A ban on the use of Blackberry devices for sending and receiving messages was to have come into force.  Locals said the handsets had stopped working for four hours but have now been restored for some reason.  There is no sign yet that the ban has been lifted.  Earlier reports say that Blackberry manufacturers RIM (Research in Motion) had found a solution to security issues raised by local authorities but they cannot be confirmed.
Saudi Arabia authorities object to the devices because they operate an encrypted message service meaning that communication from Blackberry devices cannot be monitored.

RIM may have given Saudi Arabia authorities access to its security codes so it could resume service there, if so other countries would now expect the same.   The United Arab Emirates is threating a ban as well by October along with Algeria, Indonesia, and Inida. 

In a statement earlier this week a spokesperson for the company said that the devices were deliberately designed to prevent anybody from accessing individual message data, which is stored on servers in Canada.

"RIM cannot accommodate any request for a copy of a customer's encryption key, since at no time does RIM, or any wireless network operator or any third party, ever possess a copy of the key."