Pakistan’s imports of mobile phones have experienced a significant decline in the first quarter (July-September) of the current fiscal year 2024-25. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the country imported mobile phones worth $246.472 million during this period, marking an 18.93 percent decrease compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year.
This decline is part of a broader trend in Pakistan’s telecom imports, which have also witnessed a slight decrease. Overall telecom imports during July-September 2024 stood at $374.410 million, down 6.17 percent from the corresponding period in 2023.
Despite the decline in imports, local manufacturing and assembly of mobile phones continue to grow. In the first eight months of 2024, local plants produced 20.44 million mobile handsets, including 7.71 million 2G phones and 12.73 million smartphones. This represents a substantial increase compared to the previous year, indicating a growing domestic manufacturing capacity.
The PBS data also highlights the increasing popularity of smartphones in Pakistan. As of September 2024, 62 percent of mobile devices on the Pakistan network are smartphones, while 38 percent are 2G phones. This trend reflects a growing demand for advanced mobile technology and services in the country.
