ISLAMABAD, Mar. 29 (INP): In the first two months of 2024, Pakistan domestically manufactured or assembled 6.13 million phones, while only 0.3 million devices were imported during the same period, Gwadar Pro reported on Friday quoting the latest data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). These phones include 3.35 million smartphones and 2.78 million Second Generation Mobile (2G mobile), commonly known as GSM phones. Chinese companies are leading in the manufacturing and assembling of mobile devices, helping the country reduce its import bill and ease the burden on foreign reserves. According to statistics, eight of the top ten mobile phone manufacturers/assemblers are from China. In the first two months of 2024, China’s Infinix produced 0.85 million phones, VGO Tel produced 0.82 million devices, and iTel held the third position with 0.77 million phones. Similarly, Tecno, another Chinese mobile company, manufactured/assembled 0.63 million phones, while Redmi (Xiaomi) produced 0.47 million mobile phone sets.

They were followed by G’Five with 0.40 million phones, Vivo with 0.40 million sets, and Realme with 0.26 million phones. In 2023, Pakistan witnessed a substantial shift in its mobile phone market as local assembly/manufacturing surged to 21.28 million units, overshadowing commercial imports which stood at just 1.58 million phones. Among the top contributors to local production, China’s VGO TEL led with 2.73 million units, followed closely by China’s Infinix with 2.61 million and iTel with 2.56 million phones.  The scenario of mobile phone imports changed significantly when several mobile companies began manufacturing/assembling phones in Pakistan.  In 2021, a significant milestone was achieved in Pakistan’s mobile phone market as local manufacturing/assembling surpassed imports for the first time.  A total of 24.66 million devices were produced locally, compared with 10.26 million imported phones. In 2022, the country registered 21.94 million units of local production/assembling of phones, compared with just 1.53 million units of commercial imports.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak China