etisalat and du say alternative packages no longer applicable

Dubai: Both the UAE’s telecommunications services providers – etisalat and du – have announced that the alternative packages, they were to offer users in the case of a ban on BlackBerry services, are no longer applicable.

The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said on Friday that “Blackberry services are now compliant with the UAE’s telecommunications regulatory framework” and that “all Blackberry services in the UAE will continue to operate as normal and no suspension of the service will occur on October 11”.

In a statement, etisalat said: “In light of the TRA decision, the alternative mobility packages announced by etisalat in August, for its existing BlackBerry customers, are no longer applicable”.

Between them, etisalat and du have about 500,000 BlackBerry services subscribers in the UAE, with etisalat accounting for about 400,000.

Etisalat also plans to launch two new BlackBerry devices – the Torch and the New Curve – along with other offers “in the coming days”.

A statement from du simply welcomed the TRA’s notification and confirmed that all Blackberry services, for both consumer and enterprise customers, would continue to operate as normal and no suspension of the service would occur on October 11.

A spokesperson for du contacted by Gulf News confirmed that the alternative packages announced in August would no longer be applicable.