UAE to ban BlackBerry services from Oct 11

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) confirmed on Sunday that BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry e-mail and BlackBerry web-browsing services in the UAE will be suspended as of October 11, 2010. 

The suspension is a result of the failure of ongoing attempts, dating back to 2007, to bring BlackBerry services in the UAE in line with UAE telecommunications regulations.

Both telecommunications operators - etisalat and du - were informed of the decision earlier on Sunday.

“Etisalat has a significant share of customers in the UAE for its mobility services, including BlackBerry customers and hence, it is very important for us to ensure our customers enjoy continuity of services,” the telecom giant said.

“In line with its commitment towards its customers, etisalat will soon be announcing a range of alternative mobility products and services for its existing BlackBerry customers,” the statement said without elaborating what those alternative might be.

Du says plans are underway to provide an alternative solution to all its customers affected by the decision.

"Since a number of du customers are BlackBerry subscribers, du will ensure that it provides all its affected customers with an alternative solution that meets their needs with minimal disruption to their services. In the coming days du will be making an announcement on the full plan and shall inform all customers on the implementation of this alternative plan," it said.

Du might also remove all ongoing promotions with regard to BlackBerry.
 

RIM has refused to comment on whether it is assisting UAE to address the security concerns. “We will get back with updates at the earliest,” said a spokesperson representing the company on July 26.

Apart from UAE, India had also during the past few days raised security concerns about the Blackberry service.

The Indian government on Thursday said the makers of BlackBerry had given an assurance to addres sits security concerns soon.

"BlackBerry has assured the Ministry of Home Affairs that the issue of monitoring of the BlackBerry will be sorted out soon...I am sure we will soon be on the same page and our concerns will be addressed," said Special Security (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Utthan Kumar Bansal.

The Indian government had warned that Blackberry that it would close down the service if it does not allow it to monitor emails and SMSs to address security concerns. 

More than 500,000 people have subscribed to blackberry services in the UAE and the number continues to grow with both operators eisalat and du offering various promotions with attractive blackberry packages.
 

The notification was delivered with an instruction to ensure minimal consumer disruption in the provision of alternative services.

All BlackBerry services fall within the UAE regulatory framework developed by the TRA since 2007, however because of BlackBerry's technical configuration, some BlackBerry services operate beyond the enforcement these regulations.

BlackBerry data is immediately exported off-shore, where it is managed by a foreign, commercial organisation.

BlackBerry data services are currently the only data services operating in the UAE where this is the case.

The decision is based on the fact that, in their current form, certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns for the UAE.

Commenting on the announcement TRA Director-General Mohamed Al Ghanim said: "With no solution available and in the public interest, in order to affect resolution of this issue, as of October 11, 2010, BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry e-mail and BlackBerry web-browsing services will be suspended until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied. We informed both etisalat and du that providing the option of alternative services to ensure the continuity of service from October 11 to its subscribers - both individuals and organisations - is the most important priority."

Al Ghanim said: "The TRA notes that BlackBerry appears to be compliant in similar regulatory environments of other countries, which makes non-compliance in the UAE both disappointing and of great concern."

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