Saudi Arabia will allow BlackBerry's Messenger service to continue beyond a 48-hour deadline due to positive progress made with manufacturer Research In Motion, the regulator said on Tuesday.

The telecom watchdog is continuing to work with local service providers on BlackBerry-related requirements, the Communications and Information Telecommunications Commission (CITC) said in a statement.

The regulator did not mention if it had reached an agreement with RIM to address its national security concerns.

A threatened ban on BlackBerry Messenger set for last Friday did not materialize and the CITC the next day said it would give RIM until Monday as it worked with the kingdom's three mobile companies on testing servers as a possible solution to its concerns.

(Reporting by Asma Alsharif, Writing by Dinesh Nair; Editing by Jason Neely)

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