Mobile phones output by local manufacturing plants increased by 3.25 million in November 2021, bringing the overall production to 22.12 million in the first eleven months of the current calendar year.
During the period January to November 2021, local manufacturing plant production of mobile phones more than doubled compared to imports of commercial mobile phones in the country, with local production of 22.12 million compared to 9.95 million imported mobile phones.
Despite the increase in local mobile phone production, Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $856.727 million in the first five months of 2021 (July-November) compared to $724.083 million in the same period the previous year, an increase of 18.32 percent, according to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
According to data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the local manufacturing trend reflects a positive response to the PTA’s Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Authorization regulatory regime, with local manufacturing resulting in the production of 22.12 million phones in just 11 months, including 9.03 million 4G smartphones.
On the Pakistan network, 52 percent of mobile devices are smartphones, while 48 percent are 2G, according to PTA data. The successful implementation of the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS), as well as supportive government regulations, such as the mobile manufacturing policy, has created a favourable climate in Pakistan for mobile device production.
It has also benefited Pakistan’s mobile ecosystem by eliminating the counterfeit device market, levelling the playing field for commercial enterprises, and instilling consumer confidence through the establishment of standardised legal routes for all types of device imports.
To promote and attract manufacturers to set up shop in Pakistan, the government implemented a mobile manufacturing strategy.
In response to the policy, the PTA enacted Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Regulations on January 28, 2021. MDM Authorization has been granted to 27 businesses so far, allowing them to manufacture mobile devices in Pakistan. Samsung, Nokia, Oppo, TECNO, Infinix, Vgotel, Q-mobile, and other well-known brands were among the companies represented.
Over $126 million has been invested in the building of 27 manufacturing plants, which has resulted in the creation of over 10,000 jobs in a short period of time.
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