Verizon Wireless to require enterprise level data plan for BESX access?

By on Mar 13, 2010 at 1:41 PM
General March 13, 2010

BESX

A leaked Verizon training memo reveals how Big Red will be dealing with those who have plans to connect their BlackBerry to a new BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express (BESX); it is going to cost you a little extra. The memo explains that those looking to leverage BESX will be required to have an enterprise level data plan — which typically costs $45/month — as opposed to the standard $30/month BlackBerry data plan. RIM states the requirements of BESX are:

  • A BlackBerry smartphone
  • Subscription to an internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan from your wireless service provider

Not exactly 100% accurate, as the $30 standard data plan is an “internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan,” but, we suppose, not entirely false either.  We’ve got the leaked memo after the break.

On March 1, 2010, RIM will launch BES Express (BESX), an entry-level version of BES.As with all Corporate email solutions, customers will need a corporate email data plan or feature added to a voice plan to allow access to BESX.

Note: Customers on the Email and Web for BlackBerry $29.99 data feature MAY NOT utilize BESX.

Overview:

BESX replaces BlackBerry Professional Software (BPS) in RIM’s product lineup and allows businesses using Microsoft® Exchange or Microsoft Small Business Server to support up to 75 BlackBerry subscribers without having to purchase Client Access Licenses (CAL) or a dedicated server. Additional users can be supported if BESX is installed on a dedicated server.

With the launch of BESX, RIM will discontinue the sale of BPS. Verizon Wireless will sell through our remaining BPS inventory and RIM will continue to support this solution for the foreseeable future.

Customer Information/Eligibility:

  • BESX will be available directly from the RIM website. Customers should be directed there for additional product information.
  • BESX will not be available directly from Verizon Wireless.
  • As with all Corporate email solutions, customers will need a corporate email data plan or feature added to a voice plan to allow access to BESX

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    • Essa

      Which is why I feel good taking my 425 lines over to T-Mobile in April.

      I’m not directly affected by this move described in the article, but little things here and there have given me enough reason to finally ditch Verizon after all these years.

      Their response to the FCC about why a paying customer would still have a $100 and something dollar ETF on their last month of their contract made me sick to my stomach. The greedy mother fuckers overcharge their own loyal customers for their huge ad campaigns and disguise them under and Early Termination Fee clause.

      They better be careful. Sure they’re big but its also much more costly to maintain that “big,” size and pay those employees. If company’s and individuals get smart then Verizon might one day see themselves in a world of hurt.

      • http://Verizonwireles.com Keith Krider

        Good luck with that coverage they offer

        • T-bag_mobile

          T-Mobile’s coverage area blows. You’d better rethink that choice, Essa, or you’ll be QQing about T-mobile next.

        • Essa

          Tell me where does it blow and how do those areas affect me?

        • Vzwguy29

          Look at there coverage map, there coverage is not good as Verizon’s nor is their overal value. People look at dollars and sense and not value. For instance, one of my customers whom has 280 lines with me uses 120,000 min a month and only pays for 45,000 because of free calls in Verizon (which includes Alltel) and Friends and Family paired with the Nations most reliable network and best in class support (I know it sounds like a commercial but it really is that good) There is a reason Verizon charges more, they are the best.

        • Essa

          Actually that’s where your wrong and/or naive.

          I live here in Los Angeles and this is where my company is based. I’ve used T-Mobile for years and they work just fine.

          This is where Verizon has your mind warped. Think about where customers use their wireless service not just about how much red your coverage map has.

        • Jim

          Think as a company that’s looking to grow. Sure it may be fine in the area you’re in right now. But your company is successful and grows into a nationwide chain…then who’s got the most coverage. Pretty obvious it’s not T-Mobile…it’d have to be AT&T or Verizon.

        • Gary

          Typical VZW employee douchebag who can come back with no other reason other than the coverage map.

          Do you even know where Essa is going to use the service. That would be an educated start.

          Well I read his/her reply and he/she said Los Angeles. T-Mobile works great there. T-Mobile is also launching their 21 Mbps HSPA + network there. Where’s Verizon?

          We’re mobile enthusiasts on this site. We’re not the average Joe Dummy who buys into all wireless marketing as fact. We know Verizon works well in many areas of the country but they’re not always the best in every area nor the fastest so they may not be the best choice for every small business out there.

        • Jim

          “T-Mobile works great there. T-Mobile is also launching their 21 Mbps HSPA + network there. Where’s Verizon?”

