iphone 16 bloomberg
Buying, selling and advertising iPhone 16 in Indonesia is illegal. Photo: Bloomberg

On October 25, the Indonesian Ministry of Industry announced a ban on the sale and marketing of iPhone 16 in the country because Apple Indonesia's subsidiary has not fulfilled its committed investment obligations.

This is a big obstacle for Apple as sales of the iPhone 16 line are recording strong growth in other markets, including China.

Indonesia is a trillion-dollar economy where the number of mobile subscribers is estimated at more than 350 million, much higher than the population (270 million).

Earlier, the Ministry of Industry revealed that Apple had just invested 1.48 trillion rupiah ($95 million) in Indonesia, lower than the committed threshold (1.71 trillion rupiah). Apple has built developer academies here.

The missing amount is the reason why the ministry has not issued an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) certificate for the device. The Ministry of Industry said that “it cannot yet issue a license for the iPhone 16 because there are still commitments that Apple must fulfill.”

Additionally, Apple's localization rate certificate - TKDN - has expired and is awaiting renewal.

According to the Ministry of Industry, about 9,000 iPhone 16s have entered the Indonesian market so far, either by hand-carrying or by mail. However, they are for personal use only and are not allowed to be sold.

On October 22, Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita called on Indonesians not to buy iPhone 16 from abroad.

He also asked people to report to the authorities if they discover anyone trading in hand-carried iPhone 16s because this is an "illegal" act.

The ban also includes other recently released Apple products like the Apple Watch Series 10.

(According to Bloomberg, India Times)