Original Source: The Jakarta GlobeCanada’s Research In Motion, the producer of the BlackBerry smartphone, on Friday announced the launch of a BlackBerry authorized repair center in Jakarta, ending months of tension between the company and the telecommunications regulator.
Gatot Dewabroto, a spokesman for the Communications Ministry, said the government appreciated RIM’s move. The repair center, reportedly located in North Jakarta, will fix all BlackBerry smartphone models sold through RIM-authorized dealers, including PT Telkomsel, PT Indosat, PT Excelcomindo Pratama and PT Natrindo Telepon Selular. RIM said that it expected to add more repair centers in the future.
In early June, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology stopped issuing licences for all BlackBerry handsets because its manufacturer had not yet opened after- sales offices in Indonesia as stipulated in a 2008 ministerial decree on the IT community. The regulation states that all phone producers must open an after-sales office when they begin selling products in the country.
However, in mid July, government decided to soften its stance. The ministry changed the total ban to a partial ban until Aug. 21, meaning that companies can import the phones. The shift came after a delegation including Canadian Embassy officials, RIM executives and their legal advisers met with ministry officials to ask the government to revise or lift the ban.
