Govt Promises No Service Interruption As BlackBerry Gets Its House in Order
The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology on Sunday threw a lifeline to Research in Motion, the maker of BlackBerry smartphones, saying it would be given time to establish a local office before the temporary ban on licensing its new models became permanent.
Ministry spokesman Gatot S. Dewabroto also said on Sunday that even if RIM did not move forward with opening an office, BlackBerry service would not be interrupted.
Without licenses, products cannot be imported to Indonesia, officials said.
The ministry on Thursday stopped issuing licenses for new types of BlackBerry units until RIM opened a branch that could provide customers with after-sales service.
Ministry officials discussed their demands for a BlackBerry branch office with RIM’s vice president, Robert E. Crow, on June 15, but the company only promised to conduct a feasibility study.