Etisalat: BlackBerry services no longer available from March 10 in UAE

Dubai: Etisalat, on Wednesday, announced that as per BlackBerry Ltd notice, BlackBerry services such as BlackBerry Messenger – Pin to Pin – BlackBerry Internet service and BlackBerry email service will not be available from March 10, 2020.

Customers can still use their data allowance from their Blackberry packages for all other internet services.

This marks another nail in the coffin for BlackBerry users. In February, BlackBerry announced that its Android smartphones are done, with current models being discontinued later this year.

The brand has always been known for its communication features directed towards business people, and the ever famous BlackBerry Messenger facility.

The advent of the iPhone and the fast-paced smartphone industry in general hit BlackbBerry hard.

The iconic keyboard on the brand’s handsets was later emulated in its smartphone designs. The smartphone, however, saw weakened demand after an initially profitable run.

The services offered on Blackberry devices are iconic to a generation of users – the BBM and Pin to Pin messages in particular. Pin messaging is simply sending a message using the BlackBerry PIN protocol from one BlackBerry directly to another BlackBerry – and not over an external platform.

All of these BlackBerry specific features are set to stop functioning on March 10, while no new phones will be released by TCL from August. TCL was the licensed manufacturer of BlackBerry phones and started releasing handsets in 2016 but the agreement is no longer in force. BlackBerry users, however, will continue to get tech support until August 2022 on purchased handsets released by TCL.