Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Verizon's new BlackBerry more compatible abroad

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 26, 2007

NEW YORK - Verizon Wireless is introducing a BlackBerry e-mail phone that's compatible with the cellular technology more common in other countries in addition to the standard used on the company's U.S. network.

The device, a variant of the 8800 line first introduced in February by BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. through AT&T Inc., will be priced at $400 but will be available for as little as $200 for customers who sign up for voice and data service with a two-year commitment.

The BlackBerry is being rolled out by Verizon with an international data plan costing $20 per month for unlimited e-mail access in about 60 countries on top of the regular BlackBerry subscription fee of $45 to $50 a month. Occasional travelers can opt to pay as they go for their data usage. The device also can be used as a phone in more than 150 countries at a cost of $1.29 or $2.49 per minute, depending on the market.

RIM developed the dual-mode capability to suit Verizon's circumstances.

Though Verizon uses what some experts consider a superior wireless technology known as CDMA, the vast majority of the world's cellular networks run on a standard called GSM, including those owned by Vodafone Group PLC, which also happens to own 45 percent of Verizon Wireless.

As a result, where GSM-based carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile USA can easily offer phones that work overseas, Verizon Wireless hasn't had many options for its customers who travel abroad.

Though a dual-mode phone is an obvious solution, the drawback is the added cost of the extra components and the engineering challenge of jamming them into a handheld device without making it bulky.

RIM overcame the second hurdle, squeezing in the dual capabilities without increasing the 8800's size.

Verizon, meanwhile, appears to have addressed the first problem by offering a steep discount - a point driven home by its decision to "lock" the device, preventing users from using it with a rival carrier's service abroad.

Verizon said it locked the new BlackBerry as part of its emphasis on ensuring network quality for customers, this time outside the United States.

But that policy disables one of the most popular attributes of GSM phones, all of which feature a slot for a removable, postage-stamp sized card that stores a user's account information.

The ability to remove that card, called a SIM, enables a user to buy multiple GSM phones and use whichever one suits the occasion.

More importantly in this case, GSM also enables a traveler to use a single phone, but buy wireless service from different providers in different countries. Then, by slipping the appropriate SIM into the phone in a given country, the user can cut back on the steep international roaming fees charged by carriers.

[Last modified April 25, 2007, 23:17:00]