How to Enable MMS without BIS

Question

How to enable MMS without BIS
This guide is for you if:
you have an BlackBBerry OS 7 device on a regular (non-BIS) data plan
  and
  2. you cannot send MMS (multimedia) messages.
Getting MMS working requires you to split, hex edit, merge and install service books, so read through the instructions and decide whether you’re up to it. I’ve attempted to explain everything as clearly as possible, but it’s a complex process and requires you to follow instructions carefully.
It's worth asking your carrier if they can just enable MMS for you. If they can and will, you don't need this guide.
Notes:
The process described here may also work on earlier devices with OS 4, 5, and 6, but I don’t have those devices to test.
Many carriers require you to have a data plan in order to send MMS messages. If you don’t have one, this guide may not help you.
Depending on your cellular plan, sending MMS messages may involve extra charges.
Preparation: Before You Get Started
Software
First, you need some tools to do the work. Download and install these three programs on your computer:
MagicBerry 3.5 (here)
A Hex editor (I like HxD, here)
BlackBerry Desktop (link)
Service Books
You will also need a copy of the service books attached to post #1 in this thread over at CrackBerry. Extract the contents of the .zip file to a location of your choice.
MMS Configuration Information
Once you have the tools and service books, you need to get the MMS configuration information from your cellular carrier.
Specifically, you need three settings: MMS Proxy, MMSC, and APN. Search on Google for something like, “MMS settings for [insert your cellular carrier’s name here]” and you should find them. Note that you also need the port number for the MMS Proxy. It should be there on the settings page.
Note: if the port number for your MMS Proxy is in the 9000s, this process probably won’t work, since your cell carrier may be using the older WAP 1.2 specification. If anyone runs across this, let me know, and I’ll try to help you out.
A Note on MagicBerry
MagicBerry is an .ipd file editor. Service books, like the ones responsible for MMS, are .ipd files. The logical conclusion would be that you could edit service books with MagicBerry. But MagicBerry only shows you certain pre-set fields within the .ipd file. As a result, you can't see or edit a lot of the information in the service book. Even worse, if you do edit a service book file with MagicBerry, that unseen information is not saved, so you end up deleting it and rendering the service book useless.
MagicBerry does have good uses, though: it splits and merges service book files perfectly. In fact, it is the best tool for splitting and merging service books, which is why you downloaded a copy.
Due to MagicBerry’s limitations, you’re going to edit the files with the hex editor.
Let’s get started!
The MMS How-to Guide
Step 1: Split the .ipd Files
Start MagicBerry, click File > Open, and open the tmo_servicebooks.ipd file.
Click Manipulate > Split.
Tick the box for the MMS Config 2.0 file.
Press “Split Selected,” enter a file name (and select a directory, so you know where the file is being saved), and press “Save.” Name the file “MMS_Config_20” so that you easily recognize it.
Note: there are "MMS Config" and "MMS Config 2.0" service books in the tmo_servicebooks.ipd file. Make sure you select the 2.0 version.
Step 2: Hex Edit the MMS Config 2.0 File
Now, start your hex editor and open the “MMS_Config_20.ipd” file. It will look like this, without the highlights and bolding. I’ve added those so that it will be easier to provide instructions on editing.
Hex Editing Basics
In the HEX editor, the blue numbers don’t matter to you (they’re just column and row labels). Only the black ones are part of the file.
The bytes (the two-character pairs) on the left side are all numbers, expressed in hexadecimal or “base-16”. The same information is expressed in ANSI characters on the right side.
The basics of hexadecimal numbering are that you count as follows:
Base-16 (hexadecimal):  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  A  B  C   D  E  F  10
Base-10 (decimal):         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
So in the two-character byte pair, 0D = 13, 1F = 31, 50 = 80, etc. If you can figure out those conversions, you’re good. If not, google hexadecimal numbering, and spend some time at a lesson. You need to understand how hex works to do this. There are also decimal to hexadecimal converters online. Use them to check your work, or to do the conversion work for you.
You can edit the file from either side of the hex editor. As you edit the information on one side, you’ll see it automatically changing on the other as well.
It’s easier to edit the information in the green, turquoise, and red fields on the right side.
The information in the grey, yellow, and pink fields must be edited from the left (hex) side, because it’s the hex value that matters, and it shows up as periods or jibberish on the right side. All those “dots” on the right side are not identical when you look over at the left side. They’re actually very different values. The nonsensical letters on the right side are likewise meaningful values on the left side.
It’s not a bad idea to just spend some time playing around in the hex editor before you move on. When you’re done, close the file without saving it, and the changes you make while experimenting won’t be made permanent.
Editing the File
