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UAE BlackBerry ban likely to spread through Arabia

A ban on BlackBerry smartphones in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) looks likely to spread throughout other Arabian states, industry observers are predicting.

The UAE has banned the use of email, instant-messaging and web-browsing services on the handsets, following a long-running security spat with the device's Canadian maker, RIM.

Saudi Arabia's state-controlled Saudi Telecom revealed to the Financial Times that they too were looking into banning BlackBerry messenger services.

The bans comes as concerns from the Gulf states over encryption technology used by BlackBerry devices reach a peak. The technology for the network functions means data is exported offshore, making it very difficult for it to be monitored by outside bodies, such as the UAE state communications body. India has also expressed concerns about the way that BlackBerry devices operate.

The UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) stressed that the decision was not about censorship but about regulatory compliance.

"We are not asking for RIM to do anything that is not apparently being done in developed nations or so-called open countries around the world," said Mohammed al-Ghanim, TRA director-general.

The UAE has tried to monitor BlackBerry users previously, with local operator Etisalat telling BlackBerry users a year ago to install upgrades that turned out to be spyware.