I have been trying to get my mind around Instant Messaging. After moving to Frankfurt a year ago, I was surprised by a several hundred dollar bill from T-Mobil. My Curve has a US number and I use it for email and Internet research when within range of my wi fi. I was using SMS just as I had been in Asia and was surprised that I was getting a minimum 35 cent bill for each message that I originated.

I just read an article that seems to say that I can use BIM pin-to-pin, Europe to US and not receive that charge for each originated message.

Can anyone offer help or advice other than try it and wait to see if it shows up on a bill? No matter what I do, unless this is a special system, I beleive that I will be accessing a T-Mobile Deutschetelekom tower and incurring the cost.

thanks.

Wirelessly posted (my new touch button BB)

BBM and PIN use actual data. Friend who ravels europe and africa uses it often with no additinal charge

BlackBerry Messenger is ONLY data, not SMS, and you will never be charged for SMS when using BlackBerry Messenger. BBM uses PIN to PIN communication for data transmission, not SMS/Text. It doesn't matter what country or carrier you or the other user is on.

You must be using another SMS-based instant messaging application, like OZ Instant Messeger. Either that, or you don't have an Internation Data Plan with your TMo-US account? That would explain the high charges for data use out of the US.

Vodafone Spain charges BBMessenger text as SMS.

Quite honestly, I find that hard to believe, but I am always willing to see facts, such as a link to the Vodafone Spain website stating such.

But meanwhile, make certain you are speaking of BlackBerry Messenger itself, NOT a generic BlackBerry messenger application, such as OZ.

Sure. I'm talking about BBMessenger.
Sure. I was charged for text using BBMessenger as SMS.
Sure. Its Vodafone Spain.
My data plan is 3MB/month, 6 euros cost. Vodafone Lite, called.

Maybe so, I don't doubt anything now-a-days. But I still find it hard to believe, and I need would still need to see some facts with a source.

do u wanna see my bills ?

I already mentioned what I would like to see.

Do your bills state "BlackBerry Messenger" as the charge?

Really, I am not trying to be confrontational here about this, but it is just quite out of the ordinary, and I find it odd that you are the first/only user to report this (and we have other Vodafone-Spain users here).

I do.

I dont wanna any conflict.
And u cannt see BBMessenger in my bill.
But, when i text my friends throght BBMessenger, Vodafone Spain charged me as a SMS. I know that, because i paid a much money in one of my bills, i called to Vodafone's Client Attention and they explained me that.

I've been contact 2 minutes ago w/ Vodafone's Clients Office and they explained me one more time that BBMessenger is not included in Vodafone Lite Mail. They charge any txt as sms.

When you say BBMessenger are you talking specifcally about Blackberry Messenger or do you mean "text messaging on the Blackberry"? There's no way that the former can be charged as SMS. It would be interesting to be proven wrong...

What is the specific name of the icon that you use for instant messaging?

Wait -- so you're on Vodafone Lite Mail? Is that an email-only plan? Are you charged per-use on all data? That would make sense for your BBM charges but it still wouldn't make "BBM charged as SMS".

Yes, it would. He apparently doesn't have a Data Plan, and is probably being charged by the KB or such.

In my bill is charged as Blackberry Lite. (6 Euros+taxes.)
3 MB/month w/ Mail + Attachments.
I ask Vodafone by mail to send u the answer to my question.
if u can read spanish follow this link
Vodafone - Info servicio

It sounds crazy but still real !!!!
I paid 130 and 101 Euros in my bills.
Then i ask Vodafone and they explained me the truth about Vodafone Mail Lite.

I just read it and indeed it is only an Email service, not data plan

.. and that's fine. We have yet to determine if the carrier is charging per/Kb for data usage of BB Messenger, or if they're indeed being charged as SMS/Text messages.

I am inclined to believe that the charges are typical per/KB data charges.... but even that sounds fishy.

To be perfectly honest... I don't even see how BB Messenger can function at all without a BlackBerry Data Plan.

It is indeed disappointing that some companies charge extra money to do what the mobile is intended for in the first place.

Last year I thought I was being smart by changing the apn servers in my BB in order to let QuickIM (or some other IM software) function on my Berry only to get a bill a of 250 extra bucks (the equivalent in pesos) just for data connection even though I have an UNLIMITED data plan.

I found out the painful (on my pocket) way that I DO have an unlimited data plan, but only if I stick to the regular server of Telcel and not the apn server I found out on the internet (that belongs to Telcel as well).

Now I have to use GT through PSI-jabber transport in order to avoid extra charges on my bill just to have my MSN contacts at hand.

Let me try to clarify why I asked the original question.

I have the following on my plan. Maybe one of the gurus can see where I am having a problem in the plan that causes the additional cost:
BB BIS Add-on
Worldwide roaming
CSD Option
HS @ home (works for data, but not voice)
600 minutes plus unlimited weekend
World Class International Rate

I use email extensively - 40 - 50 times a day. No charge. I do have a limitation on browsing over here (5MB Per month, I think), but since I do most of my work in my apartment on Wi-Fi, there is no additional charge.

The SMS issue came up after June of 2007. After using it extensively throughout Asia and Europe, usually T-Mobile to T-Mobile customer, the 35 cent per originated message started appearing. It was almost $650 for one month. I switched back to email and there were no other surprises except roaming charges if I answered an email away from my home tower or flipped to another German cell system. Also, though I have a 600 minute plan for voice, only occasionally can I make a call on a weekend and not get a Euro-per-minute charge. And that is where I beleive the difference might be.

If SMS is the same pathway as SMS (different delivery method), and an SMS message is .35, wouldn't a BBM message be treated the same way? I was wondering if the BBM was like some sort of abbreviated email and, therefore, no additional charge.

When I called T-Mobile USA about the surprise bill, they stated that the .35 charge was a connection fee to the local tower assessed by T-M D or another local German carrier. In Moscow, that same connection charge was a dollar and has since gone up. At the same time, a collegue used SMS in France and saw no additional charges.

An "originated" SMS (and maybe BBM?) is any SMS that I send - original or response.

Hope this helps. I have been a BB proponent for years and would like to pass something interesting on to others.