ISLAMABAD: Recent data released by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reveals that local mobile assembly and manufacturers collaborated to produce 6.1 million mobile phones during the initial two months of the ongoing fiscal year (January-February 2024).
In contrast, commercial imports of mobile phones crafted domestically amounted to a mere 0.3 million units during this period.
Breaking down the figures, it’s observed that out of the total 6.1 million devices produced, 3.35 million were smartphones, while the remaining 2.78 million were 2G devices.
In terms of brands, Infinix led the production charts by manufacturing 0.85 million units during January and February 2024, maintaining its top position from the previous year when it produced 2.73 million devices.
Following closely behind, VGO TEL and Itel secured the second and third spots, with outputs of 0.82 million and 0.77 million, respectively, during the review period.
The trend in production has seen a decline since 2022, attributed to economic depression and rising interest rates. In 2021, PTA reported manufacturing of 24.66 million devices, which dropped to 21.28 million units in 2023, marking a decrease of approximately 13.71%.
Meanwhile, commercial imports witnessed a significant decline, plummeting from 24.51 million in 2020 to just 1.58 million in 2023, owing to import restrictions imposed by the central bank to address trade imbalances and reduce foreign currency outflows.
With the proliferation of internet services, the penetration of smartphone devices on the Pakistan network has risen to 60%, compared to 59% in 2023 and 56% in 2022. Conversely, the usage of 2G devices has decreased to 40%, contrasting with 41% in 2023 and 44% in 2022.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
