Comments on: What If RIM Gave Everyone BBM Data Plans Free Through Carriers?

By: Rumor: Balsillie Wanted to Offer BlackBerry Network to Carriers for Low Cost Instant Messaging and Social Media | 101 Best BlackBerry Apps

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:00:37 +0000

[...] Here’s a post from back in January where we suggested something like this. [...]

By: Iwamoto 3rd

Iwamoto 3rd — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:13:00 +0000

RIM would definately profit from free or cheap BBM for anyone who buys a blackberry, its still the best instant message service out there you can’t deny it. But of course the money grubbin billionaires will not have that how else can they bilk their millions of parents who pay for their kids cell service. Shame on you RIM board and lobbiest for Bell, Rogers,Telus and all the other money grubbin billionaires. Someday its all gonna even out as us middle class people rise up and take over the world. BEWARE OF. US WE ARE COMING FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!

By: Rumor: Balsillie Wanted to Offer BlackBerry Network to Carriers for Low Cost Instant Messaging and Social Media | BlackBerry Cool

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:42:49 +0000

[...] Here’s a post from back in January where we suggested something like this. [...]

By: sciomako

sciomako — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:46:00 +0000

Hi,

May I ask where you got the $2-3 figure? I’m wondering if the carrier takes a cut on it.

By: ???????????????? blackberry ???????????? BBM ???????????????????????????? vodafone ????????? | ???????????? ?????

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:33:39 +0000

[...] : http://www.blackberrycool.com/2012/01/12/what-if-rim-gave-everyone-bbm-data-plans-free-through-carri…TweetRelated Posts??????????? (Ritchie Street) [...]

By: RIM organizes BBM Hackathon event in Gurgaon – TelecomTiger | India – iWooho.com

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:16:54 +0000

[...] relations team. …BlackBerry Announces Six Grand Prize Winners of the BBM ChallengeIEWY NewsWhat If RIM Gave Everyone BBM Data Plans Free Through Carriers?Blackberry CoolRIM hosts BBM Hackathon for developersIBNLive.comToronto Star -The [...]

By: Kyle McInnes

Kyle McInnes — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:31:00 +0000

I like what you’re saying, specifically about the bare-bones BlackBerry. It would be a great way to capture the Indian and Chinese markets and sow some seeds for upgrades. RIM would still get the $2-$3 per subscriber.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:18:00 +0000

Are you proposing that all current subscriber based of 75M eventually get free BBM? Even if only “new” customers are eligible for this, existing customers will eventually churn and sign up as new. Based on 2 year service contract, it will take no more than that for the total sub base to get free BBM. BTW, it’s not just the lost revenue from free BBM. The margin on BBM, like on SMS, is outrageously high. Just to make up the lost margin, RIM will have to sell boatload of incremental handsets. My guess is that free BBM alone will not generate enough incremental sales to make this a margin neutral, let alone a margin positive, endeavor.
Your proposal makes great sense from a consumer perspective but financially ruinous from RIM’s perspective. Rather than free BBM, I would go with introducing a bare bone Blackberry that does nothing but voice and BBM (maybe 2-3MP camera) and give it away for free (to both carriers and consumers) when the consumer signs up for a fully loaded BBM service and no contract needed. We all know that a recurring revenue base with high margin is always better than one-time revenue with meh margin.

By: Kyle McInnes

Kyle McInnes — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:05:00 +0000

I’m not sure if it’s an SMS alternative. I have BBM but I use SMS every day for all my contacts that don’t have a BlackBerry. I probably SMS more than BBM. I don’t see people ever giving up SMS. Just having more fun with their BlackBerry.

By: Kyle McInnes

Kyle McInnes — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:04:00 +0000

I’d like to see that too. I’m not sure how much RIM can influence the use of WiFi data without a data plan but hopefully it’s being negotiated.

By: Wayne Schulz

Wayne Schulz — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:02:00 +0000

BBM is an SMS alternative. So you’re thinking carriers would be persuaded to give up $20 to $30 per month for unlimited SMS (which is what most charge a customer) in exchange for 25 cents?

Yeah sounds great…

By: wors

wors — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:13:00 +0000

Makes sense to me. Esp. with app world now working with WIFI only.

However, as a dev, we still need users to have a social or BIS plan in many cases. If BBM was free, and other data for a fee, we’d need to adjust our apps I think

By: Keetchigan

Keetchigan — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:49:00 +0000

I would be able to sell more blackberrys for sure. Not only that, but if rim removed some of the restrictions and forcibly allowed all bb devices to use bbm over wifi (which can be blocked by carriers believe it or not) they would be able to compete in some remote, wifi internet only markets.

By: Keetchigan

Keetchigan — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:49:00 +0000