In January 2024, local manufacturing and assembly plants in Pakistan produced an impressive 2.27 million mobile handsets, overshadowing the 0.24 million commercially imported devices during the same period. The data reveals a significant boost in domestic production, with 0.72 million 2G handsets and 1.55 million smartphones being part of the locally manufactured units.
According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), 60 percent of the mobile devices in the country are smartphones, while 40 percent operate on 2G networks.
Despite facing a four percent decline in local manufacturing during 2023, primarily due to challenges in imports related to restrictions on opening Letters of Credit (LCs) for mobile phone accessories, the demand for mobile devices remained strong. Commercial imports of mobile handsets increased during this period, indicating resilience in the market, as per official data.
Throughout the entire calendar year of 2023, local manufacturing plants successfully produced 21.28 million mobile handsets, showcasing a slight decrease from 21.94 million in 2022 and 24.66 million in 2021. Notably, commercial imports rose from 1.53 million in 2022 to 1.58 million in 2023. The locally manufactured units included 13 million 2G devices and 8.28 million smartphones.
In parallel with the growth in local production, Pakistan witnessed a surge in mobile phone imports, reaching $987.539 million during the first half (July-January) of the fiscal year 2023-24. This marked an impressive 138.08 percent growth compared to $414.800 million during the corresponding period in the previous year.
Breaking down the import statistics, January 2024 saw a 10.70 percent Month-on-Month (MoM) increase in mobile phone imports, totaling $194.928 million compared to $176.093 million in December 2023. On a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis, there was an extraordinary 275.15 percent growth compared to $51.960 million in January 2023.
The surge in local manufacturing and the robust growth in mobile phone imports underscore Pakistan’s evolving mobile market dynamics, reflecting both consumer demand and the country’s efforts to boost domestic production.
