Local manufacturers meet 86% of handset demand as production rises 10% month-on-month

KARACHI: Pakistan’s local mobile phone production rose to 2.0 million units in May 2026, up 10% month-on-month (MoM), as domestic manufacturers increased output to meet the country’s growing demand for handsets, according to the latest data released by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

Local manufacturers assembled 2.0 million mobile phones during May, compared with 1.81 million units produced in April 2026, reflecting stronger production activity across the sector.

Five-Month Production Declines Year-on-Year

Despite the monthly increase, cumulative mobile phone production during the first five months of 2026 fell 7% year-on-year (YoY) to 11.17 million units, compared with 12.05 million units produced during the corresponding period in 2025.

A direct year-on-year comparison for May alone was not available because the PTA reported April and May 2025 production figures on a cumulative basis.

Tecno, Samsung and VGO Tel Post Growth

Among the leading handset brands, VGO Tel, Tecno and Samsung recorded production growth during the January-May 2026 period.

VGO Tel registered the strongest increase, with production rising 29% YoY, followed by Tecno at 24% and Samsung at 7%.

However, production declined for several other major brands. Vivo recorded a 30% decrease, Itel fell 29%, while Infinix posted a 19% decline during the five-month period compared with the same period last year.

Local Manufacturing Meets Most Domestic Demand

The PTA data showed that Pakistan continued to rely heavily on locally assembled mobile phones.

Domestic manufacturers met 86% of total handset demand in May 2026, an improvement from 83% recorded in April.

During the January-May 2026 period, locally manufactured and assembled devices accounted for 85% of Pakistan’s total mobile phone demand, underscoring the industry’s growing role in reducing dependence on imported handsets.

Outlook

Industry analysts expect local mobile phone production to remain supported by favourable government policies, expanding assembly capacity and sustained consumer demand.

The continued growth of domestic manufacturing is also expected to strengthen Pakistan’s electronics sector, create employment opportunities and help reduce the country’s import bill by increasing local value addition.