[shajufx]

Originally Posted by discobiscuit

I am currently using BB services from Airtel....if something does go wrong you're SOL, and have to spend countless hours with the inefficient customer service personal at 7070.

Airtel services and Blackberry on airtel are good and the network coverage is one of the best. I shifted my home broadband from BSNL to Airtel, so far no complaints (1 year). I moved from Reliance cdma to Airtel Postpaid mobile, so far no issues of network nor of other services ( 4 years ), I moved from Mobile Office to Blackberry internet (Airtel), so far no issues nor complaints (1 month). I have relatives using Reliance and Tata indicom broadband and Mobile services, they call the customer service atleast once a week. Reasons plenty !

Blackberry is an international service unlike any other things in India. Its not owned by any indian brands nor providers. Therefore quality of service could be the same regardless of the provider. But then its a question of who has the best customer support ?

[discobiscuit]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Blackberry is an international service unlike any other things in India. Its not owned by any indian brands nor providers. Therefore quality of service could be the same regardless of the provider. But then its a question of who has the best customer support ?

Very true. Telcom companies are using the Blackberry brand name to promote their service. Therefore providing bad customer service is not only going to hurt the Telcom company but also is a blow for Blackberry.

I had an awkward problem with my service on the first of october (singal strength dropped from EDGE to edge). I registered a complaint on the very same day. Customer Service fills you up with blind promises saying "it will be sorted out within the next 4 hours" and blah blah. All a bunch of lies. After 20-30 calls to them (expaining each time to a different person what the problem was, and please also consider the amount of time 7070 puts you on hold) finally after a dozen lies the problem takes 10 seconds to sort out on the 5th of October.

To take away a vital service like BB for about a week (for which we pay Rs.900 a month)is very crucial depending upon the line of work you are in and how much you depend on your BB. That said, for the largest telcom company( i think) in india to treat their customers in this mannar is highly disturbing.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by discobiscuit

I had an awkward problem with my service on the first of october (singal strength dropped from EDGE to edge)........After 20-30 calls to them (expaining each time to a different person what the problem was, and please also consider the amount of time 7070 puts you on hold)

Thats a new info for me that signal strenth decides your EDGE or edge ! I remember a display of edge on my mobile the first day I activated BB (just 1 month). Next day it changed to EDGE. I had experimented some Vista and i-phone themes in between. So I thought the display would have changed on a different theme !

So you have any idea on the speed difference between these two ? I cant find any means to check the internet speed on the BB nor the KBs used each day or week. Third party applications are totally filtered by Airtel. I have a mobile trading platform which I need to run as part of my work, but not finding a way to set it up. Guys at 7070 have only one answer, "Sir, no third party software is permitted".

[discobiscuit]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Thats a new info for me that signal strenth decides your EDGE or edge ! I remember a display of edge on my mobile the first day I activated BB (just 1 month). Next day it changed to EDGE. I had experimented some Vista and i-phone themes in between. So I thought the display would have changed on a different theme !

So you have any idea on the speed difference between these two ? I cant find any means to check the internet speed on the BB nor the KBs used each day or week. Third party applications are totally filtered by Airtel. I have a mobile trading platform which I need to run as part of my work, but not finding a way to set it up. Guys at 7070 have only one answer, "Sir, no third party software is permitted".

with edge you can barely do anything. well let me tell what you could manage to do.
1. make phone calls
2. if you're lucky, you might be able to send SMSs

what you cannot do (and what you need EDGE for)
1. Send & receive emails
2. Send SMS/MMS (i couldn't do it on edge)
3. Browse intraweb
4. Maps, weather, stock ticker, everthing you would actually use with the device.

I have no idea about data usage tracking as i am subscribed for the unlimited package. My signal switched due to some glitch and they just had to reset or whatever and restart BB on my device on their and my behalf. (What pissed me off was they put this simple task for 4 full days, when it took them less than 10 mins to sort it out)

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Thats a new info for me that signal strenth decides your EDGE or edge ! I remember a display of edge on my mobile the first day I activated BB (just 1 month). Next day it changed to EDGE. I had experimented some Vista and i-phone themes in between. So I thought the display would have changed on a different theme !

