ISLAMABAD, Jan 26 (APP): Pakistan has surpassed imports and achieved self-reliance in local assembling of mobile phones of almost all major brands.
In calendar year 2021, local manufacturing plants produced 24.66 million mobile devices, compared to 13.05 million in 2020, marking an 88 percent increase.
Commercial smartphone imports fell to 10.26 million in 2021, down from 24.51 million in 2020, according to official data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
In December 2021, the number of locally manufactured/assembled smartphones climbed by 2.54 million, bringing the total production for the calendar year to 24.66 million.
The production of mobile phones by local manufacturing plants has more than doubled against the import in the country during 2021.
According to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) data the local manufacturing trend reflects a positive uptake on the PTA’s Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Authorization regulatory regime, with local manufacturing resulting in the production of 24.66 million phones in a short span of one year, including 10.06 million 4G smartphones.
The successful implementation of the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) along with conducive government policies including the mobile manufacturing policy has created a favorable environment for mobile handset manufacturing in Pakistan.
It has also contributed positively to the mobile ecosystem of Pakistan by eliminating counterfeit device market providing a level playing field for commercial entities and has created trust amongst consumers due to the formulation of standardized legal channels for all sorts of device imports.
The government had introduced a mobile manufacturing policy to encourage and attract manufacturers to establish their units in Pakistan.
PTA in light of the policy issued Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Regulations on 28th January, 2021. Till now, more than 25 companies have been issued MDM Authorization enabling them to manufacture mobile devices in Pakistan.
The companies include renowned brands such as Samsung, Nokia, Oppo, TECNO, Infinix, Vgotel and Q-mobile
