| 02 Aug 2010 |
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BlackBerry ban could feed a black market in foreign SIMs
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The Telecom Regulatory AuthorityTelecom Regulatory Authority
's (TRATRA) ban on certain of BlackBerry's services from October 11 in the UAE could lead to a black market of foreign SIM cards that will still be able to host those services.The TRATRA
yesterday advised UAE telecom operators etisalat and du to suspend certain services on BlackBerry devices, including email, web browsing, social networking, and instant messaging services. Bye bye BlackBerry
However, with telecom operators in other countries continuing to provide such services, users who believe that such services are indispensible to their business or lifestyle may be tempted to use the roaming facilities of such players.
"Roaming charges in India are pretty cheap," said an Indian expatriate in the UAE who currently uses the BlackBerry email service extensively for business purposes. "I am going to get the cheapest Indian SIM card and use it here if the TRATRA
goes ahead with the ban," he said.While such individual usage may not be strictly illegal, it could prove to be a loophole in the TRATRA
's advisory. Besides, it could also fuel a grey market of international SIM cards in the country if such services continue to be available on "roaming".Some analysts however believe that since roaming services are available only through one of the two UAE operators, it is entirely possible that suspended Blackberry services may remain unavailable on roaming as well.
The TRATRA
has cited security reasons for disallowing such services in the UAE. The TRATRA has demanded that Research In Motion (RIM), the manufacturers of BlackBerry, offer the same terms and conditions in the UAE as it offers to the UK and the US.According to the TRATRA
, RIM has refused to commit to UAE's requirements despite three years of negotiations whereas the manufacturer complies with such requests in the US, UK and even China.By Vicky Kapur
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Community Comments (1)
USA, UK and China and India are big markets for RIM, the makers of Blackberry mobile phones.
UAE is just a drop in a bucket compared to the major economies and even when compared to Saudi Arabia, which is the biggest economy in MENAP (Middle East-North Africa & Pakistan), and besides, someone will given in, either UAE govt or RIM.
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