After a bit of a kerfuffle, the Indian Ministry of Telecommunications has come to the conclusion that Blackberry devices do not pose a security threat and that, therefore, it will not be closing down Blackberry's service in the sub-continent.
The Indian security services have, for some time, been briefing and lobbying against Research in Motion's mobile device, claiming that they can be used by criminals, militants and terrorists to transmit and receive emails that the agencies could neither intercept, trace or decode.
These same shadowy agencies also told the Indian news media that the country's government was demanding that RIM must install servers in-country to allow the security services to monitor and intercept traffic or else the devices would be outlawed. However, according to the government this is no more than black propaganda designed to boost the influence and budgets of the secret services.
In what is being seen as a slap-down to the uppity security agencies, India's Telecommunications secretary, Siddhartha Behura, told the press, "There is absolutely no threat from Blackberry services. Network operators are entirely free to exercise their commercial judgement and discretion in deciding whether or not to launch Blackberry and most certainly do not need the ministry's approval before they can offer such services.
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