Curbing Black Market; Govt to Mandate Phone Registration
16 February 2018 14:22 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Industry Ministry and the Communications and Information Technology Ministry are preparing a system to prevent the smuggling of cellular phones. Industry Minister Airlangga Hartanto said that every mobile phone entering Indonesia must be registered before it can be used.
"We want all phones to be registered, by name, by address. Illegally imported mobile phones cannot be used," Airlangga said in Jakarta, Thursday, February 15.
Among users, smuggled mobile phones are known as BM or black market phones. The Trade Ministry estimated that 20 percent of mobile phones in circulation are black market goods.
The confiscation of illegal cell phones in 2017-2018 reached 20,545 units from 1,208 cases. The total value of goods is estimated to reach Rp59.6 billion, with potential state losses reaching Rp10.3 billion.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati encouraged the preparation of this system as a form of commitment from the leaders of related institutions.
She said that the improvement of this system can lead to increased investment in Indonesia, especially the mobile phone industry.
Fajar Pebrianto
