 of the calendar year 2024 compared to 0.24 million imported commercially.){kind=link}
In January 2024, local manufacturing and assembly plants in Pakistan demonstrated remarkable productivity by producing 2.27 million mobile handsets, surpassing the 0.24 million commercially imported devices during the same period. This data highlights a significant increase in domestic production, with 0.72 million 2G handsets and 1.55 million smartphones being part of the locally manufactured units.
According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), smartphones constitute 60 percent of the mobile devices in the country, while 40 percent operate on 2G networks.
2.27m cellphones made/assembled locally in Jan
Despite a slight decline of four percent in local manufacturing during 2023, mainly due to import challenges related to restrictions on opening Letters of Credit (LCs) for mobile phone accessories, the demand for mobile devices remained strong. Commercial imports of mobile handsets increased during this period, indicating resilience in the market.
Throughout the entire calendar year of 2023, local manufacturing plants produced 21.28 million mobile handsets, showing a slight decrease from 21.94 million in 2022 and 24.66 million in 2021.
Meanwhile, commercial imports rose from 1.53 million in 2022 to 1.58 million in 2023. The locally manufactured units included 13 million 2G devices and 8.28 million smartphones.
More cellphones made/assembled in Pakistan than imports in Jan
In parallel with the growth in local production, Pakistan experienced a surge in mobile phone imports, reaching $987.539 million during the first half (July-January) of the fiscal year 2023-24. This marked an impressive 138.08 percent growth compared to $414.800 million during the corresponding period in the previous year.
2.27m cellphones made/assembled locally in Jan
Breaking down the import statistics, January 2024 witnessed a 10.70 percent Month-on-Month (MoM) increase in mobile phone imports, totaling $194.928 million compared to $176.093 million in December 2023. On a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis, there was an extraordinary 275.15 percent growth compared to $51.960 million in January 2023.
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The surge in local manufacturing and robust growth in mobile phone imports reflect Pakistan’s evolving mobile market dynamics, driven by consumer demand and efforts to boost domestic production.