MTN has revealed it will cap BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS), in the latest in a string of measures by the operator to alleviate pressure placed on the network by over-active BlackBerry users.
Users will be subjected to a 200MB monthly cap, whereafter BIS usage will be billed from a user’s Internet bundle or airtime account.
The cap is to take effect from March 1, when the current “BlackBerry BIS” payment plan will be renamed the “BlackBerry Absolute” plan.
“The BlackBerry Absolute plan is aimed at optimising the network to make it efficient so as to provide a world-class experience for our customers,” said Devan Chetty, General Manager: Core and Internet Protocol planning for MTN South Africa.
“It is important to note that the BlackBerry Absolute plan will not limit our customers’ experience and connectivity on their BlackBerry handsets. Our analysis of usage behaviour shows that the majority of our BlackBerry customers fall within the 200MB usage pattern on a monthly basis.
“This means that those customers who use up to 200MB per month will continue to enjoy BlackBerry features and services,” he added.
MTN has recently been developing a number of initiatives in a bid to reduce the monopolising of the network by heavy data users via the unlimited BIS package.
In November, the company announced traffic monitoring measures were to be implemented, and that certain types of data usage would essentially be blocked or limited in order to prevent over-usage of the network by a number of users.
For example, streaming, file downloading, the use of voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) services such as Skype, and the use of video sites such as YouTube were blocked on the network, with MTN claiming BIS is not meant for online activity exceeding browsing, emailing and messaging type activities.
The move prompted an angry response from MTN BlackBerry users.
