Erajaya to Sell Google's Android One Smartphones Soon
Jakarta. Erajaya Swasembada, a listed Indonesia mobile-phone distributor, will be one of the distributors of Google’s line of budget Android One smartphones that are set to be sold in Indonesia as soon as this week.
“A representative from Google has just contacted me to confirm that, yes, Erajaya has been appointed as one of the distributors of the Android One phone in Indonesia,” said Djatmiko Wardoyo, corporate secretary of Erajaya, told GlobeAsia late on Tuesday.
Djatmiko said that Google had also chosen a few other mobile-phone companies in Indonesia to distribute its low-cost mobile-phone brand. However, he declined to disclose the name of the companies. Aside from Erajaya, other listed mobile-phone distributors in Indonesia include Tiphone Mobile Indonesia and Trikomsel Oke.
In addition to distributing the phones, Djatmiko said that Erajaya and the other local mobile-phone distributors would also be responsible in producing the low-cost brand. Erjaya will manufacture Android One through its subsidiary Teletama Artha Mandiri.
Mountainview-based Google had said that it planned to launch its budget smartphone program — so-called Android One — in Indonesia this year, after it began offering the brand in India in 2014. Under the program, Google provides basic smartphone specifications to local manufacturers that will make the device under their brand with the Android One name.
Still, the smartphones are viewed as being more consistent in service and providing a dependable experience compared to counterparts, since the software is upgraded directly by Google, instead of by the phone makers.
Google’s timing in launching Android One program in Indonesia comes at a time when the government plans to require all phone manufacturers to produce devices domestically by the end of this year, a move that may hamper some of the company’s competitors.
With a population of more than 250 million people and low smartphone penetration, Indonesia has become the target of many budget smartphone manufacturers, such as Xiaomi of China.
GlobeAsia
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