So you have any idea on the speed difference between these two ? I cant find any means to check the internet speed on the BB nor the KBs used each day or week. Third party applications are totally filtered by Airtel. I have a mobile trading platform which I need to run as part of my work, but not finding a way to set it up. Guys at 7070 have only one answer, "Sir, no third party software is permitted".

Googling gave me this Blackberry Pearl 8100 review, Airtel and Hutch Blackberry GPRS service in India

Once the Blackberry service is activated on the Blackberry, the 'edge' icon on the Pearl screen changes to EDGE. This means the GPRS data connection is on, ready to receive and send mails, chat, SMS, MMS etc.


The mail services on my Blackberry pearl worked to my near-complete satisfaction. Why near-complete? Reason is, Blackberry services, as I said early, requires GPRS EDGE service. In my case, Airtel provides the service. Sometimes, Blackberry services go down and EDGE changes to edge, and you may not notice it. This means the data connection is no longer active, though you may still be making and receiving phone calls. If a mail lands up in your mailbox when the EDGE service is down, you get it only after the service is up again. The EDGE service occasionaly snaps, though Airtel tries to quickly restore it. Once I got an Airtel SMS that the service is down and under maintenance for sometime. But several times I have noticed that the data connection dies and comes back to life in a short while without any information from Airtel.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Googling gave me this .

Thanks Jaggu for the information. I am kicking my lazy bum for ignoring the google button !

Originally Posted by shajufx

I have a mobile trading platform which I need to run as part of my work, but not finding a way to set it up.

This is something I have been trying by all means since many days. Almost tired of searching all the forums, blackberry reviews, discussions etc. but so far no solution. If anyone uses a third party software of any kind by surpassing the service provider filtering, please leave a note here. It is part of my profession, so there is no way I can ignore this. This software is supported by all the US and European BB service providers.

[Jaggu]

Does this app have any settings menu? Internet access is through GPRS/EDGE irrespective of BB or not, right?

So if there is an option where one can set the APN, that should suffice?

Ok following that lines i came upon this http://www.blackberryforums.com/blac...ip-no-bes.html

Does the instructions help?

How to Configure Full Internet Access On BlackBerry

You are interested, if you want to do any of the following, especially if you are an individual prosumer rather than a big corporate user:
Run BES-required Internet software without BES!
Instant Messaging, AIM, ICQ, MSN (Verichat, WebMessenger, BerryVine, IM+, etc.)
Full HTML web browsing ability (Reqwireless, BlackBerry Browser, etc.)
IRC chatting (virca, wlirc, etc.)
telnet/ssh (Idokorro, etc.)
No BES needed! No MDS needed!
Easy 1-2-3 Instructions:
Upgrade your BlackBerryOS
You need BlackBerry with OS 3.8 or later. If you have an older version of BlackBerryOS, please Download BlackBerryOS 4.0 and install it on your BlackBerry first.
.
Configure your BlackBerry & Your Carrier
On the BlackBerry handheld, go to Options -> TCP
There is a new option in BlackBerryOS 3.8 and later. Then fill in APN with the provided APN listead in the below post, that is appropriate for your carrier. If no username or password is provided, leave these blank. If only a username is provided, then leave in the password. Also, ignore the Gateway IP address, unless your Blackberry specifically has a textbox to enter the IP address in. "APN" means "Access Point Name". Once you have saved the APN information, you should reboot your BlackBerry by removing and reinserting the battery.
.
Run your BlackBerry Internet Software
Once you have filled this information, your Internet applications should work on your BlackBerry. TCP/IP makes Internet software work, including chat software: Verichat, WebMessenger, IRC, Telnet/SSH, Web browsing, etc.
Occasionally, some applications on the BlackBerry need to have the gateway or APN information entered directly into them. This is not common.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Occasionally, some applications on the BlackBerry need to have the gateway or APN information entered directly into them. This is not common.

Yes I got this instructions from my US office support guys specifically for BB on Airtel. According to their instruction I have configured my BB Pearl APN to airtelgprs.com, username and password as 'guest'. Saved all the settings and tried loggin in. Failure !

