Research In Motion (RIM), the Canadian manufacturers of BlackBerry mobile phones, say they have made progress in negotiations with the UAE to stop suspension of the handset services next month, according to a senior company official.

Jim Balsillie, joint chief executive at RIM, told Associated Press the firm is continuing discussions with governments and carriers in India and the UAE, and they believe we have made good progress in those discussions.

Mark Baxter, regional director, lead operations in the Middle East, told Recruiter: “There is not much we can do. We will just have to see what happens. I have always had a BlackBerry so it will be like losing an arm. If that is what is decreed, then we will have to find other ways of contacting people. It will be a little uncomfortable but to me, it is inconvenient. We all have remote access, it is not the end of the world.”