Report: Saudi Blackberry service restored

The BBC said there was no official word that the controversial ban had been lifted after just one day. However, its correspondent in the neighboring United Arab Emirates said the devices were working normally.

"Services are up and running again across the country," stated the BBC's Ben Thompson in Dubai.

There were media reports out of the Middle East that Research in Motion, the Canadian company that manufactures the Blackberry, was in talks with the Saudi government about addressing the Kingdom's security concerns about the encryption code, which makes it impossible to monitor Blackberry data transfers.

The BBC said restoration of service in Saudi Arabia raises the question of whether or not RIM gave the government its encryption codes and if other governments will be expecting similar deals.

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