An agreement to prevent a ban on the Blackberry smartphone in Saudi Arabia is "in sight", Saudi officials say.
Saudi Arabia was to ban the phone on Friday because it operates an encrypted message service that cannot be monitored.
Officials said a deal was likely whereby the authorities would have access to decipher exchanged messages.
Several other countries have expressed security concerns over the Blackberry system.
Encrypted data
An official with one of Saudi Arabia's three licensed mobile operators told AFP news agency: "A deal has been virtually reached and we are in the process of adding the final touches."