Lebanon has decided to join the “I want to read your BB Messages” chorus:
Imad Hoballah said the [Telecommunications Regulatory Authority] planned to begin discussions with Research in Motion, BlackBerry’s Canada-based manufacturer, next week.
“This is prompted by the increase of security issues that have been found with the telecommunication networks in Lebanon,” Hoballah told AFP.
The TRA, if you are unfamiliar with it, is the authority that is supposed to regulate the telecommunications sector in Lebanon. At the moment, they don’t with all the power centered at the ministry. This could very well be one of those public announcements just to show that the government is aware of security issues and is looking into it. Imad does mention that the timing of this meeting is only coincidental:
Hoballah added that the TRA’s move was not in reaction to a decision by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to suspend BlackBerry services.
“We have been going through a security assessment for a while,” he said.
Yeah, that’s what they all say. Most likely, Lebanon is trying to ride on the tailcoats of the two largest economies in the region in order to get concessions from Research in Motion (RIM).
And I leave you with RIM’s response to whole banning of BlackBerry services: “If they can’t deal with the Internet, they should shut it off.”
Lebanon to Hold Discussions with RIM concerning BlackBerry taps.
HEY?!?! I retweeted… Why didn’t the number increase?! And I thought I was helping a good cause! 🙁
Thank you very much! Actually, it did increase. The website is cached so it probably didn’t appear on your screen immediately.
Here’s the proof: Twitter Trackbacks
Thank you for supporting the cause!
“Meanwhile, RIM stock continued to bleed, slipping 2.18 per cent to close at $53.06 in the Toronto Stock Exchange Thursday. The stock has sunk almost nine percent in the last three days, plunging RIM’s market worth by almost $3 billion in three days.”
What a fickle world we live in..One day Blackberry and BBM is all the rage, and the next, RIM’s market worth drops by almost $3 billion because of these bans..absolutely insanity.
On another note, its incredible to note how much the blackberry has changed over the years..
The world’s gone insane! I was thinking of getting a BB – I guess we can scratch that idea for the time being.