RIM Says Committed to Indonesia, Will Block Porn on BlackBerrys

Research In Motion Ltd. is committed to Indonesia and will comply with the government’s request that it block pornographic websites on its BlackBerry browsers, RIM Southeast Asia Managing Director Gregory Wade said.
Wade and other executives from Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM met with government officials in Jakarta today to discuss the request, after Communication and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring said last week RIM has until Jan. 21 to begin filtering porn sites or face legal action including revocation of its license to operate in the country.
“We fully understand the requirement as articulated by the ministry, and we are fully committed to providing solutions that satisfy the requirement of Indonesia’s government and the ministry related to BlackBerry service in Indonesia,” Wade said at a press briefing after the meeting. “We’re focusing on meeting the deadline and timeline that has been discussed.”
The move highlights the mounting challenges RIM faces in expanding overseas as countries such as India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates tighten restrictions on mobile e-mail. In August last year, Sembiring said all Internet pornography sites would be permanently blocked in Indonesia.
Sembiring confirmed the agreement in response to reporters’ questions at parliament later, and reiterated the Jan. 21 deadline for RIM to begin filtering content.
PT Telekomunikasi Selular, PT XL Axiata, PT Indosat, PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler, or AXIS, PT Hutchison CP Telecom Indonesia and PT Sinar Mas Telecommunications, or Smart Telecom, are the six companies that provide service for BlackBerrys in Indonesia, Gatot Dewa Broto, a spokesman at the Communication and Information Technology Ministry, said at the press briefing. Representatives from those companies also attended the meeting, he said.
License Freeze Lifted
The Indonesian government in September 2009 ended a two- month freeze on issuing licenses for new BlackBerry models after it opened a service center in Jakarta. The communications ministry in June 2009 halted licenses for sales of new BlackBerry models pending the opening of a local branch office with after-sales service.
RIM in August last year opened an authorized repair center in Jakarta, which is able to repair all models of BlackBerry sold through RIM partners in Indonesia.
RIM has been negotiating with regulators in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and India after they threatened to block the BlackBerry amid security concerns. RIM averted a ban in Saudi Arabia in August and in the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 8, while it’s continuing discussions with the Indian government.
Internet users in countries such as Brazil, Russia, China, India and Indonesia are estimated to almost double to 1.2 billion users by 2015 from about 610 million, according to a report by the Boston Consulting Group.