BlackBerry dispels 'hoax' BBM after service disruption

BlackBerry users in the UAE experienced disruption to the mobile service yesterday - although not to the extent of the data blackout that crippled the smartphone network last October.

Research In Motion (RIM), which makes the BlackBerry device, acknowledged that there had been some delays in the Middle East, Europe and Africa region, but said services were now back online.

"A limited number of users experienced some delays for a short period of time yesterday, however all BlackBerry services are now operating normally," RIM told The National.
 
Last October, BlackBerry users in the Middle East were among millions of subscribers hit globally, after a technical fault at a UK-based data centre brought down email, internet and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) services.

Yesterday's problem, described by one user as "momentary", does not appear to be as severe as the wider service disruption last year.

However, in a twist to the story, RIM issued another statement dispelling a "hoax" message that it said was circulated via BBM.

The message apparently suggested that hacking of the BlackBerry network was behind the service interruption.
 
"RIM is aware of a hoax message that has been circulating in the Middle East amongst some BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) users," the company said in a statement.

"The message did not originate from RIM and does not impact the security of BlackBerry smartphones. Hoax messages are unfortunately an industry-wide issue. RIM recommends that users simply ignore the message and do not forward it on."