Emirati telecom: BlackBerry limits next week

(AP) -- The head of an Emirati phone company says new government restrictions on the most secure BlackBerry services are scheduled to take effect next week.

But the telecom firm Du's CEO Osman Sultan also told reporters Monday he doesn't expect the shift May 1 to cause problems for customers, who will still have access to email, Web browsing and messaging services.

Emirati regulators want to limit access to the Blackberry Enterprise Server to companies with 20 accounts or more. That system provides the most secure communication on the handheld devices and is used by many international companies and government agencies.

Others users would need to rely on a less-secure system that experts say is easier for authorities to monitor.

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