Indian BlackBerry ban lifted

Last week, we ran a bizarre story about the Indian government rejecting Tata Teleservices' application to offer BlackBerry devices in India, on the grounds that the inability to intercept BlackBerry data makes the device a security threat. The story was even more odd when one considered that other carriers already offer BlackBerry devices in India. At the time, Tata filed for a clarification as to why their service was singled out. This week, they received an answer: The Indian government has rescinded the ban on Tata's BlackBerry service and will work with mobile carriers to ensure that any security issues are resolved. "We are keen to resolve the issue at the earliest but there is no question of banning the Blackberry services," Indian Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura said.

For more on the security saga:
- see this article from Rediff India Abroad