Apart from this they suggested contacting the BB support of the service provider, nothing else to be done from their side. So I am still trying to figure out how to run this software. It works on Mobile Office on all Java enabled phones. The message I get when I try to run this software is: "Phantom connection.run Unhandled exception ex: there was a problem creating the socket connection. Invalid url parameter". Hope it gives some ideas to tech brains in our forum. I believe team-bhp members are 100 times better than the 7070 guys, I can vouch for it anyday !

[Jaggu]

Leave the username and password blank and see if it works, as far as i know airtel doesnt need any. Maybe a restart also.

[Sam Kapasi]

From day one of having my BB, my internet has worked perfectly through the BB network. (With no mobile office)
I am able to surf the internet at no extra chage.

Apart from this I am able to use google chat, MSN Messenger and BB messenger, often simultaneously on my phone. I have been online in google messenger for weeks at a time.
All this without no modification, simply by downloading google chat for BB etc. using my BB.

[shajufx]

Tried mix and match of all imaginable things on the APN field ! Could not succeed. If there is atleast one smart guy at 7070, this issue could have been solved within 2 minutes. Infact, BB service would not help me a bit work-wise if this trading software doesnt function, eventually leading to cancellation of BB and opting for Mobile office.

Sam, I am using all what you have mentioned without any issue. My browser, instant messengers, BB messenger and all other functions are normal. But all of them put together serves only 30% of my professional needs. Rest 70% goes to a LIVE trading platform (Mobile version) which doesnt seem to be supported by Airtel !

Now I feel this could be caused by my "network locked" handset. I am not sure, unless someone with an unlocked handset could try this out.

Do we have a mobile version for our team-bhp website ? I have heard Sam mentioning some posting done from blackberry while being in Germany. I tried to open private messages and threads, but it doesnt complete, not able to reply to even private messages too. Any suggestions ?

[Wheeliej]

Hi all,

Am using BB Pearl 8120; got it around 4 months ago on ebay for 16k; was locked with O2 and subsequently unlocked by ebay seller; works fine except for sms function.

Mine is a corporate account, hence it was easier for the connections part. But try to send an email to 'enterprise.blr@airtel.in'; 'enterprise@airtel.in'; 'Bellikatty.Ms@airtel.in' for connections.

I dont believe you require mobileoffice on blackberry since the Internet icon will connect you to all your email accounts and internet sites; Internet is mostly available except for some Java connection that may restrict you from opening some sites and .pps downloads. Havent had the time to figure it out yet.

For Airtel bb, there is another number to call - i think it is 12111 or 12119 - and there is a dedicated bb customer service line running from Delhi (but accessible thru local call to their call center) which the lesser mortals in Airtel (call center agents dont know about). it is a good idea to ask for their team leader when calling the local call center.

For sms malfunction, i called the local cc and they asked me to switch the sim card into another phone and see if the sms functioned from there;
- if it did then there was likely a problem with the handset in which case I could take the handset to their Bannerghatta Road office (for bangalore) and have it serviced provided I could produce a bill (which i can, ofcourse)
- if it didnt, then there was likely a problem with the sim card and that would need to be replaced.
Havent found the time or the interest to check out this yet; will update this post if and when I do

I have used bb for several years now and like the feeling of being able to connect all the time without having to switch on the laptop each time to check if an important mail or escalation has come through; though i know a lot of people who quite simply hate it (some even hate mobile phones too).

Cheers,

[discobiscuit]

is this a BES/BIS issue?

[Wheeliej]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Leave the username and password blank and see if it works, as far as i know airtel doesnt need any. Maybe a restart also.

Hi, I had a Mobile office connection on my personal mobile for sometime (before i got my BB) and the set up is pretty easy; call up 121 (for airtel) and ask for how to set up mobile office; they know what they are talking about; they will ask you which phone & model you are using and take you thru step by step

If I recall correctly.
- you need to give a name for your connection, so 'mo' it was
- for GPRS, you need to type 'airtelgprs'
- no username or password;
- save
- switch off and restart the mobile after 30 seconds.

Sam, I know the BB is really great for chat functions as well; my current employer doesnt permit any messengers on the bb service :(

Cheers

[Jaggu]

APN: airtelgprs.com
User Name:
Password:

This is what i had in mind and hope you have tried the same.