how much of your phone bill comes under BIS charges? Is it too much?

I have 2 data plans. it's almost necessary, a 3GB BIS and a 12GB Carrier. The 12GB is standard for most smartphones here, and blackberry users top up additional $$ for BIS. I use the carrier data plan to watch youtube videos as well as connect my laptop to the internet when i'm out. You cannot tether with purely a BIS subscription and you cannot watch youtube videos without incurring huge costs.

Currently, BIS accounts for 40% of my total bill. My friends on other OSes pay almost half of what I pay every month. I know BIS has data compression and all, but it's really impossible to bust 12GB carrier limit even if you stream data on a daily basis together with wifi hotspot for your other devices. Some even have enough to "share" the data with their ipads (ie, top up a few bucks a month for a data simcard for their ipad).

So here is my question. How much do you pay for your BIS, and as a percentage of your total bill? At this current point in time, are BIS services really worth that much?

I pay 3GBP for bis services... But I'm moving to android now so will cancel that in a few days...my full bill is 15GBP

I pay $10 a month for 500mb of BIS.
I am on Wifi 24/7 at work or at home... so it doesnt make a difference

but yes, its 20% of my phone bill... gotta love retention plans

A 1gb bis is about $30 here, 500mb about $15. This is before discounts and etc. All our data goes through BIS.

What country are you in that you need two data plans?

Blackberry plans cost the same here on Bell It shows a BIS charge on your bill but it doesn't cost any more than other plans it's all rolled into the monthly cost.

it's not a must. but your bis plan covers tethering and youtube? mine doesn't, even if i'm willing to pay for it. all external data must go through the carrier. hopefully someone creates a 3rd party email app. i don't mind if it's pull if i can save 30 bucks a month.

i also don't understand why facebook and other rim-made apps have to go through bis when other OSes can enable the apps to use carrier data. you can see that i can't just do with one, i need both data plans under this system.

Originally Posted by robsteve

A 1gb bis is about $30 here, 500mb about $15. This is before discounts and etc. All our data goes through BIS.

What country are you in that you need two data plans?

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

I pay 33.60 after taxes. I get unlimited talk+text+data and I only have to pay an extra $5 for BIS. The tethering and youtube costs are included. I never pay a penny over $33.60

Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk

BIS is not an added fee for me on Rogers,
But by having BIS when I travel I save probably $1000 per year on data costs due to compression, and my back up device, barely uses any data at all

I question if people are actually paying for usage, if you aren't hitting even half your data limit, can you reduce it and save money?

I don't think the Telus Canada charges for BIS and other phones are any different. My brother is on iPhone and I am on BB and we both pay the exact same amount for 200 min and 500 MB data $50 per phone.

Telus also offer 1GB or data and 200 min for &65 per phone for both iPhone and BB. So for me it really doesn't matter if I have a BB or not, except, on BB 500 MB is more than enough.

Originally Posted by Fubaz

I pay $10 a month for 500mb of BIS.
I am on Wifi 24/7 at work or at home... so it doesnt make a difference

but yes, its 20% of my phone bill... gotta love retention plans

I used to go on wifi all the time when I had my Bold 9700. The Bold 9900 is a bad phone for wifi so I am forced to use BIS thanks to RIM's low quality hardware. :(

Originally Posted by deRusett

BIS is not an added fee for me on Rogers,
But by having BIS when I travel I save probably $1000 per year on data costs due to compression, and my back up device, barely uses any data at all

I question if people are actually paying for usage, if you aren't hitting even half your data limit, can you reduce it and save money?

where i am in asia, the minimum for BIS is 1GB. But that won't get you bbm/app usage/browsing. purely email. next is 3GB. Sounds like a scam huh. I've hounded the customer svc reps for long enough but have not gotten a satisfactory response.

Ideally i would like a 500mb BIS plan with allows me to do everything and the rest under carrier data. Regardless, I'm paying so much more per unit of BIS data it's unbelievable.

Originally Posted by mss-ca

I used to go on wifi all the time when I had my Bold 9700. The Bold 9900 is a bad phone for wifi so I am forced to use BIS thanks to RIM's low quality hardware. :(

I actually have found my 9900 to handle wifi better than my 9800 did and I use wifi more at hotels than I used it, it used to be more work than it was worth, now pretty painless

Originally Posted by bohbohboh

where i am in asia, the minimum for BIS is 1GB. But that won't get you bbm/app usage/browsing. purely email. next is 3GB. Sounds like a scam huh. I've hounded the customer svc reps for long enough but have not gotten a satisfactory response.

Ideally i would like a 500mb BIS plan with allows me to do everything and the rest under carrier data. Regardless, I'm paying so much more per unit of BIS data it's unbelievable.

Yes, you guys are getting hosed as we say in Canada

Many BB users could survive on 250mb of data,
I'm a heavy device user, but 99% is text based, so my usage almost never breaks 1GB, with combined BIS and non BIS data, though they don't split that for us,
You need to ask about removing non BIS data, or getting that down to 1GB or less,

I agree the wi-fi on my 9900 is excellent. Where ever I go if I have been there and the settings are saved it just connects and works. To the poster with the problems is it just your home router with the problems?

But my plan is 30bucks a month for unlimited in zone data anyway.

Originally Posted by deRusett

Yes, you guys are getting hosed as we say in Canada

Many BB users could survive on 250mb of data,
I'm a heavy device user, but 99% is text based, so my usage almost never breaks 1GB, with combined BIS and non BIS data, though they don't split that for us,
You need to ask about removing non BIS data, or getting that down to 1GB or less,

Yeah he is easily getting hosed.

AT&T i'm under the old unlimited plan and not getting charged extra for BIS. On top of that cause I have a BB I get unlimited international data.

But I don't get tethering and can't add it cause I would loss my international plan.

bohbohboh, 1gb BIS should get you BBM, apps, and browsing through the BIS. I think you should look for another carrier if you can.

The same as I would pay for an android or iphone plan. My carrier doesn't charge for BIS and regular data.

Originally Posted by kbz1960

The same as I would pay for an android or iphone plan. My carrier doesn't charge for BIS and regular data.

I can't believe any carrier does. Wish the OP would tell us his carrier.

I have 1 GB of BIS included in my family plan. I also have unlimited Facebook/Twitter/e-mails, BBM, and text. We *NEVER* go over the 1 GB and never even come close to it, with 3 BB's attached to the plan. Its $160 a month incl. tax for 3 phone but imho well worth it.

Originally Posted by Foreverup

I can't believe any carrier does. Wish the OP would tell us his carrier.

It is actually common place in Europe and Asia from my understanding to have to pay BIS fee's

what RIM has failed to do was address what data plans should be attached to BlackBerry devices with those carriers. it is pretty ridiculous having a minimum 1GB BIS, and 12GB Carrier usage on a BlackBerry

I have unlimited data on my BB for $20 per month. I've had the same plan for over 7 years. At the time I got my plan, carriers didn't charge more for BIS plans. Its my opinion that people assume RIM is charging more when it is in reality the carriers.