Saudis call off BlackBerry ban

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    Date: 
    10 August 2010

    The BlackBerry is still open for business in Saudi Arabia.

    The Saudi communications regulator said Tuesday that it has decided to call off the ban on BlackBerry messenger services following efforts by Research In Motion to satisify some of the country's regulatory requirements.

    The decision came because of "positive developments in the completion of part of the regulatory requirements on the part of service providers," the country's Communication and Information Technology Commission, or CITC, said in a statement e-mailed to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) and other news sources.

    The agreement between the two parties came after the Saudi government announced that it would ban key BlackBerry services starting last Friday but then postponed a final decision until Monday. In line with the United Arab Emirates, India, and other nations, Saudi Arabia has complained that the tight, encrypted security used by RIM in the BlackBerry network prevents it from monitoring communications channels that could be used by those who might threaten national security.