The ban on Blackberry Internet service has completed its one year in May with no hope of restoration by the cellular operators in the country.

The corporate and high end users have been facing black out for more than one year of blackberry internet services on different network as cellular operators and telecom authority are not keen to lift the restriction on it.

The users at large have customized different setting on their Blackberry sets for accessing internet services. The Blackberry users have been growing in large number in the country and they are the committed and revenue-generating subscribers for operators.

BIS black out

On yesteryear May 17, the cellular operators asked their network partner, Research in Motion (RIM), on to block the Facebook on their networks abiding by judicial verdict on the proliferation of blasphemous content in social networking sites.

On the request of all cellular operators, RIM blocked the overall Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) because it is lacking of any mechanism that restricts specific website. Though the Blackberry Enterprises Services (BES), a service it provides for email and messenger chatting, was restored after suspension of few hours of overall services.

The ban on Facebook was lifted on May 31 throughout the country but BIS could not be restored so far.

Cellular operators’ stance:

Cellular operators said that they did not receive any sort of permission by the authority, therefore, they are bound to keep the block out on the BIS.

Some of them have indicated at technical constraints on the part of RIM that delayed the service restoration.

Issues could be raised:

The Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) is operated by RIM, which is unable to block the URLS, WebPages and links declared restricted by PTA. The RIM needs to develop a separate system for Pakistan in order to continue internet service on Blackberry, otherwise, the blockade will keep maintaining. In this regard, the cellular operators should effort jointly, which will be workable in future.

Why Censorship:

The Blackberry internet services are beyond the access of authorities and intelligence agencies of the country, which poses threats to national security as being a secret communication tool for enemy.

It faces ban in several different states because its data is immediately exported off-shore, where it is managed by a foreign, commercial organizations.

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BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) made an announcement this Thursday that it has started Internet filtering on its smartphones in Indonesia. The Indonesian government had issued a deadline for RIM to begin blocking porn websites. RIM complied with it. This is the first time that such a move has been made in any country.

“RIM is now in the process of implementing an Internet content-filtering solution that addresses our carrier partners’ regulatory obligations in Indonesia” RIM said.

In response, Indonesian Communication Minister Tifatul Sembiring—who has been at the forefront of the government’s efforts to clamp down on pornography—said on his Twitter account; “Thank God RIM has complied with Indonesian regulations. Pornography has been blocked. Please go ahead with business as usual in compliance with the law.”

In Pakistan since May 2010, BlackBerry users continue to face difficulties in web browsing and connectivity due to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) instructions to telecom companies which called for blocking access to blasphemous content following the now-lifted ban on Facebook.

After successful content restriction in Indonesia few questions arise:

1. Why can’t the same be done for Pakistan? What stops them?
   
2. When RIM can block porn, why can’t they block selected blasphemous content for Pakistan?
3. Is it because of lack of efforts from PTA and Pakistani mobile operators OR RIM intentionally does not wish to do so?

Also to note here is that RIM also has been under pressure in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to provide access to data on its secure networks. The company averted a ban on key BlackBerry services in both after the countries said regulatory requirements had been satisfied. The encryption is central to the company’s appeal to corporate customers, which say that secure communications are necessary. Across border, in India, the government has sought access to data on RIM’s secure networks, fearing that encryption makes them convenient for terrorists and RIM is in ongoing and positive talks with them.

We will close here and look forward to your opinion/comments on the matter.

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Among many of its problems, Research in Motion, maker of Blackberry phones, has been trying to find ways to work with India and Middle East governments. As reported in newspaper, a top executive of Research in Motion said Indian security agencies are making “rather astonishing” demands for increased powers to monitor email and other data traffic, raising serious privacy issues that threaten to harm the country’s reputation with foreign investors.

Robert Crow, vice president of industry and government relations for RIM, said India’s Home Ministry, which oversees domestic security, wants the ability to intercept in real time any communication on any Indian network—including BlackBerry’s highly secure corporate-email service—and get it in readable, plain-text format.

In response to that, Indian official Mr. Sibal said the government will address all “security issues” related to interception of data on secure networks. “The draft amendment of licenses to take care of security issues has been sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs on March 24 for their comments and will be finalized soon after,” he said.

