Saudis to block BlackBerry data service August 5th

Coming on the heels of the United Arab Emirates announcement, the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (SCITC) has asked wireless companies in Saudi Arabia to stop BlackBerry service beginning on August 5th. CNN reports that the Saudi government is claiming, “the manufacturer of the devices [RIM] couldn’t meet the regulatory requirements of the commission and it is not in accordance with the regulations and conditions of licenses issued to service providers, at its present state.” The mandate will apply to both business and individual BlackBerry users. Saudi officials claim they are, “asking for exactly the same regulatory compliance — and with the same principles of judicial and regulatory oversight — that BlackBerry grants the U.S. and other governments and nothing more.” RIM has not officially commented on the SCITC’s decision.

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