[andmcdon]

Looking to add my old 9900 as a second phone for mainly email with limited calling and text. Which US carriers still provide BIS support? Any cheap plans or prepaid options?

Thanks for the help!

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

If it's a 9900, then Sprint and Verizon are out.

Both T-Mobile and AT&T still provide BIS service with their post and prepaid plans (don't know of any 3rd party prepaids that still do). Best bet is to call both and just see what they have available right now with BIS services included. If you get someone that doesn't know what BIS is, or that says they don't offer it... call back again later.

[David Tyler]

BIS is free on AT&T now. Pick your plan without regard to BIS, stick in an AT&T SIM card, and call AT&T to get the card provisioned. In all likelihood, the person you talk to won't even know what BIS is, but it doesn't matter: Their network will recognize your device, and the BlackBerry BIS icon will show up.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[andmcdon]

Thanks guys! That is a big help.

[andmcdon]

BIS is free on AT&T now. Pick your plan without regard to BIS, stick in an AT&T SIM card, and call AT&T to get the card provisioned. In all likelihood, the person you talk to won't even know what BIS is, but it doesn't matter: Their network will recognize your device, and the BlackBerry BIS icon will show up.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

Thanks for your help! From one phone call to ATT they claim BIS is only available through postpaid plans. (Same response from tmobile as well--postpaid only.) Are you recommending to go ahead and get a prepaid ATT sim, then call ATT and have BIS added to my line? Am I asking for the card to be provisioned to use BIS? Any other insight or tips? Thanks for helping clarify. Much appreciated.

[andmcdon]

If it's a 9900, then Sprint and Verizon are out.

Both T-Mobile and AT&T still provide BIS service with their post and prepaid plans (don't know of any 3rd party prepaids that still do). Best bet is to call both and just see what they have available right now with BIS services included. If you get someone that doesn't know what BIS is, or that says they don't offer it... call back again later.

When I have called, both carriers (ATT and T-Mobile) claim BIS is only available with postpaid. Any tips or suggestions on how to get them to put BIS on a prepaid sim? Thank you for all your help.

[David Tyler]

Thanks for your help! From one phone call to ATT they claim BIS is only available through postpaid plans.

I've never tried prepaid, but I seem to recall from another thread that no, AT&T won't do BIS pre-paid. It'd be interesting (to me) to try putting a pre-paid SIM in your Bold to "see what happens," but that would be rolling the dice with your money.

Passport SE: All the snooty prestige of a device with a precious metal in the name at less than half the price!

[WaveGod]

I have T-Mobile prepaid and BIS is a free option you can check off online along with visual voicemail. However, my BlackBerrys are all BB10 devices, so I have not tried to activate this

[andrewkontos]

I can confirm that T-Mobile has BIS still for prepaid and postpaid. I am employee of T-Mobile and it is a free add on option for both types of accounts.

[anon(10101748)]

BIS is free on AT&T now. Pick your plan without regard to BIS, stick in an AT&T SIM card, and call AT&T to get the card provisioned. In all likelihood, the person you talk to won't even know what BIS is, but it doesn't matter: Their network will recognize your device, and the BlackBerry BIS icon will show up.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

This^^^^^^^

Problem is certain email providers no longer recognize the device and won't connect and there are a lot of steps to get them going. I remember Gmail being a major pain. The steps are the forums though if Gmail is an issue for you.