Pakistan’s mobile phone imports have continued at a high level in the first four months of fiscal year 2025-26, totaling $644.604 million between July and October. This represents a 53.18% increase compared to $420.807 million in the same period last year, while in rupee terms, the import bill rose to Rs182.126 billion, showing a 55.64% growth. Despite this overall increase, imports in October 2025 fell on a month-on-month basis to $144.593 million, down 27.44% from September 2025’s $199.270 million. Year-on-year, October imports also decreased 17.06% from $174.341 million recorded in October 2024.
Historical data shows that mobile imports have fluctuated over the years. During FY 2024-25, Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $1.494 billion, marking a 21.31% decline from $1.898 billion in FY 2023-24. Telecom imports overall, including accessories and devices, reached $2.099 billion, reflecting an 11.30% drop from the previous year. Analysts note that while the overall telecom sector shows signs of stabilization, the demand for high-end imported devices continues to maintain a significant portion of the country’s import bill.
Meanwhile, local manufacturing and assembly are steadily increasing. PTA data shows that in the first nine months of 2025, Pakistani factories produced or assembled 22.78 million handsets, including 11.92 million smartphones and 10.86 million 2G phones. September alone saw 3.01 million devices produced. Current network statistics indicate that 70% of active devices on Pakistan’s mobile networks are smartphones, while 30% are still 2G models. The growth of domestic production reflects ongoing investment in local assembly plants and a push to meet consumer demand through homegrown capabilities.
Despite progress in local manufacturing, the majority of high-end flagship devices, including iPhones and premium Samsung models, remain imported. These devices are not yet assembled domestically, which ensures that Pakistan’s mobile import costs remain substantial. Industry observers warn that unless local assembly extends to flagship phones, the import bill will continue to overshadow the value generated by domestic production. Experts suggest that scaling local production to include high-end models could reduce costs and create additional employment opportunities within the mobile manufacturing sector, while also supporting the government’s broader Digital Pakistan objectives.
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