The development will be of particular interest to owners or employees of micro and small enterprises, who are unable to afford contract packages, but still need enhanced mobile services such as e-mail, web browsing and other business applications, a report on itnewsafrica.com said.

The new Prepaid Blackberry solution includes the ability for users to use email accounts, browse the internet, view, send and post pictures directly on the web, download applications, schedule appointments, and use other office tools while not being at their offices.

Emeka Oparah, Zain Nigeria’s spokesman and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Relations said: “We are further strengthened in the telecom business with the introduction of the service for all categories of our customers in our bid to remove communication barrier for all because “no matter the platform you belong, every subscriber irrespective of status is a contributor to our business growth.”

The Blackberry services will also be available to customers who travel to other countries and regions, as it will be connected to the borderless Zain One Network, providing connectivity to customers across Zain’s Middle East and Africa territories.

A range of BlackBerry smart phones including BlackBerry Pearl 8100 Smartphone, BlackBerry 8820 Smartphone, BlackBerry Curve 8320 Smartphone, BlackBerry Bold 9000 Smartphone, BlackBerry Curve 8900 (Javelin) and BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 are already available in Zain shops throughout the country.