The green blocks: enter your MMS proxy in each one, with the port number following the colon. Add to or delete bytes from the highlighted field if necessary, but whatever you do, do not write over or delete bytes outside the highlighted field! Those bytes contain necessary information, and if they are not there, the service book will not work. The same rule holds true for all of the other edits. You must stay within the highlighted fields. To delete bytes, just press delete. To insert bytes, position the cursor, and go to Edit > Insert Bytes on the menu bar, and choose the number of bytes to insert. If you’re using HxD hex editor, ctrl-z will undo a mistake. It also makes your changes in red, which makes them a little easier to follow. As with all programming, the work has to be perfect. There can be no mistakes. Check everything you do carefully.
The turquoise block: enter the MMSC address here.
The red block: enter your APN here.
The yellow blocks: total number of bytes in the highlighted green, turquoise, or red range that follows. Adjust it when you’ve finished editing. The number must be expressed in HEX of course. Use a decimal to hexadecimal converter online if you prefer that.
The pink blocks: the total number of bytes in the bolded range that follow (again, in hex). Adjust it when you’re finished editing the field.
The grey block: a count of the total number of bytes that follow it. In the original file, the value is 30 01 00 00, which breaks down as: 30(hex)=48 01(hex)=256. The total (48+256) is 304. If the number of bytes following the grey block was less than 256, there would be no 01 in the second place. For example, if there were 226 bytes following the block, the grey block would look like this: E2 00 00 00. When you are finished editing the entire file, go back and adjust the number in the grey block accordingly.
Once you’re done, save the file.
Step 3: Merge the MMS Config 2.0 and Wap Push Config Service Books
Open the “MMS_Config_20.ipd” file in MagicBerry
Once you’ve opened the file, click Manipulate > Merge.
Tick the box for the MMS Config 2.0 file.
On the right side of the “Merge” window, where it says, “Choose second IPD file,” press the button with the three dots.
Choose the tmo_servicebooks.ipd file.
Tick only the box for the “Wap Push Config” service book.
Press “Merge Selected,” enter a file name (and select the directory if necessary), and press “Save.”
Close MagicBerry
Step 4: Backup Your Phone
This is mandatory. You’ll need the backup file for step 6.
You need to have BlackBerry Desktop installed on your computer. If you haven’t done that yet, do it.
Connect your BlackBerry device to your computer with a USB cable. If BlackBerry Desktop does not start automatically, start it.
Do a backup. Just hit “Back up now” and follow the prompts. Do a full backup. Once you’re done, go to step 5.
Step 5: Merge the combined MMS Config 2.0/Wap Push Config service book file with your existing service books
Open MagicBerry
Press File > Open and at the bottom of the Open dialogue window beside the File name box, change “IPD Files (.ipd)” to “BBB Files (.bbb)”. Navigate to the folder where you stored your backup, and open it. It might take a while to open.
Click Manipulate > Merge.
Go down the list on the left hand side and tick the checkboxes for the service book entries (they will be way down). If there are service books listed for MMS Config or Wap Push Config, uncheck those boxes.
On the right side of the “Merge” window, where it says, “Choose second IPD file,” press the button with the three dots. Choose your merged MMS Config 2.0/Wap Push Config file.
Press “Merge Selected,” enter a file name (and select the directory if necessary), and press “Save.”
Optional: You can merge the newly created file again with any other service books you may need – such as the Anworm service books for the browser mentioned in my thread on CrackBerry. Just follow the process used in step 3.
Step 6: Install the Service Books to your phone:
Connect your BlackBerry to your computer with a USB cable if it isn’t still connected.
On your BlackBerry, go to Options > Device > Advanced System Settings > Service Book
Hold down the “Alt” key and press S B E B. You should see a message that says, “Legacy SB Restore Enabled.” Press Okay.
On your computer, open BlackBerry Desktop.
Go to Device > Restore.
Press “Change” and navigate to the folder with the merged .ipd file you created. Press “OK.” You should now see the file listed in the Restore window.
Click on the merged .ipd file you created to select it.
Under the heading “Select Data to Restore,” select “Select Device Data and Settings” and then tick the box for “Service Book.” This step is really important. Make sure it's done right. If you screw it up you could end up wiping a lot of settings and data.
Press “Restore” and answer “Yes” to the confirmation dialogue.
Close the BlackBerry Desktop software, disconnect your device, and do a battery pull to reboot.
Voila! If everything went well, you should have MMS capabilities. Test your ability to send and receive multimedia by sending yourself a picture message. You should receive the message within about 10 seconds.
If it doesn’t work, go back and make sure EVERYTHING in the file is done perfectly. If you find a problem, fix it, merge the files again, and reinstall the service books.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Answer 1

Why not just ask carrier to enable MMS? I know T-Mobile can and will do it, even if there is no data plan at all on the line. We did it for my daughter and I know T-Mobile has done it for others. I assume other carriers do the same, but don't know....Which is why I ask.
- Ira