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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Saudis hold breath on BlackBerry ban AFP - Tuesday, August 10 Send IM Story Print RIYADH (AFP) - – Hundreds of thousands of BlackBerry users were awaiting Monday a decision by the Saudi telecoms watchdog on banning the smartphone's messenger service after tests aimed at allaying security concerns. The regulator had postponed the suspension due to come into force on Friday, allowing time until Monday evening to test suggested technical solutions that would give authorities access to BlackBerry's encrypted data. "Nothing is clear yet. I own a BlackBerry and have subscribed to the service, but now I'm afraid it might be cut any minute," 24-year-old gym manager Hussam Abu Baker told AFP. "I can assure you that business is nearly halted," mobile phone salesman Ahmed al-Ghamdi said. "Everybody's afraid and they all seem doubtful that BlackBerry services will continue." More than 700,000 people subscribe to BlackBerry in the kingdom, with most reportedly purchasing the device for personal use. But Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, fears the popular device could jeopardise its security. Among the reported solutions to avert a halt to BlackBerry's key messenger service is the installation of a local server accessible to Saudi authorities, instead of the data going directly to the maker's servers in Canada. Local daily Okaz quoted Monday a technical source at one of the kingdom's three mobile phone companies as saying that the "tests on the server and requested programmes... have been successful." Another telecoms source also said the talks between the kingdom's Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) and Research in Motion, the Canadian company that makes BlackBerrys, have ended "reaching a solution accepted by all parties," according to Al-Shams daily. But another official at a telecommunications provider was not as certain. "We have not received any response from the concerned authorities until now," the official told AFP, requesting not to be named. Telecoms watchdog CITC has remained mum since Saturday, when it gave the three providers a 48-hour grace period to seek solutions, while a deal with RIM appeared imminent. CITC announced last week it ordered mobile providers to block key BlackBerry services from August 6 or face a 1.3-million-dollar fine. It said the suspension was due to the fact that "the way BlackBerry services are provided currently does not meet the regulatory criteria of the commission and the licensing conditions." BlackBerry users were desperately hoping the service would be maintained. "We don't care if the service will be monitored, as long as it is not cut," said a reader posting his comments on Okaz's website. Saudi authorities briefly halted BlackBerry messenger services on Friday, a move that saw prices of the smartphones fall as many users sought alternatives. Columnist Ayman al-Jaafari wrote in Al-Shams that the uproar in response to that ban was an overreaction reflecting the "intellectual vacuum" and the "shallow interests" of the people. BlackBerrys are a popular means of communication between men and women in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom where sexes are strictly segregated. Many men post their pin numbers for the smartphones on car trunks or on social networking websites like Facebook as a way to introduce themselves to women. The phones have also come under scrutiny in other Arab countries. The Saudi decision came hot on the heels of an announcement by the telecoms authority in the United Arab Emirates to ban BlackBerry messenger, emails and web browsing from October 11. Neighbouring Kuwait declared on Sunday it had no plans to follow the example of Saudi Arabia or the UAE, but said it was waiting to see the outcome of the tested exits. Bahrain and Oman have said they oppose a ban on BlackBerry, a favourite tool of business travellers, while Lebanon, a frontline state with Israel, has yet to reach a decision despite its security concerns. RIM had insisted it would not compromise its relationship with its clients. 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