What will happen to foreign tourists when IMEI regulations apply in Indonesia?
The impact of the unregistered IMEI blocking rule will certainly spread to foreign tourists entering Indonesia. Then can foreign tourists communicate using their SIM card?
This is the explanation of the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) regarding the fate of foreign nationals (WNA) or tourists visiting Indonesia if the IMEI rules apply.
“When a tourist or a foreigner goes to Indonesia with a cellphone, as long as he uses his country’s SIM card, there is no problem. So in the draft IMEI rules, he said.
However, when a foreigner wants to exchange it for a local SIM card, the government will carry out an identification process through the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) to join cellular operators and the Device, Identification, Registration, and Blocking System (DIRBS).
If he uses a number from his home country, nothing is blocked at all. “As soon as we use a local number with a registered SIM card, we will process it through the DIRBS machine, whether the IMEI of this cellphone is GSMA and confirm whether it has been registered with the (Ministry) Industry,” he said.
The government is currently working on finalizing the IMEI database validation. The purpose of this regulation is to protect industry and consumers in Indonesia.
The Ministry of Industry is collaborating with the Ministry of Communication and Information and the Ministry of Trade to finalize the regulation. This regulation plan will be implemented starting August 17, 2022.