UAE to suspend key BlackBerry services

DUBAI (AFP) – The United Arab Emirates said on Sunday it will suspend key BlackBerry services from October because they are incompatible with laws and raise security concerns in the Gulf business hub.

The suspension will kick in on October 11

The suspension will kick in on October 11 and last until a legally compatible solution is reached, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said on Sunday in a statement on its website.

"In the public interest, we have today informed the providers of telecommunications services in the country of our decision to suspend the BlackBerry services of messenger, email and electronic browsing," TRA chief Mohammed al-Ghanem said in the statement.

The move would affect an estimated 500,000 BlackBerry users in a country that has established itself as a major business hub, mainly in the bustling emirate of Dubai.

In anticipation of communication problems that would arise from cutting the service, Ghanem said providers Etisalat and Du have been told they should offer alternatives.

"Providing alternative offers that would guarantee the continuity of messenger, email and web browsing to personal and business clients is at the top of our priorities," he said.

Communication provider in the country

"As a communication provider in the country, we have to always operate within the regulations of TRA," it said in a statement carried by state news agency WAM.