BlackBerry falls in line in Saudi Arabia, averts service ban

BlackBerry smart phone maker Research in Motion (RIM) has agreed to install a server inside Saudi Arabia, allowing the government to monitor data, averting a ban on its messaging services in the country

Ontario, Canada-based RIM announced plans to install a server inside the kingdom after the Saudi telecommunications regulatory agency earlier this week said it would halt BlackBerry's messenger service that was hard to track. 

Saudi regulators are reported to be currently assessing ways of installing the server and intercepting messages over Blackberry.

The deal with the Saudi government is expected to have ramifications on Blackberry operations elsewhere, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India.(See: US, India, UAE and Saudi Arabia connect on Blackberry row)

While India has been in discussions with RIM over access to Blackberry messaging for a long time now, the Canadian operator has so far refused to allow security authorities in the country to intercept messages over its smartphone.

Like Coca Cola's secret formula, the Blackberry code also seeks to be forbidden for Indian authorities.