Pakistan has recorded mobile phone imports worth $570.167 million in the first five months (July-November) of the current fiscal year 2024-25.
This marks a decline of 7.52 percent compared to $616.518 million imported during the same period in the previous fiscal year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
In the fiscal year 2023-24, Pakistan imported mobile phones worth a staggering $1.898 billion, a sharp contrast to the $570.071 million recorded during the fiscal year 2022-23. In rupee terms, mobile handset imports amounted to Rs158.514 billion in the first five months of the current fiscal year, reflecting a negative growth of 10.60 percent compared to Rs177.311 billion in the corresponding period last year.
On a Month-on-Month (MoM) basis, mobile phone imports into Pakistan fell by 14.32 percent in November 2024, standing at $149.375 million compared to $174.332 million in October 2024. However, on a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis, the imports showed slight growth of 1.93 percent compared to $146.549 million in November 2023.
The overall telecom imports into Pakistan during July-November 2024 were valued at $794.363 million, representing less than a one-percent decline compared to $794.377 million during the same period in 2023. In November 2024, telecom imports dropped by 21.41 percent on a MoM basis, standing at $184.907 million compared to $235.287 million in October 2024. On a YoY basis, overall telecom imports declined by 1.41 percent compared to $187.544 million in November 2023.
Meanwhile, the local mobile manufacturing industry in Pakistan has continued to grow. From January to September 2024, local plants manufactured or assembled 22.59 million mobile handsets, including 8.73 million 2G phones and 13.86 million smartphones. This contrasts sharply with the 1.17 million units imported commercially during the same period. In September alone, 2.15 million mobile handsets were produced locally, while only 0.07 million were imported.
According to data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), 64 percent of the devices on Pakistan’s network are smartphones, while 36 percent are 2G handsets. This indicates a growing shift toward advanced mobile technology in the country.
While Pakistan faces challenges in its import sector, the increase in local manufacturing underscores the nation’s move toward self-reliance in the telecom industry.