Indonesia banned the sales of Google Pixel phones just days after it did the same with iPhone 16 devices. The reason remains the same – the company failed to provide 40% local content, so its units will be blocked from selling in the country.
Local media outlet Kontan reported that 22,000 Pixels were already in the country through personal shipments or carry-on items, quoting a Ministry of Industry spokesperson after a press briefing.
40% local content must be provided by manufacturing products locally, developing software locally, or setting up R&D centers locally. Some analysts believe Indonesia is applying such restrictive policies to obtain greater investments from foreign companies.
Currently, Indonesia is the biggest economy in Southeast Asia, with a GDP of over $1 trillion. It is a major growth market for smartphone sales, and expectations are that it will have up to 350 million active mobile phones, much more than the country’s 285 million population.
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