India is making major changes to how it manages telecom operators and security is one of the things it wants to manage tightly. India wants to monitor RIM’s corporate email and messenger services, fearing that the heavy encryption of BlackBerry phones makes it convenient for terrorists to use them without being monitored. However India says that its not after RIM only – its asking other companies for the same thing.

Mr. Sibal said RIM offered a solution in February to monitor its messenger services and that the telecom department is examining the proposal. The department has also given clearance to some companies to offer third-generation telecom services in certain areas, where they have given an undertaking to allow government agencies to monitor data on their networks.

Reliance Communications Ltd., Tata Teleservices Ltd. and Bharti Airtel Ltd. have given such undertakings, he added.

Mobilink, Pakistan’s market leader in cellular services and part of Orascom Telecom Holding, has expanded its In-flight GPRS/BlackBerry Roaming services to over 260 flights.

With a view to ensure convenience and provision of seamless services to its customers, whether at home or abroad, Mobilink indigo, Pakistan’s largest post-paid family, has joined hands with Emirates and Malaysia Airlines through AeroMobile to expand coverage of its In-flight GPRS/BlackBerry Roaming. Through this partnership, Mobilink In-flight GPRS/BlackBerry Roaming will now be available on Emirates Airlines on more than 268 flights including 122 international flight routes across 52 countries including popular destinations such as the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Switzerland, Turkey, Singapore, China, Thailand and Bangladesh. The service is also available on selective Emirates in-country flights between Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

The service which enables indigo customers to stay connected and surf the web, access their emails and send & receive MMS through their BlackBerry and GPRS connection at cruise altitude is also available on major international flight routes of Air France through partner network OnAir. Mobilink plans to aggressively widen the sphere of their in-flight services to other airlines in the near future, further enhancing and facilitating their indigo customer’s connectivity options.

In-flight GPRS/BlackBerry Roaming works like regular GPRS roaming service on ground. No special handset settings are required. For details on tariffs and destinations please visit http://www.mobilinkgsm.com/IR/mobile.php

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The launch of first Certified Repair Centre for BlackBerrysmartphones in the region would significantly improve the repair turnaround time; improve efficiency while adhering to the highest standards of repair quality. This was stated by CEO Emitac Mobile Solutions (EMS) Babar Khan, while announcing the commissioning of this unique facility based in Dubai that offers full repair services, using highly trained and knowledgeable professionals. The certified repair center would cater to the Pakistan, Middle East and African region, he added.

“EMS and RIM have enjoyed a long and successful regional partnership for the distribution of BlackBerry smartphones, so we are very excited to launch this unique, exclusive and purpose-built repair facility, which has been designed to international specifications and adopts best international practices. This further enhances our commitment to 71 carriers, and over 65 retail partners in 47 countries in the region”, said Babar Khan.

Emitac Mobile Solutions is the strategic channel partner of Research in Motion (RIM), and one of the largest distributor of BlackBerry® smartphones in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia regions. Khan said that EMS will continue to offer its existing warranty program for BlackBerry smartphone users in the region, with the new facility.

TheCertified Repair Centre will also enable EMS’s carrier and retail partners to offer improved the customer experience, he added.

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Inside BlackBerry Developer’s Blog

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The greatest proof of the impact that technology has had on the overall fabric of life for the employed individual can be seen in the variance of working culture trends that is abound in the present society.

In the early 90s, the work-life balance was maintained by the limitation of information sharing and resource movement. No sense carrying a desktop that weighed more than the filing cabinet home every day.

Research In Motion (RIM), the Canadian company behind the infamous Blackberry (BB), brought the personal assistant around the turn of the century. The ideology was to build on the concept of a two-way pager, which later translated into a concentrated focus on email. That is why the QWERTY keypad became a synonymous feature of each BB device, excluding the Storm series.

For the corporate world, the promise of constant communication with key members of the workforce and information security through encryption was enough attraction to climb the bandwagon. Initially carried by the top henchmen of an organization, the blinking device has ended up on the bedside tables of the masses. Amazingly, it has also made zombies of the once normal folk, who would not have woken up to old-age alarms, but will immediately respond to a red blink or chirp of a new message.

Half-way into the recently consumed decade, RIM undertook a revamped approach to marketing its product. It already had the lion’s share of the smartphone market, but most of it was entrenched by large corporations and multinationals that wanted to rope in their employees with an always-on work mode.

