I told you at the end of last year that in Argentina the sale of iPhone terminals was prohibited by the government. The ban is based on the fact that Apple has no factories in Argentina to produce this terminal and mobile operators cannot sell it. The government did not issue any decision banning the sale of these devices, but informally announced to the mobile phone operators that they are not allowed to sell them. Apple has the same problem as RIM or other large mobile phone manufacturers, but Apple is the only company that did not look for partners in Argentina for the production of terminals locally and their sale in stores.
BUENOS AIRES—Argentines face another year of scrounging for hard-to-get iPhones as the government continues to block imports of the world's most popular smartphone. The government doesn't formally ban iPhones, but it has made it clear to mobile phone makers that they can't sell their products here unless they produce them in Argentina. While companies such as Research In Motion Ltd. have partnered with local manufacturers to assemble phones, it wouldn't make sense for Apple to do so, a top telecommunications executive said Friday.
Although the unofficial ban imposed last year seemed to be a short-lived one, the Buenos Aires government recently announced that in the next year, iPhones will not be able to be sold in Argentina unless they are produced there. The measure is quite harsh, but the government is trying to protect its economy because a partnership between Apple and other major smartphone manufacturers with local factories would generate new jobs and additional income for the state budget. For now, Apple does not seem interested in making a partnership with a local manufacturer and probably won't do so in the near future.
