In a first, Pakistan manufactures more mobile phones than it imports

ISLAMABAD: The production of mobile phones by local manufacturing plants has surpassed the number of mobile phones imports in the country, said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday.

During Jan-July 2021, the production of mobile phones by local manufacturing plants was 12.27 million and imported mobile phones was recorded at 8.29 million.

“This reflects a positive uptake on PTA’s Mobile Device Manufacturing Authorization regulatory regime whereby local manufacturing within the first year of regime introduction has resulted in production of 12.27 million phones in a short span of 7 months including 4.87M 4G smartphones,” the telecommunication regulator said in a statement.

“The successful implementation of Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) along with conducive government policies including the mobile manufacturing policy has created a favorable environment for mobile device manufacturing in Pakistan.”

The policy, the PTA said, 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 device imports.

“It is important to highlight that the Government of Pakistan introduced a comprehensive mobile manufacturing policy to encourage & attract manufacturers to establish their units in Pakistan,” the regulator said.

PTA in light of the policy issued Mobile Device Manufacturing Regulations on Jan 28, 2021.

Till now, 26 companies have been issued MDM authorization enabling them to manufacture mobile devices in Pakistan. The companies include renowned brands e.g. Samsung, Nokia, Oppo, TECNO, Infinix, Vgotel, Q-mobile etc.