Pakistan has witnessed a remarkable surge in mobile phone imports, reaching $987.539 million during the first half (July–January) of the fiscal year 2023–24.
This marks a substantial growth of 138.08 per cent compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, where imports totaled $414.800 million.
The data, released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), underscores the country’s increasing reliance on imported mobile devices.
In January 2024 alone, Pakistan’s mobile phone imports rose by 10.70 per cent on a month-on-month basis, totaling $194.928 million, compared to $176.093 million in December 2023.
Year-on-year comparisons reveal an even more staggering growth of 275.15 per cent in January 2024, compared to $51.960 million in January 2023.
The overall telecom imports into Pakistan during July–January 2023–24 amounted to $1.243 billion, showcasing a robust 93.06 per cent growth compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year.
Year-on-year, the growth in overall telecom imports stood at an impressive 197.07 per cent, reaching $232.709 million in January 2024, compared to $78.336 million in January 2023.
Despite challenges faced by the local manufacturing sector, including a decline of around four per cent in local manufacturing and assembling of mobile handsets during the calendar year 2023, commercial imports of mobile handsets increased.
Official data revealed that local manufacturing plants produced 21.28 million mobile handsets in 2023, compared to 21.94 million in 2022 and 24.66 million in 2021. However, commercial imports rose from 1.53 million in 2022 to 1.58 million in 2023.
Moreover, of the locally manufactured and assembled mobile handsets in 2023, 13 million were 2G devices, and 8.28 million were smartphones.
According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), 59 per cent of mobile devices in Pakistan are smartphones, while 41 per cent are 2G devices.
Despite the challenges faced by the local manufacturing sector, the significant growth in mobile phone imports underscores Pakistan’s increasing reliance on imported devices, contributing to the country’s evolving telecom landscape.
