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Use of iPhone 16 illegal in Indonesia, minister says
Minister Agus has cautioned against local consumers heading overseas to get their hands on Apple's latest device, underlining that the device cannot be used legally in the country since it did not have IMEI certification.
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A man looks at an iPhone 16 Pro Max at a store in Moscow on Sept. 20, 2024, the official launch date of Apple’s latest device in Russia. (Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina)
T
he Industry Ministry says Apple has yet to obtain certification for the iPhone 16 regarding its compliance with the government’s local content (TKDN) rules to sell the device in the country.
“If any iPhone 16 is operating in Indonesia, I can say that it is illegal. Report it to us, because we have not issued the distribution permit [for the device],” Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said at his office on Tuesday, as quoted by Bisnis.com.
He said the ministry was still waiting for Apple to fulfill its commitment to invest Rp 1.71 trillion (US$113 million) in the country.
According to Agus, the United States giant tech has invested Rp 1.48 trillion, which falls short of the amount deemed equivalent to meeting the 40 percent TKDN threshold.
Read also: Local content rules delay latest iPhone model entry to Indonesia
Moreover, Agus emphasized that Indonesia had not issued an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) certification for the Apple’s latest device, so an iPhone 16 purchased abroad could not be activated in the country.
The minister explained that only three institutions had the authority to issue IMEI numbers: the Industry Ministry, the Communications and Digital Ministry and the Finance Ministry’s Customs and Excise Directorate General.
