Local mobile manufacturing in Pakistan has flourished, now meeting 94% of the country’s demand, largely due to the contribution of Chinese mobile companies. This growth is credited to the government’s strategic regulatory initiatives aimed at fostering sectoral expansion and technological innovation.
In the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Annual Report 2024, presented to Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Chairman of PTA, Retired Maj. Gen. Hafeez Ur Rehman HI (M), highlighted key developments in the IT and telecom sectors. He emphasized the PTA’s commitment to promoting technological advancements, implementing online safety measures, safeguarding consumer rights, and ensuring fair competition in the market.
The report revealed that the telecom sector achieved record revenue of Rs955 billion for FY2023-24, marking a 17% increase over the previous year, despite facing economic challenges. Cellular mobile services now reach 91% of Pakistan’s population, while 4G services cover 81%. The total number of telecom subscribers reached 196 million by September 2024.
Broadband subscriptions grew to 142.3 million, up from 127.6 million in June 2023, while the average mobile internet speed increased by 28%, from 15.65 Mbps to 20.02 Mbps. Data usage grew by 24.2%, reaching 25,141 terabytes, and broadband penetration rose to 58.4% compared to 53.6% in 2023.
The report also highlighted that 29.6 million mobile devices were locally manufactured in FY2023-24, fulfilling 94% of the country’s mobile device demand. This has also led to the creation of 60,000 local jobs. In the first 10 months of 2024, Pakistan manufactured or assembled 22.59 million mobile devices, including 13.86 million smartphones and 8.73 million 2G phones. In contrast, only 1.17 million mobile phones were imported during this period.
Chinese mobile brands have led the local manufacturing sector, with Infinix producing 2.79 million devices, followed by iTel with 2.75 million, VGO Tel with 2.43 million, Vivo with 2.13 million, TECNO with 2.03 million, and Redmi with 1.89 million. South Korea’s Samsung and Nokia also contributed, with 0.98 million and 0.96 million units, respectively.
