RIM says all services are operating as normal.
RIM says all services are operating as normal.

RIM dismisses Etisalat's claim of network disruption



BlackBerry officials say there are no problems with its network in the Middle East, despite a warning issued by Etisalat that users of the smartphone face disruptions.

The UAE-based mobile operator claimed today that 5 per cent of BlackBerry customers across the Middle East face problems using the service.

The operator cited an announcement by Research In Motion (RIM), which makes BlackBerry phones.

"RIM has announced that they are having problems with their blackberry service and that 5% of customers in Middle East could be affected,” Etisalat said on its official Twitter feed.

In an earlier message, Etisalat said it is “currently facing a general problem in the BB service. Our technical team is working on resolving it. We regret the inconveniences.”

A spokeswoman for RIM told The National that there are no such problems with its network in the Middle East, and denied making a statement on the matter to Etisalat.

“All services are operating as normal,” the spokeswoman said. “We didn’t make an announcement.”

Etisalat could not immediately provide any information about why it posted the tweet, or give any justification for it. The tweet has not been deleted.

Twitter users did not report any widespread problems with the BlackBerry network, although one Dubai resident today complained that the service was “intermittent and unreliable”.

BlackBerry users in the Middle East have been hit by several problems over the last year.

Last October, a technical fault at a UK-based data centre brought down email, internet and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) services across much of the globe. BlackBerry users in the Middle East were among millions of subscribers hit by last year’s blackout.

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Price: From Dh2,099

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

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Company%C2%A0profile
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Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5