Bahrain has no plans to block BlackBerry services
Bahrain has no plans to block BlackBerry services, Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) officials have said.
“There is no intention to suspend the service in Bahrain and we have no security concerns about them,” Ahmad Al Dossari, head of communication and information technology, said.
Basil Al Arayyedh, head of consumers’ affairs, said that Manama has discussed the issue with several capitals, but “saw no need for blocking the services.”
The TRA assurances will be highly welcomed in Bahrain where the number of people using BlackBerry for instant and easy communication has been steadily growing.
Bahrain’s foreign minister, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, is one of the country’s most famous users of Twitter, a social networking and microblogging service, posting sharp remarks and comments about a wide range of issues.
In April, a timid move by the then ministry of culture and information to subject the use of the device to share breaking news to official regulations was eventually stalled following pressure from subscribers.
A ministry official attributed the decision to the “chaos and confusion caused by the posting of news by individuals who did not obtain official permission by the ministry prior to engaging in such activities.”
News sources have been posting information mainly about political and social news, accidents and traffic police speed traps. Two local newspapers and one political society have been using the Blackberry service to broadcast news.
