Saudi moves to block Blackberry

Financial Times

Saudis join UAE in BlackBerry curbs
By Robin Wigglesworth and Andrew England in Abu Dhabi and Paul Taylor in New York
Published: August 3 2010 19:06 | Last updated: August 4 2010 00:53

Saudi Arabia has ordered its main mobile network operators to block unspecified BlackBerry services from Friday. The move has escalated a dispute between Research in Motion, the Canadian manufacturer of BlackBerry devices, and governments such as the United Arab Emirates, which has threatened to ban BlackBerrys because?of?security?concerns.

The communications and information technology com­mission said it had asked “Saudi Telecom Co, Mobily and Zain Saudi Arabia to (immediately) stop the BlackBerry service for businesses and individuals in the kingdom starting August 6”.

The commission said the ban would last until the kingdom’s three mobile phone operators “fulfil the regulatory requirements it has requested”. The CITC said it informed the three mobile telecommunications providers more than a year ago of the need to ensure that BlackBerry devices used in the kingdom met “regulatory requirements”.

While the commission did not identify which BlackBerry services it wants blocked, it is believed the Saudi authorities, like those in the UAE, are most concerned at the possible use of encrypted e-mail and messaging services by terrorists.
Saudi Arabia is the largest market in the region for RIM and a ban would result in about 700,000 BlackBerry users losing access to at least some of their BlackBerry services.

The UAE’s threat to block BlackBerry services has left business in the Gulf’s commercial hub struggling to come to terms with its effect on their ­operations. Etisalat and Du, the UAE’s two state-controlled telecoms operators, have sought to reassure subscribers by sending text messages to their BlackBerry users and taking out full-page advertisements in newspapers, pledging to come up with substitutes for the smartphone, such as free iPhone, Nokia or Samsung devices.

Some question whether that would be an adequate solution if the UAE ban were enforced on October 11. Aside from users’ familiarity, BlackBerrys are deeply embedded in the IT infrastructure of many companies.
“Our executives are highly dependent on mobile communications to manage our operations across the region,” said the head of a regional private equity firm. “To suggest we revert to life without the BlackBerry is akin to asking us to drop e-mails altogether, in favour of postal communications.”

The UAE says BlackBerry has been operating outside its legal framework, an issue that has not been resolved despite three years of negotiations with RIM.

Derek comments:
Yet more reason why we need an Internet Policy Institute.