Mobile Phone Imports Augmented by 10.39% in FY 2015-16

Mobile phone imports in the country have reached US $ 433.276 million in present financial year i.e July-January, recording 10.39% increase as compared to same time last year.

Mobile Phone Imports Augmented by 10.39% in FY 2015-16

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) revealed on Tuesday that the imports of mobile phone were US $ 392.493 million in same period last year.

Overall telecom imports witnessed a drop of 5.5 percent during July-January 2015-16 as compared to same period last year. The total telecom imports were recorded at US $ 800.127 million during the period as compared to US $ 846.713 million previous year.

The rest of telecom apparatus import also experienced a significant decline of 19.23 percent during this period as it stood at US $ 366.851 million during July-January (2015-16) against US $ 454.220 million during same period of last year.

In the mean time telecom experts are of the view that in the next two years, smartphones are expected to cross 55% of mobile phone imports.

In Pakistan smartphones adoption is anticipated to increase due to extending 3G and 4G networks and more reasonable smartphones available in the market.

Cellular mobile operators have also partnered with smartphone makers to endorse smartphone usage in Pakistan and companies have also started developing mobile apps and mobile websites keeping in view the fast adoption of smartphones in Pakistan, which will increase the smartphone usage in future.

During the Fiscal Year 2014-15, Pakistan imported US $ 1.2 billion worth of telecom equipment, in which a record import of US $ 629.9 million was on account of cellular mobile handsets imports.

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), Pakistan sustained one of the fastest growing markets for smartphones shipments in 2015 – 123 per cent growth was recorded in smartphone shipments to Pakistan between Q-1 2014 and Q-1 2015. At present almost 31 % of cellular mobile handsets imported in Pakistan are smartphones, which were about 7 % in 2012.

In order to hit the potential of more than US$ 1.2 billion market of telecom equipment in Pakistan, the government was promising foreign investment in this area and has announced fiscal enticements for making and assembly of telecom equipment.

Also Read: Mobile Phone Imports Reach US $ 375m During the First Half of Current Fiscal year