The story of Etisalat's problematic BlackBerry software upgrade, , has now become a truly global one, with coverage by the , , , , and , among , where Alexander McNabb, the PR man behind the excellent , explains pretty clearly why Etisalat has fallen victim to the classic law of media relations: news expands to fill a vacuum. As we , "the less they talk, the more people will talk about it." Going into media and customer blackout on this story directly led to a week of digging by the local press, lots of angry customers voicing their thoughts online, subsequent comments from RIM/BlackBerry, and the international media storm that followed. I hope Etisalat and their PR company, Asda'a Burson-Marsteller, has learnt something from the whole experience. That doesn't seem to have happened though, judging by the