Okay, here is the reply I received, doesn't look lovely, nor does it look like it will be in a month.
Here was my email to them:
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Yes, so the solution would be on the tech side of things to allow the
blackberry service to use the APN that the T-mobile internet service uses.
This would allow the blackberry to use both the blackberry defautl apps and
any other apps that use an apn.
I know this can be done, it is simply a matter of whether you guys are going
to do it.
I heard it rumored on some discussion forums that T-mobile was going to allow
this in February of 2005.
I need a definitive answer from you, as this decides whether I stay a
T-mobile customer or not. Please respond so I know whether I need to send
back my phone and cancel my account.
I am using your service to see if our entire tech department will use
t-mobile or have to use someone else.
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Then their reply:
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Thank you for taking the time to contact T-Mobile.
You are correct that this is possible and can be done. However, with the current configurations the way they are (both in the Blackberry Service books and our billing system) this is impossible as it stands today. I can confirm that nearly everything in the post you provided is true. However, the list of ports blocked over each APN is not entirely a secret, however this information is not widely distributed as knowledge of blocked ports also implies knowledge of open ports and this could lead to exploitation. The key item to remember about the post is that the author stated that they "pushed" the rep and he gave an answer. I can confirm that we have heard rumor of the provisioning of additional access for Blackberry users, however the last email we received on the topic stated that this was "in the works" but at that time it was not known what form that access would become available. This email was distributed last year and we have yet to hear any updates to the plan.
A change in the current configurations would take a drastic reorganization of many of the items that affect your service. First, your current feature subscription would have to be updated in the billing system. This may mean that a new service or feature add-on may be required or the existing features modified. Next, the HLRs or network controllers would need to be updated with the new service provisioning. Then, the Blackberry service books must be modified and redistributed to all blackberry users. This alone takes time to plan and implement. This also doesn't take into account the time it will take to validate the updates and ensure that any changes made do not affect existing Blackberry services. Bottom line: The changes are coming, but we do not have an estimated release date. Marketing will, undoubtedly, make any release very public and possibly include a flier in your bill notifying every Blackberry subscriber of the release.
I hope this helps you make your decision.
If you have any other comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us anytime.
Thank you for choosing T-Mobile.
Will
Advanced Technical Care
T-Mobile USA
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So it appears that there will be a change, but it doesn't sound like it is coming this month, or the next or the next. Perhaps when I'm harvesting corn from my vegetable garden I will be able to ssh into my servers.
Did I really need color and a built-in phone?
