Updated: Since approximately 7:15pm EST last night, reports have been coming in that Research in Motion is suffering a major outage all over the United States. Initial reports thought the problem was with local carriers, but as the issue has begun to unfold it is becoming clear that the problem lies within RIM's data network.

In addition to U.S. carriers, Rogers in Canada has been affected as well. In some cases users  are reporting they cannot send/receive email, access BlackBerry Enterprise Servers, or access the web or their service books. BlackBerry messaging seems to still be working, and some users seem to be exceptions to the rule with service still working (though be it slowly or erraticly). I can't even access the CrackBerry.com WAP site - what a shame!

Thanks to Harvey who got this news to me right away and is staying glued to the story over at his site FiscalTimes.com with updates:

Update, 11:22 pm, EST: There are scattered reports that some users are able to receive mail.

Update, 11:44 pm, EST: Reports indicate that all users of North American based Blackberry Enterprise servers are being affected. This includes users accessing North American BES servers internationally. RIM currently has no estimate on when they will be back online.

Update 12:23 am, EST: Some users claim that email has resumed.

Update 12:48 am, EST: Users who have spoken with RIM tech support are saying that this event started at 7:15 pm, EST. A few T-Mobile users are experiencing an intermittent resumption of email.

Update 2:35 am, EST: WNBC has picked up the story. According to them, “Officials said the problem would carry into the morning. For the moment, RIM officials recommend all who depend on their blackberry as a major way of communication should make some back-up plans.”

Update 7:00 am, EST: System remains down for most users.

Update 9:41am, EST: Some users are reporting that powering the device on and off will get messages flowing. Service still out for most of the United States with sporadic exceptions.

Update 10:15am, EST: CNN Money Reports RIM's email is back up, though some users may experience a delay in receiving messages as the backlog of emails is pushed through. A statement from the RIM said: "A service interruption occurred Tuesday night that affected BlackBerry in North America. E-mail delivery was delayed or intermittent during the service interruption. Root cause is currently under review, but service for most customers was restored overnight and RIM is closely monitoring systems in order to maintain normal service levels," the statement said.

We got on the story within minutes of the issue occuring, which has now been picked up everywhere. Be sure to report your status and talk more more about the BlackBerry System Failure in the forums. Were you affected? Are you back up running yet? History is being made with this one!