Alcatel-Lucent announced yesterday they will be offering prepaid options to carriers customized for the Blackberry platform.  The plan will be hosted by the company and integrate with a carriers existing network.  The option will charge users based on email volume, so users will essentially only pay for what they use.  Those who don't want to spring for expensive email and data plans will now have a seemingly inexpensive solution.  The usage would be tracked and based off the customers prepaid account instead of upfront regulated or unlimited data plans. 

"In line with Alcatel-Lucent's strategy to provide extensive expertise in managed communication services, we are proud to develop and provide customers with prepaid options for BlackBerry smartphones. We hope this solution will enable more operators in high-growth economies to greatly expand their business opportunity", said Michel Rahier, President of Alcatel-Lucent's Carrier business.