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Pakistan produces 11.15 million smartphones, 6.19 million 2G mobiles in first half of 2024

News Desk

Aug 05

During the first half of 2024 (January-June), Pakistan’s local mobile assembly and manufacturing sector produced a total of 17.34 million mobile phones. In contrast, commercial imports for the same period amounted to 0.84 million units.

Breaking down the local production figures, 11.15 million of these devices were smartphones, while 6.19 million were 2G models.

Notably, Infinix emerged as the leading manufacturer, producing 2.49 million units during the first half of the year. It was followed by TECNO and Itel, which manufactured 1.89 million and 1.83 million units respectively.

The industry has faced challenges, with production figures showing a downward trend since 2022. Economic difficulties and rising interest rates have constrained local manufacturing.

In 2021, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reported a production of 24.66 million devices, but this dropped to 21.28 million in 2023, a decrease of approximately 13.71 per cent.

Commercial imports have also seen a significant decline, falling from 24.51 million units in 2020 to just 1.58 million in 2023. This drop is largely attributed to import restrictions imposed by the central bank, aimed at narrowing the trade deficit and conserving foreign currency.

Despite these challenges, the penetration of smartphones in Pakistan has increased, with the proportion of smartphone users on the national network rising to 61 per cent in 2024, up from 59 per cent in 2023 and 56 per cent in 2022.

Conversely, the share of 2G devices has decreased to 39 per cent, down from 41 per cent in 2023 and 44 per cent in 2022.

This evolving landscape reflects both the resilience and adaptability of the local mobile industry amidst economic fluctuations and regulatory changes.

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