.
All of my legacy handsets are unlocked - I did it as a matter of routine when they were new, so no issues there. My classic isn't however, and is locked to EE/orange.Do Three offer the BIS add on for contract plans as well as a PAY-G? They have some extremely good and cheap plans, with the 'feel at home' bonus too.
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