Pakistanis' Insatiable Appetite For Smartphones

by Riaz Haq

Apr 26

Samsung is seeing strong demand for its locally assembled Galaxy S24 smartphones and tablets in Pakistan, according to Bloomberg. The company said it is struggling to meet demand. Pakistan’s mobile phone industry produced 21 million handsets while its smartphone imports surged over 100% in the last fiscal year, according to media reports. The world's 5th most populous country has 192 million mobile phone users and 135 million broadband subscribers, according to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA). It is the  world's 7th largest mobile phone market. 

Pakistan Telecom March 2024 Indicators. Source: PTA

Pakistani mobile phone manufacturers claim that almost all major mobile phone brands except iPhone are being assembled in Pakistan. “All mobile brands except iPhone are being manufactured in Pakistan and mobile phone import has been largely replaced with local manufacturing,” Aamir Allawala, vice chairman of the Pakistan Mobile Phone Manufacturers Association (PMPMA), told Arab News. 
Strong demand for mobile phones is driven by rapidly increasing number of digital apps being used across various sectors ranging from agriculture to e-commerce, education, finance, health and retail. This is underpinned by digital infrastructure development with thousands of kilometers of fiber optic cables being laid across the country.
Smartphones are boosting the government's Digital Pakistan initiative. It is backed by growing intellectual capital in the IT arena. Over a million students, about a third of total 3 million students (1.4 million women, 1.6 million men) enrolled in Pakistani universities and degree colleges, are currently studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM Education), according to data released by the country's Higher Education Commission (HEC). Of these students, 415,008 are studying natural sciences and mathematics, 276,659 are in information and communication technologies (ICT), 178,260 are in health sciences and 166,457 are in engineering. Pakistan produced 157,102 STEM graduates last year, putting it among the world's top dozen or so countries. About 43,000 of these graduates are in information technology (IT).  

  • Riaz Haq

    Pakistan's mobile phone imports increase by 200pc in 10 months - Business - Dunya News

    https://dunyanews.tv/en/Business/813524-Pakistan’s-mobile-phone-imports-increase-by-200pc-in-10-months

    (Web Desk) - Pakistan has seen a significant increase in mobile phone imports, which soared by 209pc to $1.462 billion in the first ten months of FY24.

    This is a substantial rise compared to the $473.287 million recorded in the same period last year.

    In April 2024 alone, mobile phone imports experienced a 5.44% increase compared to March 2024, reaching $161.393 million.

    More impressively, there was a staggering 1,424% increase compared to April 2023.

    When looking at the imports in terms of Pakistani rupees, the value reached Rs414.276 billion, which is a 279% increase from Rs109.158 billion in the previous year. Not only did mobile phone imports rise, but overall telecom imports also increased significantly by 135%, reaching $1.834 billion.

    In addition to the rise in imports, local manufacturing of mobile handsets also showed growth. In the first two months of 2024, Pakistan produced 6.1 million handsets.

    This indicates that despite facing import challenges, the mobile phone sector in Pakistan is experiencing substantial growth both in terms of imports and local production.

    The remarkable increase in mobile phone imports highlights the growing demand for mobile devices in Pakistan. This surge is seen despite various import challenges, showing a robust market for mobile phones.

    Additionally, the growth in local manufacturing suggests that Pakistan is also making strides in producing its own handsets, which could help balance future import needs.

    Jun 19