The new marketing gimmick was to make the devices cooler to appeal to the upcoming younger crowd, and this involved re-designing features of the device, e.g. the track-pad. Add to that the convenience of a messenger application (BBM for the members of the Berry Brigade) that allows free communication with fellow BB users around the globe, and RIM had managed to begin the pull of another market segment in droves.

BB services entered Pakistan in 2005 thanks to Mobilink. Over the years, its uptake has followed a trend similar to global ones, with corporates leading the way. In fact, the period of computerization of processes has made smartphones a key component of the requirements for every day work. Most large corporations and multinationals have the accepted process of issuing a device to that new worker on the first day, ensuring that the skill they have acquired is not wasted at any time of the day.

Even on the individual front, the BB fad has grown exponentially. One could attribute it to the global village footprint which now encompasses the urban centers of Pakistan, especially among the large number of young professionals who have returned after spending some time in the West. For them, the internet and cellular connection features among the most basic necessities of life.

BlackBerry Ban:

However, since May last year, the services which are standard for BB users across the globe have become sub-standard for the many in Pakistan. The restriction which was enforced to block blasphemous content now appears to concentrate largely on the Berry Brigade.

After all, the Pakistani mind is so fragile that it is essential for the PTA to censor or control so that we may not hurt ourselves by going to the wrong places.

In addition to the above, there is also the push by the government to have more visibility of the information moving on the RIM secure expressway; something that is resonant of requests made by other Middle Eastern nations.

The strange factor is that the PTA restriction was lifted several months ago, but BB services still remain a drag. For all those prepared to pounce, this refers to Blackberry Internet Services (BIS) and not Blackberry Enterprise Services (BES). The latter works off a server at the organization’s premises, connected with a domain/email server.

Who is Responsible?

Berry Brigade continues to blame operators and the PTA for giving us a half-empty pitcher while charging for the full. However, insiders report a different reasoning that involves RIM and its request to have complete indemnity from all BB issues, as the Pakistani cellular operators have deployed local kill switches and filters to enforce any future PTA directives.

For RIM, any such deployment is a hindrance to its information model, which is created around sanctity of data between the sender and receiver and a freedom of use.

Backup Plan

While this battle continues, other device manufacturers are preparing to counter the Berry-mania with their own solutions. Samsung and Dell have announced enterprise software that would work on the exact same dynamics as RIMs, with smartphone devices to rival BBs. Microsoft, with the launch of Windows Phone 7, has built the foundation to take steps towards similar pastures, and as Microsoft Exchange dominates most organization’s computer architecture, analysts are hoping for brighter things from the software giant.

Members of the Berry Brigade continue to grow and BBM to their fellow berries across the world, with the hope that someday soon, they will wake up to find the cellular providers giving them their full pitcher of berry services. And maybe even access to the App World. Till then, the brigade continues to hold blink vigils in all corners of the society.

Have a gaze around the next gathering you attend; that red or green blink is our protest to be given fair treatment.

Warid Telecom introduced BlackBerry smartphone Torch 9800 for its customers. Blackberry Torch 9800 is 8^th Blackberry smartphone introduced by the company.

The Torch features all-powerful BlackBerry 6 operating system, a 5 MP camera, along with the usual amazing features such as WiFi, GPS, brilliant color display, long lasting battery, Memory:4GB eMMC + 4GB media card , expandable up to 32 GB with a microSD card.

Warid BlackBerry services include BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server Plus) for corporate clients and BIS (BlackBerry Internet Services) for individual customers.

With the dedicated 24/7 BlackBerry helpline Warid is offering one of the largest international roaming data network in 102 countries with 158 operators worldwide.

Indian Government has decided to bypass Research in Motion (RIM) to directly bug the cellular companies to make sure the monitoring the data transferred through Blackberry services, reported Indian mediatoday.

Government, in its new directive instructed telecom operators to stop any such services (especially the blackberry) that can not be monitored as per the satisfaction of law enforcement agencies.

“It is between the licensee [cellular operators] to tell RIM that, look if you can’t do this, you can’t use my network.

I have only to deal with the licensee and not deal with RIM. I do not have any agreement with Blackberry,” said Home Secretary GK Pillai in a statement.

RIM gave Indian government limited access to Blackberry messaging, however, it has been saying that it cannot provide access to the BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) as it does not possess any key and the security architecture is the same around the world.

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