December 24, 2024 (MLN): Local mobile assembly and manufacturers produced 28.43 million mobile phones during 11MCY24 (Jan-November 2024), while commercial imports totalled 1.49m.
A breakup of the data on local production provides details that out of the total 28.43m devices produced, 17.01m were smartphones while the remaining 11.42m were 2G devices.
Brandwise, Infinix took the lead in production by manufacturing 3.65m units in 11MCY24.
It is crucial to note that production has been on a declining trend since 2022 due to economic depression in the country and rising interest rates which acted as a constraint for the local industry.
In 2021, PTA reported that 24.66m devices were manufactured locally, and in 2023 the figure dropped to 21.28m units, around 13.71% lower over the period.
However, a greater drop was noticed in the commercial import section, reducing from 24.51m in 2020 to just 1.58m in 2023.
This decline is attributed to the import restrictions imposed by the central bank to curb the gap between export and import and reduce the outflow of foreign currency.
With the expanding reach of internet services, the threshold of smartphone devices on the Pakistan network has increased to 64%, compared to 59% in 2023 and 56% in 2022.
Conversely, the use of 2G devices on the local network has decreased to 36%, in contrast to 41% in 2023 and 44% in 2022.
