ISLAMABAD: In the current month, Pakistan exported 120,000 mobile phone sets to various Middle Eastern and African markets, but the local manufacturer was dissatisfied with the quantity.
Member (Finance) Muhammad Naveed and Member (Compliance & Enforcecement) Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar expressed their support for the establishment of a mobile device manufacturing ecosystem in Pakistan during a ceremony held at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) headquarters to commemorate the achievement.
Since receiving a manufacturing license for mobile devices in April 2021, it was Inovi Telecom Pvt Ltd’s second export shipment. The company is the sole exporter of mobile phones in the nation.
The current order was placed in October, and deliveries were made in December so that the product could be sold in African and Middle Eastern markets.
However, Zeeshan Mian Noor, CEO of Inovi Telecom, expressed concern that the mobile manufacturing sector will not benefit from the low quantum, noting that regular export orders were essential for the industry’s expansion.
He added that quota restrictions for the import of raw materials were among the main obstacles the manufacturers had to overcome.
Mr. Noor stated, “The mobile industry has been given a quota for opening letters of credit for $83 million per year to import key components for the assembly of mobile phone sets, while the industry needed raw materials worth $185 million to meet the market demand.”
He went on to ask how mobile phones could be exported if manufacturers were unable to meet Pakistani buyers’ demands.
Dawn was told by a company that makes mobile phones that the government didn’t keep its promise to give mobile phone manufacturers a 3 percent R&D allowance.
He continued, “International brands are discouraged from starting to manufacture mobile phones in Pakistan for export to any region, including the Middle East, Central Asia, or even China, where cheap phones are no longer manufactured.” This is due to inconsistent government policies.
At the moment, 31 mobile phone license holders include well-known Chinese brands like Samsung, Nokia, and Xiaomi.
