Indonesia added Google Pixel to the list of banned phone brands after the multinational tech brand failed to meet the country’s investment regulations just days after banning the sales of Apple’s iPhone 16.

The largest phone market in Southeast Asia said that Google’s flagship phones could not be traded within the country until they comply with the local regulation that 40% of the communication devices’ components are sourced locally. 

Google, however, said that Pixel phones were not officially distributed in Indonesia. 

Febri Hendri Antoni Arief, spokesperson for the industry ministry, noted that consumers can still purchase the phones from overseas as long as they pay the necessary import taxes. He also mentioned that they may consider deactivating Pixel devices that entered the country illegally.

According to the current statistics, the top smartphone brands in the country are China’s OPPO (#1) and Xiaomi (#3), as well as South Korea’s Samsung (#2)—all of which established their manufacturing facilities in Indonesia a while back.

This policy, enforced through the “local content level,” is part of Indonesia’s broader effort to develop domestic industries, encourage the use of local products, and promote fairness for all investors.

Typically, companies can increase their use of domestic components to meet the existing regulations by partnering with local suppliers or sourcing parts domestically.

Source: Reuters

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