          No argument T-Mobile works great there, but Verizon works well there as well and is launching LTE this year as well. LA will most likely be one of those first launch markets. Just saying…don’t count em out.

        • Vzwguy29

          If your business only works in big cities, great T Mobile is a good company for those areas with very competitve prices but lets not confuse price with value. There is a difference.

      • MicroNix

        If you want to pay $600 for your next phone, then early terms would no longer be needed. Wake up and smell the coffee…nobody rides for free.

      • B

        Hey Essa, I work for T-Mo and would gladly take care of those 425 lines for you.

      • getoverit7

        Well if this move doesn’t affect you….why do you care so much?

        Verizon doesn’t win awards for CS for no reason either. Granted T-mobile has good customer service too and if their service works for you great.

        • haha

          getoverit7 should have stopped after the first part of that first sentence. “Verizon doesn’t win awards for CS…”

        • Jim

          No no…those awards from JD Power and about a dozen other independent sources mean nothing…

    • http://Verizonwireless.com Keith Krider

      VZW has always required a 44.99 level subscription data plan for Smarphone users to connect to corporate exchange servers, Blackberry or otherwise. Corporations only benefit by the new BESX software, not the individual user. It just means the corporations dont have to buy the expensive licenses for each individual Blackberry they will have connected.

      • DuDe254

        BESX is geared toward the smaller businesses that do not need support of full exchange. Its cheaper for the business to setup the server and cheaper for the individual user to access the Blackberry server. You do not need a $45 BES data plan to access BESX so its stupid to require that, all of the nickel and diming of customers is really going to catch up.

        • Fanboy

          I hate it when people keep saying “nickel and diming”. First off, that implies you weren’t aware of the fees. The fees are made clear if you read your paperwork like someone who cares what they’re paying for. Secondly, its the EXACT SAME fees being applied by other companies, the amounts may be different, but the fees are all still there.

        • DuDe254

          “Secondly, its the EXACT SAME fees being applied by other companies, the amounts may be different, but the fees are all still there.”

          Not sure how fees can be the same but the amounts different.

          Nickel and Diming refers a company grabbing whatever they can from the customer. It does not matter if they are aware or not. As far as I am aware VZW is the only service provider requiring the full Enterprise data package for access to BESX. People will learn they are paying $15 extra a month for a service that was designed to work without it. So back to my original point it will catch up to them in the end.

        • Fanboy

          “Not sure how fees can be the same but the amounts different.”

          All companies charge the same fees…such as a late fees, reconnection fees, activation fees. per megabyte charge, data package requirements/charges, state/federal surcharges/taxes, etc. These are the fees most typically complained about. The amounts of some of these fees are different with the varying companies.

          But this all brings me back to my original point. The fee’s aren’t hidden and there is no one forcing you to sign with Verizon Wireless. If the service they have cost too much or they charge higher than other companies for what you want, then don’t use it. The BESX is an enterprise service. I don’t believe I have seen an official announcement from other companies as to what they will charge. Come to think of it, this isn’t an announcement from VZW either…this is a “leak”. It could be from someone who got an early draft of a document before the final decision is made.

    • Lb

      Your dumb, its always been $45 to hook up a blackberry to a corporate enterprise…….. $30 for anything else

      • Sally

        Yes but this is the BIS plan we’re talking about. BIS users who happen to use this new feature will be forced to pay BES rates.

        Verizon is an opportunist naturally. They are looking for every way to make more money off of their customer. That’s what they promise to their parent company shareholders every quarter.

        They will constantly push the boundaries on what is acceptable or fair pricing and only if enough bad PR or heat is applied will they detract.

        Look how fast they took some phones off the $350 ETF list when the FCC begin to do a little more digging?

        • Fanboy

          And…?

          What’s wrong with looking to make money wherever you can? Ask Microsoft and Apple how it’s worked out for them…I’ll wait.

        • DuDe254

          Nothing wrong with wanting to make money. The problem comes when it is at the expense of the very customer they are trying to please.

        • Fanboy

          Making money is always at the expense of the customer…that’s how money is made.

    • Gino

      Can’t wait to hear how customer service will explain the higher rates to their customers.

      They’re probably being brainwashed right now with company literature and advised to tell customers that this price increase somehow is “to make the customer experience more enjoyable and worry free.”

      That’s the kind of BS Verizon customer service reps fed us over the new forced data plans on dumb phones.

      • Fanboy

        Yes….brainwashed. It couldn’t be that they say what they’re supposed to say because they need a job. Do you REALLY think anyone WANTS to work customer service? That’s like wanting to work baggage claim…just plain dumb. You take the jobs you can get, you do what your boss says so you can keep the job. It’s not brainwashing, it’s doing your job.

