India says BlackBerry meeting “inconclusive”

The Indian government put off a decision on Thursday on whether to ban BlackBerry services over national security fears in the world's fasted growing telecoms market.
The home secretary, the top civil servant over internal security, held talks with intelligence officials and state-run telecom operators BSNL and MTNL about how the government could access encryption details, the latest global headache for Canadian maker Research In Motion.
A telecoms ministry official described the talks as "inconclusive" after the meeting. Another source said private telecom operators could be invited later. "The government first wants to be sure how to pin down Blackberry," the source said.
An RIM official met India's interior minister separately on Thursday, a government source said. There were no more details.
In a matter of a few weeks, the BlackBerry device — long the darling of the world's CEOs and politicians, including U.S. President Barack Obama — has become a target for its encrypted email and messaging services with governments around the world.
The Indian demands follow a deal with Saudi Arabia, where a source said RIM agreed to give authorities codes for BlackBerry Messenger users. The United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Algeria also seek access.
The government could ask mobile operators to block BlackBerry messaging and email until RIM provides access to data transmitted over the handset, a senior government official said on Wednesday.
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone's India unit are the largest providers of BlackBerry services in India.
A shutdown would affect 1 mln of the smartphone's 41 mln users. India is one of RIM's fastest growing markets.
If a shutdown takes effect, BlackBerry users in India would only be able to use the devices for calls and Internet browsing.
India wants access in a readable format to encrypted BlackBerry communication, on grounds it could be used by militants. Pakistani-based militants used mobile and satellite phones in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
RIM, unlike rivals Nokia and Apple, operates its own network through secure services located in Canada and other countries, such as Britain.
The German government has urged staffers not to use the BlackBerry and several ministries have banned them. The European Union Commission this month rejected the BlackBerry in favour of Apple's iPhone and HTC smartphones.