Local smartphone manufacturing is under pressure as imports of fully built phones, particularly used ones, rise sharply, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority data shows. In September the country imported 105,121 used smartphones, worth about 14.03 million dollars.
Another 23,616 new fully built phones were imported the same month, worth about 19.40 million dollars. Together, new and used fully built imports reached 128,737 units, worth about 33.43 million dollars.
Used phones were nearly 82 percent of those fully built imports. Local smartphone production fell to 628,030 units in September.
Industry representatives said monthly output had been about 1.1 million to 1.2 million units. Fully built imports equalled about 20.5 percent of the smartphones made locally that month.
Counted with local production, imports were about 17 percent of the combined volume. Feature-phone production stayed relatively stable, at about 1.053 million units made locally in September, as demand for lower-priced handsets held while consumers faced financial pressure.
Industry sources said higher taxes, weaker purchasing power and the inflow of used imports are straining local manufacturers. Aamir Allahwala, senior vice president of the Pakistan Mobile Phone Manufacturers Association, said fully built and used imports are rising while local production falls.
He warned that if local units become commercially unviable and factories shut, many workers in the sector could lose their jobs. Stakeholders said reliance on fully built imports hurts domestic manufacturing and jobs and adds pressure on foreign exchange.
They urged the government to review the tax and import rules, protect local manufacturing, preserve jobs and reduce that dependence.