While Apple’s latest flagship smartphone series, the iPhone 16 Series, has been available for purchase in Malaysia since 20 September, the smartphone series is yet to make its debut in our neighbouring country, Indonesia.
In fact, the iPhone 16 Series may never be officially available in Indonesia due to the decision by the Indonesian Government to block the new smartphone series from entering the country’s market.
Indonesia bans Apple from selling iPhone 16 Series in the country
As reported by the Indonesian portal Tempo, the country’s Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita confirmed that Apple won’t be allowed into Indonesia until the company fulfils a few requirements first.Ā
He added that currently, Apple has yet to fulfil its investment commitments in the country and renew its local content requirement certification, known as TKDN.
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Agus said that Apple had fallen short of its investment commitments to Indonesia, whereby its investment realisation had only reached IDR1.48 trillion or approximately RM405.76 million of its total commitment of IDR1.71 trillion (~RM467.5 million).
As for the TKDN certification, Apple’s validity has expired, and for the company to be allowed to renew, the tech giant must realise its investment commitment and even additional investments.Ā
Agus further elaborated that after this is fulfilled, Apple would be eligible for a 40% TKDN value, thereby enabling the entry of the iPhone 16 Series and other Apple products using mobile networks into the Indonesian market.
Indonesians must pay taxes for imported smartphones and register the device to be able to use it with local networks
Indonesians planning to import the iPhone 16 Series into the country may also face a tough time as the country requires citizens to declare imports of smartphones and register the devices’ IMEI.
Moreover, Indonesians must also pay taxes depending on the price of the smartphones and can only use their Indonesian SIM cards if the device is registered with the authorities.
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So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.Ā
Also read: Māsians Line Up as Early as 3AM for iPhone 16 in KL Mall, Lucky Vietnamese Becomes 1st to Own it
