A report from The National, a newspaper based in the UAE, may provide a clue into this surprising and embarrassing response from Jim Balsillie who cut short a BBC interview after a question about India and the Middle East caused him to lose his cool?
The National reports that UAE will ban individuals from using there blackberry handsets with a high-security BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) but they can still use the less secure BlackBerry Internet Servers (BIS) provided by their cellular providers. This rule targets the individuals except the larger businesses. Mid to large businesses with over 20 BlackBerry subscriptions would continue to be able to use BES servers for their employees.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority reportedly stating that “Enterprise Services are to be made available to qualifying organizations only and not to private individuals.” This news published in The Nationals comes straight from the horse’s mouth. May 1st may be the day for this rule to take effect.
The UAE threatened to block RIM services, but this situation was defused when RIM reached an agreement with the Middle Eastern federation late last year. The increasing turbulence in the Middle Eastern region may be the cause of the apparent reversal of this truce with RIM. Recently, Libya and Egypt have been high-profile hotbeds of unrest. By exerting its control over secure communication channels the UAE may be responsive to these events. As stated by Reuters, “the UAE, which like many Gulf states has little tolerance for dissent, has voiced concerns over its inability to access information legally, citing security and sovereignty issues.”
