Telecom experts are linking the phenomenal growth in mobile imports to the implementation of Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).
Mobile Phone Imports Nearly Doubled in the Last 12 Months
Mobile phone imports in June 2020, which stood at $231.303 million, registered 300.62 percent growth as compared to $57.736 million imports in June 2019. Last month’s figure was 108.27 percent higher when compared to $111.059 million in May 2020. These figures were revealed in the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Overall telecom imports saw an increase of 34 percent during July-June (2019-20) when compared to the same period of last year. Total imports were recorded at $1.86 billion during this period when compared to $1.379 billion in July-June (2018-19), while registering 71.62 percent growth in June 2020. This figure stood at $272.576 million in June 2020 as compared to $158.93 million during May 2020. Other telecom apparatus imports witnessed a decline of over 21.36 percent in July-June (2019-20) as it stood at $490.754 million against $624.017 million during the same period of last year. When compared to May 2020, other telecom apparatus imports registered 13.41 percent negative growth in June as it was $41.453 million compared to $47.871 million in May 2020.
