'No plan' to ban BlackBerry services
Originally published in Gulf Times on August 2, 2010
Qatar’s telecommunication regulatory body yesterday dismissed fears it will ban key BlackBerry services in the country.
The Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar) said it might regulate certain aspects and features it considers the telecommunication service providers in the country are not capable of handling.
Saudi Arabia’s telecom regulators yesterday ordered local operators to freeze the recruitment of new clients for BlackBerry until they implement monitoring systems - days after the UAE said it was suspending services from October 11.
“At this stage we have no intention to terminate or suspend any BlackBerry services,” acting assistant secretary general Meegan Webb said.
“There is nothing to demonstrate at this stage that either QTel or Vodafone are in breach of ictQatar or the telecommunications laws of the country,” Webb said.
As opposed to the Saudis, who banned only the blackberry messenger on BlackBerry, the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority announced a wider ban on BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry e-mail and BlackBerry web-browsing services.
Webb said that until ictQatar received any objection from a state security agency regarding BlackBerry, it would not be pursued.
“I’ve not received any objection to the way BlackBerry data is managed, by any security agency in Qatar, especially regarding the issue of data being routed off-shore,” Webb said.
“Allegendly, this affects the UAE’s telecommunication laws.”
BlackBerry devices allow users to send messages that can’t be monitored, as data is immediately exported off-shore before a user receives it again.
According to experts, the UAE and Saudi decisions are based on the fact that, in their current form, certain BlackBerry services might allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns.
UAE’s TRA director-general Mohamed al-Ganem said: “With no solution available and in the public interest, … as of October 11, 2010, BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry Email and BlackBerry Web-browsing services will be suspended until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied.”
As Published
