Pakistan has imported record US$ 544 million of cellular mobile handsets and US$ 682 million worth of telecom equipment during last one year registering 20.7 percent and 30.3 percent increase respectively. During the year, both operators as well as cellular mobile customers prepared themselves for 3G and 4G services. The operators upgraded their telecom networks and systems while subscribers opted to shift to smartphones to enjoy such services.
According to latest telecom stats, overall, the telecom imports crossed the mark of US$ 1.23 billion, of which 44.4 percent was for imports of consumer items – cellular mobile handsets. The telecom experts on Sunday said there was a dire need for deployment of local manufacturing plant to reduce import bill.
It is now vital to develop local industry for telecom equipments and handsets with cooperation of regional partners engaged in telecom manufacturing.