I have cingular service and am about to purchase a personal BB. I called AT&T (cingular) to inquire about my usage on my work BB and the rep told me over the past 3 months i've been averaging 2.6-2.9MB. I was hoping to find an inexpensive data pkg to tack onto my cingular plan but I'm not sure which to choose. There is a Medianet pkg for 9.99/mo which seems to say 5mb of data is included - then there is a 19.99 5mb data plan and a 39.99 4mb blackberry data plan. What do you all use - and obviously how much do you pay? I'm looking to mitigate the cost as much as possible. Thanks.

Tmobile user here...

I use an add on plan w/ unlimited email and internet for $19.99. I just my BB so I figure that's a good start, until I figure out how to use the thing.

I'm so sorry you have Cingular. Are you stuck w/ them?

I had had Cingular about 18 months and a BB for 5 months. I have National 450 Minute plan for $39 and BB UNL ADD ON $44.99. I have never been charged for overages on minutes or data. I use the BB for email, IM and browsing, have downloaded only 4 apps. My total bill with taxes, etc runs about $82 with my Disney 19% discount.

One thing that can be confusing is "included data", so far I have not had any issues, but things like text messaging (Not IM with a 3rd party software) can cost as much as 10cents a message. So you have to be careful about the type of data. It seems like they are getting better and "unlimited" seems to be covering more and more.

Verizon's unlimited data usage for $45.99 (I think) with BroadbandAccess (1X/EVDO).

Wow! My Tmo total plan is:

National 1500 anytime min w/ free nights & w/e's for $49.99
Plus Unlimited internet & email for $19.99

The BBE would be $10 more a month.
(I also have any 400 mesages (unfortunately that includes IM, but I don't use IM), equipment protection and roadside assistance)

My total bill is $77.96 not including tax with no discount...hence the reason I love Tmobile. I've NEVER understood the appeal of Cingular with the exception of rollover, but that certainely doesn't make it worth it.

I also had AT&T wireless. When I went to get a blackberry, I found that it was considerably more beneficial to switch, (really switch) to Cingular.

The plans available directly from Cingular are far better then the ones that AT&T w/l offers, even though they are the same company

If you were replying to my thoughts on the matter TMO=Tmobile. Of course, if you were with At&t under contract, switching to Cingular may have been more benificial in that sense. If you weren't under contract you should've bailed. I'll stop pimping T-Mobile, though. It speaks for itself.

The biggest reason I picked ATT (and then switch to Cingular) is it was the only provider that worked for me at home. I was with Sprint, and never had a signal within 1/2 mile of my home. I surveyed my neigbhors and ATT was the only service that worked in my neck of the woods.

I know it would only take one tower, but without it I don't have a choice. Can you hear me now? ;)

tmo 7290... no voice just data 29.99 unlimited.. nextel 860 voice 49.99 free incoming

wow - TMO is cheap - i'm not under contract but i'm on a family plan with my girlfriend and she is committed to cingular for another year or so - she couldnt not have that damn black razr. I want to get an 8700 - and use it for voice/phone so i'm not completely bound to but would like to stay with cingular.

i guess my question really is - do any of you just have a data plan (not a blackberry plan) from cingular and does it cover email and browsing on your BB? the data plan seems cheaper and I already have the voice and sms packages to serve those needs. i'm just curious if it will work out or if ill get stranded with a huge bill for 1 month?

you have to have a blackberry plan with a blackberry..they wont let you just get a data plan like if you have a treo

NEXTEL unlimited data 49.99, 1000 voice minutes 54.99 , $10 for TeleNav

The appeal of Cingular is that they actually have a network that works outside cities. I have had more than enough experience with every major carrier in the last two to three years (Verizon, TMobile, Sprint, Nextel, ATTWS, Cingular), either through personal phones or ones issued to me by my office, to know the ups and downs of each carrier. TMobile's huge, gigantic "down" is their pitiful excuse for a network. The coverage was even worse than with Sprint. I travel semi-frequently, and the phone seemed to never work unless I was on a major highway. Even around my home city it would drop all the time. Yes, they're cheap, and that's why -- they don't really put much into expanding their network. I could never seem to rely on the TMobile network, no matter where I was.

I pay about the same as you for my Cingular BB with 450 anytime, unlimited N&W, unlimited Cingular-to-Cingular, unlimited BB data (after a slight discount). I use a total of around 1100 minutes a month, but only about 300 of those come out of my 450 anytime pool. Most of the minutes--usually around 600 to 700--are to other Cingular phones, which for me is another huge appeal of Cingular: they have the most subscribers, and since C2C is free you're going to get a lot of free minutes.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7100i/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/103)

Nextel unlimited $45 with $39 1000 minutes.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7100i/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/103)

Nextel unlimited $45 with $39 1000 minutes.

Understandable! I always forget that everyone is not such a homebody. T-Mobile will get there. I have faith!!

Here a thread that might interest you, although I assume most of this is billing errors, it can happen. This mentions $1100 & $250 bills from Cingular and $1300 from TMobile.

Just got an $1100 bill from cingular

wow. i wish we had that selection in Canada.
I pay $90 a month (plus $7 system access fee- so $97+tax, etc) for unlimited data (capped at 25mb), 350 daytime minutes (which is not nearly enough) and unlimited evenings and weekends. Plus another $12 for voicemail, caller id, etc.

When all is said and done, we're looking at $120ish dollars for a 25mb cap and insufficient daytime minutes. This is the LARGEST plan offered by rogers. I just wish I could increase my number of daytime miniutes.