ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has started exports of 4G smartphones and the Airlink Communications should be commended for playing an integral role in this process, a senior government official said on Saturday.
In a tweet, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood congratulated Airlink Communications for making this process a success and said: “It is heartening to see that within a short period of time, Pakistan has become a 4G smartphone exporter. I would like to congratulate Airlink Communications in playing an integral role in this process and exporting their first batch of 1,500 locally-manufactured smartphones to the UAE.
Its a small beginning for the company but a significant milestone for Pakistan’s mobile phone industry.
The production of mobile phones by the local manufacturing plants has surpassed the number of mobile phones imports in the country. During January-July 2021, the production of mobile phones by the local manufacturing plants was 12.27 million and imported mobile phones was recorded at 8.29 million, he said.
This trend reflects a positive uptake on the Pakistan telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Authorisation regulatory regime; whereby, the local manufacturing within the first year of regime introduction has resulted in the production of 12.27 million phones in a short span of seven months, including 4.87 million 4G smartphones.
