Pakistan's local mobile production sees upward trend

KARACHI: The local mobile phone production in the country witnessed a 44% month-on-month increase and 74% year-on-year increase owing to the rise in demand of the smartphones, The News reported on Saturday. 

As per the latest data released by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the local mobile manufacturing sector continued an upward momentum in September 2024 as 2.15 million units were manufactured or assembled by domestic companies. 

In the first nine months of 2024 (9M2024), a total of 22.59 million locally manufactured or assembled mobile phones were sold, reflecting a 74% year-on-year increase. 

This substantial growth follows last year’s import restrictions, which fostered a shift towards domestic assembly. Compared to 9M2022, the market grew by 35% year-on-year, driven by the country's economic recovery, a shift towards locally assembled phones amid higher taxes on imports, and population growth.

Within the 22.59 million locally assembled phones in 9M2024, 61% (13.86 million units) were smartphones, while 39% (8.73 million units) comprised 2G feature phones.

The top ten brands contributing to local assembly included Infinix (2.79 million units), Itel (2.75 million units), VGO Tel (2.43 million units), Vivo (2.13 million units), Tecno (2.03 million units), Xiaomi (1.89 million units), Realme (1.35 million units), G’Five (1.09 million units), Samsung (0.98 million units), and Nokia (0.96 million units).

Among these, Tecno and Xiaomi, both manufactured by Air Link Communication (AIRLINK), saw notable month-on-month growth in September 2024, with Tecno rising by 33% to 0.04 million units and Xiaomi by a significant 117% to 0.13 million units.

Looking ahead, the PTA anticipates total mobile phone demand could reach 33 million units in 2024, up 44% year-on-year from 22.9 million units in 2023. This demand surge is partly due to the recent 18% sales tax on all mobile phones, introduced in the FY2025 budget.