May 25, 2021 (MLN): As many as 19 foreign and local companies have been authorized to produce mobile devices (2G/3G/4G) locally since the government issued introduced Mobile Manufacturing Policy, a press release issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Tuesday.
“The PTA has issued Mobile Device Manufacturing Authorizations to 19 foreign and local companies for the production of mobile devices (2G/3G/4G ) locally,” the press release said.
“Initially valid for next 10 years, the manufacturers may also establish their own new brand under the authorization, helping in the promotion of ‘Manufactured in Pakistan’ culture. Mobile devices produced by these manufacturers shall not only be sold in the country but can also be exported to other competitive markets of the region and beyond.”
The regulator further added that the device manufacturing plants shall be instrumental in providing new job opportunities and low-priced handsets for Pakistani users.
The government had earlier introduced a comprehensive and supportive Mobile Manufacturing Policy, subsequent to which PTA issued Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Regulations in 2021.
These developments made way for the issuance of manufacturing authorizations, a major milestone in the journey towards “Digital Pakistan”, the PTA said.
Since launching the Device Identification, Registration, and Blocking System's (DIRBS) to stop the illicit imports of mobile phones into the country, more than 33 mobile phone assembly plants have been set up by various local and international mobile device manufacturers.
“The implementation of PTA’s DRIBS in 2019 has resulted in a significant increase in legal import of mobile devices and establishment of over 33 local assembly plants of mobile devices in Pakistan. These plants have produced over 25 million mobile devices including 4G smartphones since the implementation of the system,” a press release issued by the PTA showed earlier.
The PTA has said that the DIRBS’ objective is to improve the quality of mobile service to consumers, preserve network resources of the mobile operators, provide better security and ensure the protection of intellectual property rights.
With the successful execution of DIRBS, the local assembly industry has evolved from infancy to a well-growing stage, with significant growth seen in the local assembly of smartphones, it added.
In 2019, only 119,639 smartphones were assembled locally whereas, in 2020, the number of such devices grew to 2.1 million. It is important to highlight that at the end of the second month of 2021, 1.21 million smartphones have so far been assembled in Pakistan.
Pakistan is a huge market for mobile phone devices as there are around 165 million mobile phone users in the country equivalent to around 75% of the country’s total population.
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