United States technology giant Apple Inc. has secured official approval to once again sell its signature iPhone mobile phone series in Indonesia after fulfilling a requirement to use a minimum of 30 percent local components in smartphones distributed throughout the country, locally known as TKDN.
The Industry Ministry’s director for metals, machinery, transportations and electronics, I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan, confirmed on Sunday that the ministry had granted the approval after Apple agreed to build supporting infrastructure to fulfill the requirement.
Meanwhile, Apple’s official partner, telecommunications company Smartfren, has announced that the company will open up pre-order services for Apple’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus on March 24, according to company spokesman Yondi Hartanto.
“The products will arrive in customers’ hands after they create pre-orders. We don’t want to discuss the .exact date, but it’s usually no longer than a week after the pre-order,” Yondi said on Sunday via telephone.
As the only telecommunications firm officially partnering with Apple, the company will help sell the products with completed data packages, Yondi said, adding that Apple had also partnered with some electronics distributors.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus for Smartfren can be organized through the company’s official website or through its 13 galleries spread across several big cities in Indonesia, he added.