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According to PTA, Pakistan’s mobile phone imports have surged over 103 percent year-on-year in the first quarter (July–September) of the current fiscal year, reaching $500.011 million, compared to $246.185 million during the same period last year.
According to official data, the total import value in rupee terms stood at Rs 141.415 billion, showing a 106.05 percent increase compared to Rs 68.632 billion last year.
September Sees Sharp Monthly Spike
On a month-on-month basis, imports jumped 28.45 percent to $199.270 million in September 2025, up from $155.129 million in August. Year-on-year, the September import value represents a 94.44 percent surge from $102.482 million in September 2024.
Despite this quarterly rise, the previous fiscal year (2024–25) saw a decline in total mobile imports. Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $1.494 billion, a 21.31 percent fall from $1.898 billion recorded in FY2023–24. In rupee terms, FY2024–25 imports were valued at Rs 417.351 billion, down 22.09 percent from Rs 535.690 billion a year earlier.
Telecom Imports and Local Manufacturing
Overall telecom imports fell 11.30 percent, totaling $2.099 billion in FY2024–25 compared to $2.366 billion the year before.
However, local mobile manufacturing continues to show resilience. During the first seven months (January–July 2025), Pakistan’s local plants manufactured or assembled 17.83 million mobile handsets, compared to just 1.03 million units imported commercially.
In July 2025 alone, 3.59 million phones were locally produced, while 0.17 million were imported.
Smartphone Share Rising
Of the 17.83 million locally made phones:
- 9.36 million were 2G devices.
- 8 million were smartphones.
PTA data shows 68 percent of mobile devices on Pakistani networks are smartphones, with 32 percent still relying on 2G.
Pakistan’s surging import bill signals strong consumer demand despite economic challenges. Yet, the simultaneous rise in local assembly reflects a strategic shift, aiming for greater self-reliance in mobile manufacturing while catering to a fast-digitizing population.
