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BlackBerry to be Charged with Telecommunication Cost Customers Burdened by Additional Taxes

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Telecommunication Regulatory Agency (BRTI) plans to impose telecommunication rights of implementation cost (BHP) and universal service obligation (USO) collection on BlackBerry services.
Law 36/1999 establishes that every telecommunication provide (networks and/or service provider) is required to pay USO (Article 16) and BHP (Article 26).
"Therefore, anyone getting revenues from providing ICT services in Indonesia has to meet the requirement," said member of BRTI Nonot Harsono to Bisnis yesterday.
USO and BHP in Article 3 of Government Regulation (PP) 7 Year 2009 is 1.25% and 0.5% of the provider's gross revenues.
Nonot revealed Research in Motion (RIM/the vendor of BlackBerry) with its BlackBerry product running two businesses simultaneously, namely handset sales and Internet services (BlackBerry Internet Service and BlackBerry Enterprise Service).
"The sales of handset at a glance are similar to other brands. The difference is RIM has special sales agents called appointed-buyers."
In every country, BlackBerry is officially sold through the appointed-buyers, which join hands with networks and cellular service operators so that each of the cellular operator's name is displayed on every unit of BlackBerry marketed. "So, whatever the operator is, the important thing is they can sell the BlackBerry."
In practice, many BlackBerry units display the names of telecommunication operators worldwide. It meant, added Nonot, RIM could not guarantee that the appointed-buyers-based system in one country would be exclusive.
BlackBerry units supposed to be sold in other countries instead flooded the Indonesian market due to huge demand.
"Regarding this case, RIM once explained several thousands of BlackBerry units intended for other countries had been stolen. However, such an excuse cannot last long."
Monitoring by Bisnis showed recently there were so many BlackBerry units entering Indonesia through general importers instead of appointed-buyers.
There are two services provided, namely BIS and BES, both of which are operated on Indonesian operators' cellular networks.
In this context, RIM acts as a virtual network operator of exclusive data services controlled from Canada and that has subscribers in the area of Indonesia.
Burdensome for subscribers
In its official statement, RIM disclosed the company didn't want to comment on the regulatory issues or speculation over BHP collection.
Executive Director of the Information Society Development and Empowerment Institute (LPPMI) Kamilov Sagala argued the application of BHP to BlackBerry services was to much since it would burden subscribers. (Bisnis/roy/api)

http://www.bisnis.com/pls/bisnis/bisnis.cetak?inw_id=714797

[Last update: 2010-01-21 03:27:20]