This is something that certain carriers implement to keep customers from using these devices in WiFi only mode (poor man's BlackBerry that uses serial bypass to hit the BlackBerry router directly instead of through the NOC). They don't want to subsidize a data device by $200-$300 and then have you not use it with a BB data plan....they just got sloppy and forgot to include it with the 9000 but it's back with the 9700. Try a T-Mobile phone and it works every time.

I guess these are the breaks of a carrier subsidized device.