UAE talks with BlackBerry making progress
Published: Aug 19, 2010 01:04 Updated: Aug 19, 2010 01:04
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates is making progress in talks with the Canadian makers of BlackBerry smartphones, said an official who expressed hope a ban on some of the device's key services can be avoided.
"We are in talks with Research in Motion (RIM) and we are making good progress and hopefully we will be able to reach conclusions in the near future," Yousef Al-Otaibi, the UAE's ambassador to the United States, was quoted as saying in Wednesday's Khaleej Times daily.
Asked whether the negotiations could lead to the suspension of a ban that the UAE's telecoms regulator ordered on the BlackBerry services from Oct. 11, Al-Otaibi said: "I hope so." The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority had announced on Aug. 1 that BlackBerry's messenger, e-mail and Web browsing services would be halted for failing to comply with the Gulf country's regulations. It said later that the decision was final.
Saudi Arabia followed suit with an immediate cut of services that lasted few hours on Aug. 6, before the suspension was lifted after the Kingdom's regulator reported progress in finding a solution for its concerns.
The UAE has some 500,000 subscribers to BlackBerry services, while Saudi Arabia has more than 700,000 users.
RIM is under pressure from other countries who are also concerned that the encrypted messenger and e-mail services are not accessible to their intelligence monitoring.
India, which has about 1.1 million subscribers, has urged the Canadian firm to satisfy its demand for access to the encrypted messaging service, sending a formal notice to mobile operators ordering them to provide the access.
Meanwhile, BlackBerry users eye alternatives as curbs loom. Udoay Ghosh, waiting for an early morning flight from Dubai International Airport, looked with affection at his two - yes, two - BlackBerry smartphones laid out in front of him.
As an executive for electronics company G-Hanzs, the Dubai-based businessman travels about 300 days a year and uses the gadgets to keep up with more than 100 e-mails a day. So it's understandable he's worried about government threats to ban the service.
"This is my laptop, my office and my home," he said of the devices. "People nowadays don't wait. In today's world, time is money and if you lose time, you lose business." Like hordes of other on-the-go professionals, Ghosh sees the BlackBerry as an indispensable business tool - a constant companion for those looking to get ahead.
But with the UAE and India threatening bans on key BlackBerry features over security concerns, users fear their work routines could be sorely crimped and are scrambling for alternatives, at least while on the road.
Many BlackBerry devotees interviewed by The Associated Press at airports and offices around the world this week struggled to remember how they ever got by without the devices.
Some, including information-technology consultant Penny Ge in Shanghai, said business trips would become harder without easy access to e-mail. Others, including Indian broker Krishnan Viswanathan, are already weighing alternatives such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone.
Zenprise Inc., a Fremont, California, firm that helps companies manage their mobile phones, said many of its multinational customers are considering alternatives, but would have to train employees on how to use them. The companies remain in limbo, though, because negotiations are ongoing between governments and BlackBerry maker RIM.
"The indecision breeds frustration," said Ahmed Datoo, Zenprise's vice president of marketing.
While free-speech advocates have criticized the crackdowns, a number of BlackBerry users say they understand the governments' concerns.
"It's important for things to be traceable," said Brad Kollur, 33, an IT consultant who lives in Rockaway, New Jersey, and often travels to India on business. "It's one of those things where you give up certain comforts for the greater good."
RIM has declined to discuss details of its negotiations with regulators. It says it tries to cooperate with countries' legal and national security needs, and has "a consistent global standard for lawful access requirements that does not include special deals for specific countries." Still, some users are urging the company to do more.
"Please, BlackBerry, adjust whatever you have to ... and honor the security requests of the government," said Manoj Warrier, who runs an IT consulting business in New Jersey.
"It's a very good product. ... The company should give a little and get a little in return."
