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A number of BlackBerry users reported service outages and delays this week on theCingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel networks. The disruptions affected those using the hosted BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) and not the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which runs behind firewalls corporate and government offices.

Research In Motion (RIM) hosts BIS on its own servers. The Canadian push e-mail vendor confirmed the disruption with news.com, saying the problems resulted from a software upgrade to its infrastructure that went awry.

RIM had planned on implementing a software workaround to avoid a shutdown in the event the Judge in charge of its recently settled patent infringement case enforced an injunction against it operating within the U.S. The BlackBerry-maker ponied up $612.5 million dollars to holding company NTP to put the five year-old legal case behind it once and for all two weeks ago.

There was concern among BlackBerry customers at the time that such a software workaround could cause the types of outages experienced by users this week—on a much more widespread basis, however. It is ironic that these fears were realized for some after a system upgrade not long afterwards.

The proposed injunction-workaround had nothing to do with the BIS outages experienced by BlackBerry customers this week, according to RIM. And while RIM says service was operating at normal levels, as of Wednesday, some users said they were still experiencing problems and complained of not knowing when normal service would resume. In a statement to news.com, the company said "RIM continues to monitor the infrastructure closely."

BlackBerry subscribers on T-Mobile's cellular network experienced similar problems with BIS service because of a software malfunction back during the end of February.