JEDDAH: Although owners of BlackBerry mobile phones are unhappy at the announcement by the Kingdom’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) to block BlackBerry services, many people have welcomed the ban, which they say will benefit young people who have been swept away by the fad.
The Saudi telecom regulator announced on Tuesday that it is to block BlackBerry services starting Aug. 6 until its maker, Research In Motion (RIM), follows the country’s regulations. CITC had given a three-month grace period for service providers to comply with its requirements. Security reasons have been cited for the ban.
One hundred and seventy eight people in the Kingdom surveyed out of 331 said the decision is wrong because no prior notice or warning was issued about it. They added that it has come as a shock to them. Some said they only purchased their BlackBerries a few days ago and had hardly taken advantage of them. Many asked for refunds as they believe the Kingdom’s mobile phone operators have not been transparent over the matter.
Nevertheless, 153 people said they support the move as BlackBerries have had a very negative effect on the youth. Many said there was already a need for society to do something to tackle the problem.
According to another online poll conducted by the Technology World Blog — a site that provides up-to-date technology information with a focus on Saudi Arabia (www.tech-wd.com) — 49.4 percent of 3,662 participants said they support the decision, whereas 36.5 said they disagree with it, while 14.1 percent said they do not know what a BlackBerry is.
Ahmed Sulaiman, a 40-year-old Saudi who works in marketing, supports the CITC decision as BlackBerries are harmful to society and the service allows youngsters to contact strangers at any time without any control. “I hope they block Facebook and YouTube as well,” he said.
Many of those supporting the ban include parents who have been in tussles with their children over the matter.
Um Aisha confiscated her daughter’s BlackBerry some time ago after she became overly attached to it that it began affecting her general health. “My daughter collapsed once. When we took her to hospital the doctor said she was suffering from fatigue. After getting her BlackBerry phone, she became so attached to it that she even used to be on it while in bed. She reads every SMS she receives and even replies to them late at night,” she said.
“Now I can enjoy my time with my friend just like the old days,” said May, a 23-year-old university student. “I will now be able to see them properly and even their eyes which are always looking down at their BlackBerries,” added May who refused to buy a BlackBerry.
Commenting on the varying views, Dr. Adil Abdul Aziz, a consultant in social behavior at Hira General Hospital, said people look at such issues from their own perspective.
“As sociologists, we look at the effects of such decisions on the public with careful attention to the behavior of the youth who constitute about 48 percent of the Kingdom’s population,” he said.
Although he believes the youth will find ways to circumvent the block, he said parents should supervise their children.
“It is not a matter about just BlackBerries. There are other things that are misused in society, including cars and the Internet,” he said, adding that rather than waiting for an official decision, parents should assert themselves and guide their children to the right path.
He also said that it is not just poor parents who are critical of BlackBerry phones, and that many critics also belong to the Kingdom’s affluent classes.
The United Arab Emirates made a decision to block BlackBerry services earlier this week, sparking skepticism that the Kingdom would follow suit. This was, however, confirmed on Tuesday evening.
There are an estimated 750,000 BlackBerry Messenger users in Saudi Arabia and 500,000 in the UAE.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article95606.ece
The Saudi telecom regulator announced on Tuesday that it is to block BlackBerry services starting Aug. 6 until its maker, Research In Motion (RIM), follows the country’s regulations. CITC had given a three-month grace period for service providers to comply with its requirements. Security reasons have been cited for the ban.
One hundred and seventy eight people in the Kingdom surveyed out of 331 said the decision is wrong because no prior notice or warning was issued about it. They added that it has come as a shock to them. Some said they only purchased their BlackBerries a few days ago and had hardly taken advantage of them. Many asked for refunds as they believe the Kingdom’s mobile phone operators have not been transparent over the matter.
Nevertheless, 153 people said they support the move as BlackBerries have had a very negative effect on the youth. Many said there was already a need for society to do something to tackle the problem.
According to another online poll conducted by the Technology World Blog — a site that provides up-to-date technology information with a focus on Saudi Arabia (www.tech-wd.com) — 49.4 percent of 3,662 participants said they support the decision, whereas 36.5 said they disagree with it, while 14.1 percent said they do not know what a BlackBerry is.
Ahmed Sulaiman, a 40-year-old Saudi who works in marketing, supports the CITC decision as BlackBerries are harmful to society and the service allows youngsters to contact strangers at any time without any control. “I hope they block Facebook and YouTube as well,” he said.
Many of those supporting the ban include parents who have been in tussles with their children over the matter.
Um Aisha confiscated her daughter’s BlackBerry some time ago after she became overly attached to it that it began affecting her general health. “My daughter collapsed once. When we took her to hospital the doctor said she was suffering from fatigue. After getting her BlackBerry phone, she became so attached to it that she even used to be on it while in bed. She reads every SMS she receives and even replies to them late at night,” she said.
“Now I can enjoy my time with my friend just like the old days,” said May, a 23-year-old university student. “I will now be able to see them properly and even their eyes which are always looking down at their BlackBerries,” added May who refused to buy a BlackBerry.
Commenting on the varying views, Dr. Adil Abdul Aziz, a consultant in social behavior at Hira General Hospital, said people look at such issues from their own perspective.
“As sociologists, we look at the effects of such decisions on the public with careful attention to the behavior of the youth who constitute about 48 percent of the Kingdom’s population,” he said.
Although he believes the youth will find ways to circumvent the block, he said parents should supervise their children.
“It is not a matter about just BlackBerries. There are other things that are misused in society, including cars and the Internet,” he said, adding that rather than waiting for an official decision, parents should assert themselves and guide their children to the right path.
He also said that it is not just poor parents who are critical of BlackBerry phones, and that many critics also belong to the Kingdom’s affluent classes.
The United Arab Emirates made a decision to block BlackBerry services earlier this week, sparking skepticism that the Kingdom would follow suit. This was, however, confirmed on Tuesday evening.
There are an estimated 750,000 BlackBerry Messenger users in Saudi Arabia and 500,000 in the UAE.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article95606.ece
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