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BlackBerry deadline set, yet technicalities remain vague
BlackBerry smartphone manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) and the Indonesian government may have agreed on Jan
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lackBerry smartphone manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) and the Indonesian government may have agreed on Jan. 21 as the deadline to filter pornographic content, but both have yet to settle on the technicalities of implementing the block, as revealed through separate discussions on Monday.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring said that RIM had signed a legally binding document on fulfilling requirements set by the government.
The minister was present at the House of Representatives to share with legislators the results
of an earlier meeting between representatives of the ministry, RIM and six cell phone operators on issues connected to the filtering mechanism.
“I have also given them a Jan. 21 deadline to fulfill their promises,” said Tifatul, who had irked BlackBerry users with threats to restrict Internet browser services available through BlackBerry.
He repeated his vow before the session with the House to bring the matter to court if RIM failed to deliver on their promises.
According to Communications and Information Technology Ministry spokesman Gatot S. Dewa Broto, who was present at the separate meeting with RIM and cell operators, follow up discussions would be held to settle technical matters.
Other points discussed during the meeting, including the establishment of data centers and the possibility of lawful interception, required further talks, he said.
“The road is still long. However, we do meet with RIM almost every month,” he added.
Tifatul had earlier issued several demands to RIM, citing the telecommunication law, the information and electronic transaction law and the law on pornography. The demands include setting up a service center and a data center.
Before his Monday session with legislators, Tifatul stated that RIM had agreed to build the data center, thus enabling law enforcers to perform lawful interception in criminal investigations.
Tifatul said he would verify whether RIM had established 40 after-sales service centers, as they had claimed, adding that he had ordered RIM to carry out corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs for local customers.
RIM has reportedly averaged profits of Rp 189 billion (US$20.79 million) per month — approximately Rp 2.3 trillion per annum — from its roughly 3 million Indonesian customers.
RIM managing director for Southeast Asia Gregory Wade reiterated after their discussion with ministry and cellular phone operator representatives that they were committed to complying with the regulations.
“We are very much focused on the needs and requirements as articulated by the ministry and by the Indonesian government,” he said. “We are very much focused on meeting the time lines and deadlines that have been discussed.”
RIM would collaborate with the six local operators to filter the content, he added.
The six operators involved in the BlackBerry discussions are PT Telkomsel, PT XL Axiata, PT Indosat, PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler, PT Smart Telecom and PT Hutchinson CP Telecom. “They are a very critical component in the delivery of the solution that we have discussed,” Gregory said.
