ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has shipped its first consignment of 5,500 locally made smartphones to the United Arab Emirates, adding to the Gulf state's list of mobile device exporters, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Saturday.
“The first consignment of 5,500 units of 4G smartphones carrying ‘Manufactured in Pakistan’ tag has been exported to UAE,” the PTA said in a Twitter post.
The phones, manufactured by Inovi Telecom, are being sent to other countries as well, it added.
“As a part of this policy, Inovi Telecom Pvt. Ltd was issued mobile manufacturing authorization by PTA on 9th April 2021. Within 4 months, the company has managed to achieve exporting '#ManufacturedinPakistan' phones,” the PTA said.
Press Release: PTA Authorization holder Inovi Telecom has started exporting smart phones to other countries. The first consignment of 5500 units of 4G smart phones carrying “Manufactured in Pakistan” tag has been exported to UAE.
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) August 14, 2021
It added that the successful implementation of the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) and the government's Mobile Manufacturing Policy had created a more conducive environment for smartphone manufacturing in Pakistan.
“This is the result of concerted efforts for the development of mobile device manufacturing ecosystem in the country,” the PTA said about Inovi before congratulating the company for its "landmark achievement."
PTA congratulates the company for this landmark achievement. This is the result of concerted efforts for the development of mobile device manufacturing ecosystem in the country.
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) August 14, 2021
Once the world’s seventh-largest importer of mobile phones, Pakistan made local assembling of cellphones possible by implementing the DIRBS in 2018.
The system not only controlled the smuggling of mobile phones but also led to the local manufacturing of these gadgets.
According to the PTA, Pakistan’s total annual market size was 34 million handsets, including 20 million 2G and 14 million 3G/4G devices.
Pakistan has 85 percent tele-density with 183 million cellular subscribers. The country also has 98 million 3G/4G and 101 million broadband subscribers.
To meet the growing market demand, 19 companies, mainly from China, have started operating in Pakistan. Other market players include Nokia, which is setting up its manufacturing unit in the country in collaboration with a local company.
The Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy 2020 also predicts that in the next two to three years, local production can reach up to 80 percent of Pakistan’s total handset market demand if attractive tariff plans are offered to the industry.
Cellphone manufacturers in the local market say Pakistan has acquired the capability to produce all types of phones and is ready to manufacture 5G handsets when the network is rolled out by the end of the next year.
