By Desiree Salas (media@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Jul 27, 2015 11:29 PM EDT

Yes, BlackBerry Enterprise Services (BES) providers has been ordered to shut down the network by the Pakistani government. However, this doesn't mean BB users won't be able to use messenger and Internet services anymore.

A senior official at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told The Wall Street Journal that the government wanted the BES shut down due to security concerns. This is because the BES "allow customers to build their own secure communications networks."

As such, the BES has "a high level of security and encryption that is very difficult for governments to access," which explains the government's desire to shut down the network.

However, the system is said to be very costly that "usually only big companies and embassies opt for it."

"BlackBerry's non-enterprise services, which are provided through mobile networks, are encrypted as well, but aren't as secure as BES because servers aren't controlled by the customer," WSJ went on to report.

Currently, BlackBerry has not officially confirmed the BES ban, although a spokeswoman said this in an email response: "While we recognize the need to cooperate with lawful government investigative requests of criminal activity, we have never permitted wholesale access to our BES servers."

However, The Guardian noted that a PTA spokesperson has said that the BES has been ordered closed by the PTA beginning November 30 for "security reasons."

Meanwhile, U.K.-based Privacy International said that although Pakistani officials insist electronic surveillance in the country, which has increased in the past years, is essential in combating counter militancy, it has threatened the privacy of locals and comes with the possibility of abuse.

Pakistan had previously required fingerprints "as a condition of cellphone service" in an effort to boost security, Engadget noted.

This is not the first time that BlackBerry's services have been subjected to government bans.

"In 2010, BlackBerry services were banned within the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Bans were lifted in some states but with tightened restrictions," The Guardian recalled. "Prime minister David Cameron also considered banning BlackBerry's messaging services within the UK during the 2011 riots."

In recent years, BlackBerry has attempted to innovate its products by offering handsets that do not follow its distinctive QWERTY keypad-equipped design. In June this year, Reuters reported that the company is considering using Google Android OS in an upcoming smartphone for the first time, which is "an acknowledgement that its revamped line of devices has failed to win mass appeal."

"The move to use Android is part of BlackBerry's strategy to pivot to focus on software and device management," the news source quoted insiders as saying. "BlackBerry, which once dominated smartphone sales, now has a market share of less than 1 percent."

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