In an effort to overturn the prohibition on local sales of Apple’s iPhone 16 series, Indonesia has approved telecommunications permits for five of the models.
Before formally launching the cell phones in the nation, the multinational tech company must still obtain an import permit from the commerce ministry. Following last week’s issuance of local content certificates for 20 Apple products, including the iPhone 16 lineup, Indonesia’s communications ministry announced the approval on Friday.
BrandSpur brand news desk reports that the iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max are the five certified models. The sale of iPhone 16 models was previously prohibited in Indonesia, a country of about 280 million people, due to Apple’s noncompliance with local content regulations. To support domestic manufacturing, current regulations require 40% of smartphone components to be supplied locally.
Analysts caution that this rule may discourage foreign investment and encourage protectionist inclinations, even while it benefits domestic sectors. With an emphasis on component manufacturing facilities and a research and development centre, Apple has reacted by promising to invest more than $300 million in Indonesia.
This supports its effort to secure long-term access to the Indonesian market and satisfy the local content standards. Apple has invested $15.4 billion and $24 billion in Vietnam and Thailand, respectively, but its investments in Indonesia are still quite modest. With more active mobile phone connections than its population (354 million), Indonesia has one of the biggest mobile markets globally.
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Considering its size, it is a significant market for Apple, which competes with well-established local brands like Xiaomi and Samsung.
Other tech businesses have also been hampered by Indonesia’s protectionist legislation; local sourcing rules have similarly limited the availability of Google Pixel devices. Apple’s last concern, notwithstanding the receipt of telecom permissions, is acquiring an import license. Because of this phase, it is hard to predict when the iPhone 16 series will formally be available in Indonesia.
Regarding the development, Apple has not yet released a remark. However, senior communications ministry official Dwi Handoko confirmed the issuance of the permissions, saying: “Five permits were issued as requested by Apple.”
