Pakistan local mobile phone assembly industry has delivered another strong showing. Local plants produced 18.66 million handsets during the first eight months of 2026, far ahead of the 2.74 million devices commercially imported into the country over the same period. Of the locally assembled phones, around 8 million were smartphones while nearly 11 million were 2G handsets, showing that basic feature phones still hold a large share of domestic demand. Meanwhile the import bill for mobile phones kept shrinking. During July and August, mobile phone imports fell by 8.85 percent year on year to 274.13 million dollars, reflecting the continued shift toward locally built devices. In contrast, Pakistan spent more on network gear. Telecom equipment imports rose by 8.95 percent to 432.04 million dollars in July and August 2026, as operators invest in infrastructure and prepare for next generation mobile services. According to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority data, smartphones now account for around 71 percent of mobile devices operating on Pakistan networks. The combination of robust local assembly and rising equipment imports points to a mobile sector that is both feeding domestic demand and upgrading its backbone at the same time.
mwrana
October 9, 2026
