BlackBerry maker: UAE policy would apply to others (AP)

Sunday, April 17, 2011 12:01 PM

DUBAI, United Semite Emirates – The concern of BlackBerry devices says tighter restrictions on the favourite gadgets planned by Emirati polity would probable apply to another smartphones too, upbringing newborn questions most accumulation freedom in the Gulf Semite nation.

The United Semite Emirates' telecommunications controller has distinct plans to bounds access to the Blackberry Enterprise Server system, which provides the most bonded modify of communication on the handheld devices. It is used by many planetary companies and government agencies to ready emails and another accumulation safe.

Only organizations with 20 or more BlackBerry accounts would be allowed to ingest the assist low the UAE's planned newborn rules. Others would requirement to rely on a less-secure grouping that analysts feature is easier for polity to guardian and could drive availableness problems for joint users.

The planned contract shift opens a newborn grappling in the Emirates' near to acquire greater curb over smartphone data. Barely six months ago, the federation hardback downbound from a threat to impose a sweeping ban on the most favourite BlackBerry services amid concerns most security.

"It seems rattling arbitrary. ... All I crapper conceive is that they're disagreeable to come their section concerns by limiting the ingest of this more bonded platform to large companies and organizations," said Gospels Reed, a Dubai-based analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, a research firm. "It module inconvenience quite a whatever people" who impact for small companies and division offices, he said.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority on Saturday wanted to assure customers that every BlackBerry services module continue. But it has not explicitly hardback downbound from plans to bounds access to the most bonded service.

Research in Motion Ltd., the Canadian consort that makes BlackBerrys, said in an emailed evidence Sun it has been in contact with the controller and understands that another smartphone makers could also grappling newborn restrictions.

"The TRA has confirmed to RIM that any possibleness contract regarding project services in the UAE would be an industrywide contract applying equally to every project resolution providers," the consort said.

In the telecom industry, the constituent project generally refers to consort phones often tied to a joint telecommunicate account. RIM said it understands the newborn UAE policies would aim to refrain moving "legitimate project customers."

The TRA did not state to a letter for clarification Sunday.

RIM shapely its reputation on the section of its project system, which routes encrypted accumulation reciprocation finished joint computers typically stored abroad. That makes it extremely arduous to monitor.

It also sells BlackBerry devices to consumers who crapper access telecommunicate finished a less-secure grouping known as the BlackBerry cyberspace Service, which runs over the regular Internet.

"There is still whatever encryption. It is just not regarded as existence as strong as the section on the BES," Reed said.

Other smartphone manufacturers, including Motorola Inc. and iPhone concern Apple Inc., are starting to get project customers. But hour has managed to unseat RIM in the UAE, where the BlackBerry relic the phone of pick among external professionals and affluent citizens alike.

The federation of just over 8 meg people has at least 500,000 BlackBerry users.

The UAE's smartphone policies hit been closely watched since terminal summer when it threatened to closed off BlackBerry messaging, telecommunicate and Web browsing services part because of section concerns. It hardback off the organisation in October.

Critics said the try also aimed to ready a closer receptor on political activism in the federation. Although the UAE has seen hour of the distributed unrest roily another parts of the Semite world, polity hit detained at least three activists occupation for egalitarian reforms in past days.

In 2009, the Emirates' leading state-run phone company, Etisalat, was caught instructing BlackBerry customers to download spy software that could allow outsiders to peer inside. It misled users by describing the software as a required assist upgrade.


Source

0 comments:

Post a Comment