ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s production of mobile phones by local manufacturing plants exceeded the number it imported during January to July 2021.
According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday, the increase in production came on the back of successful implementation of the DIRBS and conducive government policies, including the mobile manufacturing policy, created a favourable environment for mobile device manufacturing in Pakistan
The total production was higher during January-July 2021, when 12.27 million mobile phones were produced locally while the country imported only 8.29 million phones.
The statement added, “This trend reflects a positive uptake on PTA’s Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Authorisation regulatory regime whereby local manufacturing within the first year of regime introduction has resulted in production of 12.27 million phones in a short span of seven months, including 4.87 million 4G smartphones.”
The telecommunication authority added that DIRBS also contributed positively to the mobile ecosystem of Pakistan by eliminating counterfeit device market, providing a level playing field for commercial entities and has created trust amongst consumers due to the formulation of standardised legal channels for all sorts of device imports.
The government introduced a comprehensive mobile manufacturing policy to encourage and attract manufacturers to establish their units in Pakistan.
In light of the policy issued Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Regulations on January 28, 2021. So far, 26 companies have been issued MDM authorisation enabling them to manufacture mobile devices in Pakistan. The companies include renowned brands like Samsung, Nokia, Oppo, TECNO, Infinix. Vgotel. Q-mobile etc.