Pakistan’s Mobile Phone Imports Decline by 19.82% in the First Two Months of FY 2024-25
Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $143.889 million in the first two months (July-August) of the current fiscal year 2024-25, reflecting a 19.82% decline compared to $179.453 million during the same period in the previous fiscal year (2023-24). This drop highlights a significant reduction in mobile phone imports, which had reached $1.898 billion during the entire fiscal year 2023-24, a substantial increase from $570.071 million in 2022-23.
Mobile Phone Imports in Rupee Terms
In rupee terms, mobile phone imports amounted to Rs. 40.069 billion during the first two months of FY 2024-25, showing a negative growth of 22.73% compared to Rs. 51.853 billion during the same period last year.
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On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, Pakistan’s mobile phone imports rose by 23.14% in August 2024, reaching $79.406 million compared to $64.483 million in July 2024. However, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the imports experienced a decline of 28.68% compared to $111.339 million in August 2023.
Overall Telecom Imports Decline by 7.73%
The total telecom imports for the period of July-August 2024 stood at $221.725 million, registering a 7.73% decline compared to $240.293 million during the same period in 2023. Despite this, telecom imports increased by 16.36% on a MoM basis in August 2024, reaching $119.247 million compared to $102.478 million in July 2024. However, YoY, telecom imports fell by 20.34% compared to $149.704 million in August 2023.
Pakistan’s local mobile phone manufacturing and assembling industry has shown remarkable progress. During the first seven months (January-July) of 2024, local manufacturing/assembling plants produced 18.95 million mobile handsets, a stark contrast to the one million units imported commercially. In July alone, 1.61 million mobile handsets were manufactured locally, while only 0.16 million were imported.
Of the locally manufactured mobile handsets, 6.85 million were 2G devices, while 12.1 million were smartphones. According to data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), 62% of mobile devices on Pakistan’s network are smartphones, with the remaining 38% being 2G devices. This shift indicates a growing preference for locally produced smartphones over imported ones, aligning with the government’s push towards self-sufficiency in the telecom sector.
