Indonesia’s iPhone 16 sales ban could finally be lifted soon as Apple is now said to be closer than ever in reaching an agreement that would satisfy’s the government’s local manufacturing stipulations, according to Bloomberg.
After Indonesia seemingly rejected Apple’s latest offer of $1 billion to build local manufacturing plants, it now appears that both parties are close to finalize an “investment plan.” While the terms of said plan remain unknown, Apple will likely to commit to manufacture some iPhone parts locally in the planned manufacturing sites, rather than limiting them to accessories like AirTag as previously reported.
To this effect, Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani confirmed that an agreement with Apple “will resolve very, very soon.” Roeslani also indicated that the iPhone 16 sales ban could be lifted within the next two weeks, bringing an end to the four months’ long sales restriction.
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The iPhone 16 sales ban in Indonesia was enacted shortly after the device went on sale in September. The country cited that the device doesn’t have enough locally made parts, with the government demanding between 35 and 40 percent of all components being made within Indonesia. Apple first offered to invest $10 million to enact a new local manufacturing site, before lifting its offer to $100 million and again to $1 billion.
The recent development should be a major relief for Apple, considering the sheer size of the Indonesian mobile phone market and its potential for the iPhone as it suffers from poor sales elsewhere. The country could be the perfect place to reinvigorate iPhone sales with its population of over 280 million and over 350 million mobile phones actively in use.
