Apple close to deal to lift Indonesian iPhone ban, minister says

INDONESIA is close to a deal with Apple over an investment plan that would lift a ban on iPhone 16 sales in the country, according to a government minister.

South-east Asia’s largest country banned the sale of the new device in October, saying Apple had failed to comply with domestic manufacturing requirements for smartphones and tablets. The company has been in discussions with the government over an investment package that would lift the restrictions.

“I strongly believe it will resolve very, very soon,” Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in Davos on Tuesday (Jan 21). “Hopefully within one or two weeks this issue can be resolved.”

Apple’s latest US$1 billion offer for one of its suppliers to set up a plant to produce airtags in the country was rejected by the Minister for Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Bloomberg reported in January.

He told Apple’s vice-president for global affairs Nick Amman and the Apple delegation that the US company needed to fulfil a local regulation that requires it to make part of its iPhone, or the iPhone’s components, onshore.

“The way they calculate it is different I think,” Roeslani said, referring to the local content requirement. “Now they find a solution on that one, so hopefully they accept the discrepancies so we can have the iPhone 16 sold in Indonesia.” BLOOMBERG

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