The United Arab Emirates will suspend a number of online services used by BlackBerry devices - BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry email and BlackBerry web browsing – from 11th October, according to the UAE's official news agency.
The decision has been made by the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), which has been concerned for a number of years that BlackBerry devices route these online services off-shore.
General Mohamed Al Ghanim, Director of the TRA, said "With no solution available and in the public interest, in order to affect resolution of this issue, 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. The TRA notes that Blackberry appears to be compliant in similar regulatory environments of other countries, which makes non-compliance in the UAE both disappointing and of great concern."
The UAE's two mobile network operators - Etisalat and du – say they'll comply with the ruling and will offer alternative services.