MTN South Africa has announced the introduction of three new BlackBerry service plans, providing local BlackBerry smartphone users with more choice when it comes to the services they access via their smartphones.

The operator’s BlackBerry customers are now able to select a BlackBerry plan that best suits their specific requirements, with the first of these new packages being the BlackBerry messaging plan for R14.95 per month. This plan provides MTN BlackBerry clients with access to BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) as well as one web-based email account such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or Hotmail.

According to the company, this plan is tailored towards the needs of customers that use their device to send and receive email, and stay in touch with their friends and family via BBM. These users do not really need to use the internet or other data services.  

For users who are more socially inclined, MTN offers the new BlackBerry social plan for R19.95.  This plan delivers access to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, access to BlackBerry App World for the downloading of apps, on-device internet browsing and BBM. In addition, users will be able to access their BlackBerry email account (username@mtn.blackberry.com).

The BlackBerry social and email plan costs R29.95 per month and enables customers to employ BBM, browse the web, access their email as well as their social networks. Besides all the benefits of the BlackBerry social plan, users who opt for this package will also receive access to one web-based email account.

All of these BlackBerry service plans are now available on the MTN network. The BlackBerry messaging plan and BlackBerry social plans both have a data allowance of 10 MB each, whilst the BlackBerry social and email plan features a 25 MB data allowance. Customers will be charged at R1 per MB for any additional data access that is not included in these new BlackBerry plans.