UAE dropping BlackBerry ban plans, says RIM compliant
updated 12:30 pm EDT, Fri October 8, 2010
UAE says RIM is now compliant, Oct 11 ban lifted
The United Arab Emirates will no longer go ahead with its planned BlackBerry ban, the federation's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said on Friday. The regulator acknowledged RIM's cooperation in the matter but didn't say whether it can monitor messages sent from BlackBerry handsets, as previously planned.
Exactly how or if RIM has given the UAE access to its e-mails, as requested, is unknown, as it has previously said that this is technically impossible. Providers such as Etisalat who have prepared alternative phone packages in anticipation of the ban will no longer offer them.
The UAE said it would ban BlackBerry services on October 11 back in August, citing the devices' encryption technology was not compliant with national security laws. The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia and India, were concerned that the secure communications offered by the devices and services posed security threats as terrorists could use them to organize, or send illegal pornographic messages. [via BusinessWeek]
