UAE BlackBerry users experience service outage

ABU DHABI // BlackBerry users in the UAE experienced a service outage last night lasting several hours.
The disruption was confirmed by Etisalat, via Twitter, in response to queries made by disgruntled customers.
"Dear customers, kindly note there's a BB service outage," the note said. "Please bear with us, our team is working on solving it. Thanks for your patience."
The outage - not the first to hit customers in the UAE this year - frustrated those who rely on BlackBerrys, said Fatima, a 19-year-old from Sharjah.
"It is really, really annoying because whenever we call the centre they say it will be back in half an  hour and then when we call them back, they tell us the same thing.
"I would rather they be honest and say it's going to take a long time."
The latest disruption has made the teenager reconsider her loyalty to BlackBerry.
"I already have an iPhone, bought for this reason, but I depend on my BlackBerry," said Fatima. "I know it's not dependable, but it's just something I can't let go of. It's easier to connect with people."
A spokesperson for Research in Motion, the BlackBerry maker, said the disruption was caused by a faulty cable but was fixed yesterday evening.

zalhassani@thenational.ae
* with additional reporting by Nadeem Hanif