[anon(9638631)]

I have a T-Mobile plan that I use with my KEYone, Classic, and a Windows 10 handset. I swap the SIM as needed, no issues whatsoever.

I want to throw in the mix my Bold 9900 but obviously need BIS for it to operate properly. I verified with T-Mo that they offer a BIS add-on for their plans for free.

My question is: If I added BIS to my plan, I know everything will work properly on the Bold however, when I swap the SIM to my Android, BB10, or WM10 device, will it screw things up in the MMS/Internet areas?

The two people at T-Mo that I spoke with had no clue of what BIS even was and had to dig to find-out. Then, they couldn't answer my question about swapping the SIM between phones.

Just curious.

[Chuck Finley69]

I have a T-Mobile plan that I use with my KEYone, Classic, and a Windows 10 handset. I swap the SIM as needed, no issues whatsoever.

I want to throw in the mix my Bold 9900 but obviously need BIS for it to operate properly. I verified with T-Mo that they offer a BIS add-on for their plans for free.

My question is: If I added BIS to my plan, I know everything will work properly on the Bold however, when I swap the SIM to my Android, BB10, or WM10 device, will it screw things up in the MMS/Internet areas?

The two people at T-Mo that I spoke with had no clue of what BIS even was and had to dig to find-out. Then, they couldn't answer my question about swapping the SIM between phones.

Just curious.

The best thing would be to add BIS and try it out. No one can really be sure because so many things have changed and vary by carrier.

[joeldf]

The biggest problem is getting past the SIM card size difference between the phones.

The 9900 uses a standard SIM card size. The Classic, and everyone else now uses a Nano SIM.

You will need an adapter for the 9900.

Just fair warning - I've read on these forums that many people have damaged the contacts on their phone using such adaptors. Especially if you are constantly swapping the SIM out.

[Chuck Finley69]

^^^^^^^^^ Yes... definitely this also. ^^^^^^^^^

[anon(9638631)]

The biggest problem is getting past the SIM card size difference between the phones.

The 9900 uses a standard SIM card size. The Classic, and everyone else now uses a Nano SIM.

You will need an adapter for the 9900.

Just fair warning - I've read on these forums that many people have damaged the contacts on their phone using such adaptors. Especially if you are constantly swapping the SIM out.

I have a drawer full of SIM adapters so I'm good in that area. You just have to be careful.

[joeldf]

I have a drawer full of SIM adapters so I'm good in that area. You just have to be careful.

Then you should be fine in that regard.

[johnb_xp]

Yes, watch out! My friend shredded the pins on my Torch 9810 with a sim adaptor. Get a full size sim card from T-mobile!

[anon(9638631)]

After research and talking with someone that had good knowledge of BIS at a T-Mo corporate store, it is determined that I cannot have BIS added to my plan and then switch out my SIM card as needed between phones. It just won't behave correctly.

I can however add T-Mo Digits to my plan and use a seperate "business" number on a full-size SIM and my existing number on my other SIM that I currently swap between devices. BIS can be added to the business SIM without affecting anything on the other line.

Still not an optimal solution for me.

Looks like the 9900 is going back to the dark depths of the nightstand drawer.

[goodayeh]

Switching SIM from one device to another is not a problem. You can go from BBOS / BB10 / Android - the carrier detects the device and automatically provides BIS or Data plans as needed.

Not quite sure , but I believe Tmobile no longer supports BIS.

So before throwing your Bold into your drawer , slip your active SIM into an adapter see what happens.
If BIS is still supported then it should automatically setup . ( you should get the BB symbol in the top right corner )

Or you might have to register your device on to the network .
( can't remember the exact procedure )

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

After research and talking with someone that had good knowledge of BIS at a T-Mo corporate store, it is determined that I cannot have BIS added to my plan and then switch out my SIM card as needed between phones. It just won't behave correctly.

I can however add T-Mo Digits to my plan and use a seperate "business" number on a full-size SIM and my existing number on my other SIM that I currently swap between devices. BIS can be added to the business SIM without affecting anything on the other line.

Still not an optimal solution for me.

Looks like the 9900 is going back to the dark depths of the nightstand drawer.

Wonder how much longer they will offer BIS... AT&T had said they were ending BIS support this year.

Wonder if with the BlackBerry announcement if most carrier's will just wait on BlackBerry to shut it down at the end of 2019, or it they will continue with their own shutdown plans.

[Chuck Finley69]

Wonder how much longer they will offer BIS... AT&T had said they were ending BIS support this year.

Wonder if with the BlackBerry announcement if most carrier's will just wait on BlackBerry to shut it down at the end of 2019, or it they will continue with their own shutdown plans.

Probably depends on if BIS is profitable or not for carrier. BB also might be sharing expenses to maintain until EOL.

[joeldf]

Probably depends on if BIS is profitable or not for carrier. BB also might be sharing expenses to maintain until EOL.

AT&T never charged extra for BIS. That doesn't mean that they didn't price the data plans to cover the cost, but their data plan prices were the same for every device - BIS or not.

BES, however, was an extra 15 bucks on top of the data plan. Maybe that's where they were covering the BIS cost, since, at least in the beginning, BIS was a smaller portion of their business. Today, they probably have a larger percentage of BBOS users that are left using BIS. I'm not sure how many are left using carrier supported BES anymore on AT&T. Or on any U.S. carrier for that matter.

[Chuck Finley69]

AT&T never charged extra for BIS. That doesn't mean that they didn't price the data plans to cover the cost, but their data plan prices were the same for every device - BIS or not.

BES, however, was an extra 15 bucks on top of the data plan. Maybe that's where they were covering the BIS cost, since, at least in the beginning, BIS was a smaller portion of their business. Today, they probably have a larger percentage of BBOS users that are left using BIS. I'm not sure how many are left using carrier supported BES anymore on AT&T. Or on any U.S. carrier for that matter.

They charged extra back in the 00's. I paid anywhere from $5-$15 extra per month in 2004 to 2010 on declining scale. In the beginning, it may of been even higher. I definitely remember $15 per month because I paid for one BB data and one non-BB data. I was irritated because I didn't understand that AT&T was paying BB at time and rep explained to me in store after I accused them of ripping me off. LOL

[joeldf]

They charged extra back in the 00's. I paid anywhere from $5-$15 extra per month in 2004 to 2010 on declining scale. In the beginning, it may of been even higher. I definitely remember $15 per month because I paid for one BB data and one non-BB data. I was irritated because I didn't understand that AT&T was paying BB at time and rep explained to me in store after I accused them of ripping me off. LOL

In the summer of 2007, my first BlackBerry was a Pearl 8100. My wife got one too. We both got them with the unlimited data plan - for BlackBerry, as they were labeled - for 30 bucks a month. This was just before the iPhone first came out. Unlimited data plans for all other devices at the time were also 30 bucks a month. I remember we specifically checked that, and that's what they were. We ordered them online.

I looked at the BES plan (because my work actually had an in-house exchange server with BES at the time), but that was an extra $15 a month.

My wife upgraded to the iPhone 3G in '09, and kept the $30 unlimited plan, just without the "BlackBerry Data". I upgraded to the Torch 9800 in '10, still with the $30 unlimited plan with BIS.

We finally dropped the unlimited plans about 2 years ago, but as I had switched to a Z10 in '13, BIS was already totally gone from my plan.