Blocking the official UAE Blackberry October 2010

UAE-BlackBerry

United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially will block the following BlackBerry services on October 11, 2010. Earlier, the UAE has threatened to block the new limited-related service issues a security risk. The UAE now prove assertiveness on Research in Motion (RIM) as the producer BlakBerry.

“This is a final decision, but we’re still going to continue talking with them (RIM-ed),” said Director General of Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), UAE, Mohammed Al Ghanem as reported by Reuters on Sunday (01/08/2010).

It is said Ghanem, UAE, not only limited to censorship, but that done this time is due to blocking of the prohibition of using less obediently RIM Blackberry in the UAE regulations.

UAE rate different from the iPhone and BlackBerry Nokia. The reason is the management of data on the BlackBerry is not transparent. Data objects managed by foreign Blackberry and Blackberry operating only in the method.

“The decision today is based on facts, Blackberry service enables users to act without legal accountability, and social harm national security and the UAE,” said Ghanem.

RIM itself has not commented on blocking it.

Actually, the TRA has plans to conduct blocking against Blackberry since 2007. TRA tried to question the issue of security of user data, such as BlackBerry Messenger, email and so forth. However, RIM has not responded to a number of questions asked TRA.

Blackberry users in the UAE itself is quite high. The handset is controlled approximately 20 percent of the mobile market in the UAE under Nokia. Blackberry users in the country is estimated that approximately 500 000 users.

Blackberry service in the UAE itself is served by two major operators and the telecom du Emirate Telecommunications (Etisalat). Meanwhile, telecom analyst with Al Mal, Irfan Ellam disclose, blocking will not happen in October 2010. “I think the kind of uproar would occur, probably will not happen and a solution will be found, they are still going to hold talks,” said Ellam

He said RIM has been asked to prepare a proxy server in India so as to enable the government to monitor traffic from the security perspective and the same approach. And this might resolve the problem in the UAE.

“Blackberry handset is seen as important by many companies, so if you want to attract investors to your country, I really do not make sense to ban Blackberry services,” said Ellam.

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