        • Fanboy

          Oh…and the new forced data plans were out for AT&T for weeks to months on their messaging phones before they were on Verizon. Verizon was just following suit, but I don’t hear anyone griping about AT&T…

    • Darshaun

      HD2 here we come. All 4 of my lines.

      Verizon’s okay but they suck the life out of me with their stupid fees.

      Their phones aren’t all that either. They have a lot of smartphones but most of them are ones nobody really wants other than B2B customers who have no other choice.

      I’m tired of paying all those unionized landlines workers pensions in increased fees and bogus taxes.

    • J

      Hmm… okay, you guys want to be able to push the extra data that comes along with a BES type connection but you think you should only pay the same as what a BIS plan pays that only pushes email OTA (for the most part)? You guys crack me up.

      Ultimately, VZW has every right to dictate that you should pay more for using more of their network. Period, regardless of how RIM designed the software. RIM doesn’t own the network and doesn’t have upkeep costs for that network.

      • Jim

        Just wait, Verizon leadership has made it clear the unlimited data plans will be going away with all companies in the near future. It’s just not a sustainable model as less voice and more data is being used.

        You’ll see more unlimited voice and metered data in the near future I think.

    • B

      They have always required the $44.95 plan for this service. You’re connecting to an Exchange server. It’s the same as BPS that also required the $44.95. This has nothing to do with BIS and won’t work with the BIS site. This is a baby BES basically and requires the same plan, as it always has.

    • Robr

      I am running the new BESx and I use the BIS plan. It works just fine, so far.

    • Mark K

      You think this place is bad just go to Howardforums. The reps there defend each and every price increase brought on by Verizon as if they were acts of God.

      You should check out the increased ETF thread they have there.

      No other carrier breeds as many rabid low paid retail employees as Verizon Wireless

    • SmartGuy

      I think I’ll go with Sprint. They don’t have ANY upcharge for BESX! Check them out. THey are also rolling out 4G here and it ROCKS!

    • RussP

      Sprint only charges an add on cost of $10 per month for BIS and $29.99 for BES on BB. In rolling out BESX, it is available to all customers on BIS or BES service. Seems crazy to force customers to be on the higher end plan when BESX doesn’t need it to work properly!

    • RSlop

      Just so you know.. T-Mobile has a $200 etf that applies all the way to the last day of the contract.
      Cancel 1 day early = $200

    • MushroomStamp

      @Micronix: Huh? we have several droids that sync with the exchange server and they only pay the $30 dollar data plan, not the enterprise $45 plan.

    • Joe

      Verizon never seizes to fail epically!! How many ridiculous charges will it take to piss people off to the point of leaving… Seriously, they could put a fee on your bill called “Verizon’s extra pocket money” and people would probably STILL back this joke of a company up.

    • Truth

      This move looks slimilar to what they are doing with the iPhone on AT&T. They want you to sign up with their $45 plan for enterprise data even though there is nothing that prevents your device from working with the $30 plan. They make it confusing on purpose! http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/iPhone3G/index.jsp

    • TMO

      First T-Mobile has tiered termination fee’s so whoever said its $200 to the end is wrong. Second to the Verizon guy who has the company overpaying…who cares about M2M these days, T-Mobile has unlimited to everyone B2B plans starting at $219. for the first 5 lines and $40 for each additional line. With true unlimited calling who needs M2M, the days of that really mattering are over with. It’s also far to say that many of your companies M2M minutes are to each other which they would get with any carrier. If your a bigger company with T-Mobile you get discounts on top of these, and coverage may not the best in rual areas, but for most people it’s service where they need it most. Not saying everyone…..

    • Gregory

      And how does your comment add anything to a conversation? I hate posters like you.

      Anyway, I don’t think this is a wise move on Verizon’s part. It sounds like RIM would be fine with Blackberry users with a 29.99 data plan using BESX, but of course Verizon gets their way again. It really is time these handset makers stand up to these companies, and they all start thinking about their customers- not just their pockets.

    • MicroNix

      Even non-BES users pay extra (Droid) for corporate email. How is this any different?

    • Gregory

      When you’re going to try and fake being me, make sure you use punctuation, as I ALWAYS do. And also I don’t use “btw”, or anything of the sort. I spell out my words.

      Thanks.

    • Gregory

      Oh, and just a reminder, I am a sellout and a worthless consumer whore.

      Thanks.

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