Pakistan to block BlackBerry BES services

Pakistani authorities are going to ban BlackBerry Enterprise Service. It has been decided that BES services may no longer be active from 1 December. The main reason is that connections via BES are difficult to tap.

A spokesman for the Pakistani telecoms authority PTA confirmed that BES is being blocked in a conversation with The Express Tribune. Officially, the importance of security is the reason for no longer allowing connections made with BES. According to the spokesperson, messages sent via BES connections cannot be deciphered, making it more difficult to eavesdrop on connections. It was then decided to no longer allow BES.

From December 1, it will no longer be allowed to use BES in Pakistan. Incidentally, users are still allowed to make connections via BIS, the consumer variant of BES. BlackBerry itself has not yet responded to the upcoming blockade.

It’s not the first time BlackBerry has come under fire for its secure connections. India and Indonesia, among others, wanted the manufacturer to build in a back door for the authorities. BlackBerry entered into an agreement with India.