Maybe now IT will support iphones instead of giving me a crackberry!
BlackBerry services suspended in October
The UAE announced the world’s first suspensions of BlackBerry services yesterday as telecoms officials in Saudi Arabia also piled pressure on the devices’ maker to allow access to messages sent with them.
The UAE’s telephone and internet regulator, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), said that services for the nation’s 500,000 BlackBerry users would be suspended from October 11. Saudi Arabia’s telecom watchdog was reported to have ordered telecom firms operating in the kingdom to stop BlackBerry messenger services later this month. Saudi Telecom has about 400,000 BlackBerry users.
The moves follow signs of an agreement reached last week between the Indian government and the device’s manufacturer, Research in Motion (RIM), following similar threats by India to suspend services.
BlackBerrys send encrypted messages via RIM’s servers in the UK and Canada – meaning there is no way for authorities outside those countries to access them. This has led to concerns that the system can be exploited by terrorists to threaten national security.
The TRA said it had attempted to negotiate with RIM over various ways to obtain access to encrypted data since 2007.
According to the TRA statement, encrypted messages sent on BlackBerry phones are beyond the reach of UAE law enforcement. These services could “allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns”.
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