Starting April 18, it would be wise to buy cellphones directly from official retailers in Indonesia as a government regulation blocking illegal phones is set to take effect.
Under the regulation, phones with international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) — a unique code assigned to every SIM card slot a phone has — that have not been registered in Indonesia will not be able to connect to any of the country’s cellular services (though the phone could still theoretically connect to the internet via Wi-Fi).
That means that all phones purchased through official retailers in Indonesia should be fine (though we urge you to check here just in case), whereas those bought from the black market or abroad will be affected, with some exceptions.
“The matter has been discussed among several ministries, namely the Information and Communications Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the Industries and Trade Ministry, as well as cellular operators. The enforcement of the IMEI regulation will commence on April 18 at midnight,” Information and Communications Minister Johnny G. Plate said in a statement today.
Phones with IMEI codes not registered with the Indonesian government but purchased or activated before April 18 will reportedly still be able to connect to cellular services thanks to a two-year grace period, during which time owners are expected to register their phones’ IMEI and pay a tax amounting to 17.5 percent of the product’s retail price.
Officials say foreigners on short-term visits will be exempt from the regulation, but technicalities on that and other exemptions are only going to be announced in the coming days.
The Indonesian government drafted and approved the IMEI regulation last year in a bid to curb the spread of illegal phones in the country.
Black market phones, which include stolen phones, can be considerably cheaper than their retail versions. They are quite popular in Indonesia, with a government estimate putting the number of active black market phones in the country at around 20 percent.
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