Business | Telecoms
Revealed: BlackBerry patch details
The makers of BlackBerry have rejected etisalat's claims that a troublesome update sent to their customers' devices was intended for network performance enhancement.
- By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter
- Published: 22:45 July 21, 2009
Dubai: The makers of BlackBerry have rejected etisalat's claims that a troublesome update sent to their customers' devices was intended for network performance enhancement.
Research in Motion (RIM), the Canada-based manufacturer of BlackBerry, issued a stong statement, dismissing etisalat's explanation for the battery drains caused by an update it pushed to its BlackBerry subscribers' devices on July 8.
Programming experts had attributed the fault to surveillance software hidden in the update but etisalat issued a statement on July 15 saying the drainage was caused by a "technical fault" in the handover from 2G to 3G networks.
The programmers' statements have now been confirmed by RIM, which has issued software to remove the surveillance program.
"Etisalat appears to have distributed a telecommunications surveillance application& [that] could then enable unauthorised access to private or confidential information stored on the user's smartphone," read the statement.
An etisalat spokesperson told Gulf News that officials from the telecom operator are expected to meet representatives from RIM today, following which a statement will likely be issued.
"There is no dispute between us [and RIM]," an etisalat spokesperson said.
It appears that RIM did not notify etisalat about the statement before issuing it.
More from Telecoms
More from Business
Business Editor's choice
-
China breaks West's solar monopoly
Some countries in the world, especially Germany and the United States, have made considerable efforts to invest in developing solar energy cells
-
Burberry store spree will cut profit
Trenchcoat maker forges ahead with investment strategy targeting emerging markets
-
Laws needed to spur region bond markets
UAE Central Bank calls for creation of a centralised Sharia board to facilitate the sale of sukuk
