Local mobile phone manufacturing and assembly in Pakistan fell 57 percent month-on-month in August 2026 to 1.66 million units, according to data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) compiled by Topline Securities. On a year-on-year basis, production declined 14 percent from 1.94 million units assembled in August 2025. The steep month-on-month decline is attributed to a high base effect, since production in July 2026 had been elevated amid strong demand following purchase deferments ahead of the FY27 budget, a pattern that has repeatedly shown up in Pakistan’s mobile assembly data around budget cycles over the past several years.
Cumulatively, local manufacturing and assembly declined 6 percent year-on-year to 18.66 million units during the first eight months of 2026, compared with 19.77 million units in the same period last year. Mobile phone imports fell 69 percent year-on-year and 27 percent month-on-month to 0.08 million units in August, while total supply, combining local production and imports, stood at 1.74 million units, down 21 percent year-on-year and 57 percent month-on-month. On a cumulative basis, however, imports for the first eight months of 2026 surged 112 percent year-on-year to 2.74 million units, lifting total supply for the period to 21.40 million units, up 2 percent year-on-year.
Local manufacturing and assembly met 95 percent of Pakistan’s mobile phone demand in August 2026, slightly down from 97 percent in July, while the ratio for the first eight months of the year stands at 87 percent. This continues a trend seen throughout much of 2026, in which domestic assembly has consistently covered the vast majority of Pakistan’s mobile phone demand even as import volumes have fluctuated sharply from month to month, often tied to pre-budget buying patterns or the launch of new retail channels for premium brands. The gap between the 95 percent monthly figure and the 87 percent cumulative figure reflects periods earlier in the year when imports played a larger relative role in meeting total demand.
Among brand-wise performance, the top 10 locally assembled brands during the first eight months of 2026 were led by VGO Tel with 2.45 million units, followed by Infinix at 1.96 million units, Itel at 1.56 million units, Tecno at 1.14 million units, Samsung at 1.01 million units, Vivo at 0.97 million units, Nokia at 0.97 million units, Club Mobile at 0.72 million units, X Mobile at 0.70 million units, and Q Mobile at 0.63 million units. VGO Tel’s continued lead extends a position it has held through much of 2026, having overtaken Infinix as the country’s top local assembler earlier in the year after the two brands finished in a near-tie for 2025 as a whole, with VGO Tel’s current 8M2026 margin over Infinix suggesting the brand has further consolidated its position at the top of Pakistan’s local assembly rankings.
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