Orange launches UK’s first PAYG Blackberry

Mobile operator Orange has launched the Blackberry Pearl 8120 on pay-as-you-go.

Costing £145 for the handset, web access costs £5 per month on the PAYG Animal package.

The £5 monthly charge includes access to email, social networks, and messaging.

Pippa Dunn, Orange UK’s director of PAYG, said: “With nearly two thirds of UK mobile customers now using PAYG, we are really pleased to be bringing one of the most popular email and multimedia devices to the masses as the first operator to offer BlackBerry on PAYG in the UK.”

Blackberries have long been popular with corporate users, but Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has recently started pushing its handsets into the consumer market.

Market analyst Ian Fogg told the Guardian: “RIM sees it as an opportunity to take the expertise built up in the business space and widen it out.

“They are clearly aiming at younger users, who can now get the right tool at the right price.”

The 8120 features a two megapixel camera, media player, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

It will be available on PAYG in Orange shops from February.