Pakistan’s Mobile Imports Stay Sky-High as Flagship Phones Remain Out of Local Assembly

Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $644.604 million in the first four months (July–October) of FY 2025-26, up 53.18% from $420.807 million in the same period last year. In rupee terms, imports rose to Rs182.126 billion, reflecting a 55.64% growth.

However, on a month-on-month basis, imports fell 27.44% in October 2025 to $144.593 million, compared to $199.270 million in September 2025. Year-on-year, October 2025 imports declined 17.06% from $174.341 million in October 2024.

During FY 2024-25, Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $1.494 billion, down 21.31% from $1.898 billion in FY 2023-24. Telecom imports as a whole totaled $2.099 billion, reflecting an 11.30% decline.

Meanwhile, local manufacturing is ramping up. In the first nine months of 2025, 22.78 million handsets were manufactured or assembled locally, including 11.92 million smartphones and 10.86 million 2G phones. September alone saw 3.01 million units produced. According to PTA data, 70% of devices on Pakistan’s network are smartphones, and 30% are 2G devices.

However, the bulk of high-end flagship devices, such as iPhones and premium Samsung models, are still imported. This ensures that, despite strong local production, Pakistan’s import bill remains high. Unless local plants begin assembling flagship models, the total import cost will continue to surpass domestic manufacturing output.

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