Blackberry woes blamed on "core switch failure"

LONDON - The maker of BlackBerry smartphones says the problems that have plagued users worldwide were caused by a core switch failure within the company's infrastructure.

Research in Motion Ltd. says that a transition to a back-up switch did not function as tested, causing a large backlog of data. The glitch comes as Reuters reported that investment firm Jaguar Financia - as well as a growing number of Research In Motion shareholders - has called for the ouster of the company's co-CEOs, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, in preparation for a possible sale of the BlackBerry maker to the highest bidder

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In an update Tuesday, it said it is now working to clear the backlog and restore normal service as soon as possible.

Large numbers of BlackBerry users in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Brazil, Chile and Argentina are experiencing problems for a second day, with many unable to access email and messaging services.