Stake holders and government have agreed that the mobile phone manufacturers will get 8 pc incentives at mobile phone exports in the new Mobile & Electronic Devices Manufacturing Policy 2026–33.
The policy was finalised in a high-level meeting chaired by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Haroon Akhtar Khan and participated by Federal Secretary for Industries and production Saif Anjum and CEO Engineering Development Board (EDB), Hammad Mansoor.
The policy will be forwarded to the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, for approval, and the meeting noted that there were 37 licensed mobile set manufacturers in the country to produce 40 mn mobile units annually.
Mr Khan announced that leading global companies, including Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics, will be invited to establish manufacturing plants in Pakistan and the ministry has approached these global players.
Pakistan assembled 30.2 mn phone sets in 2025, but the maximum local consumption could reach to 40 mn sets per annum- therefore export incentives were essential to give boost to the industry.
It was noted that after the upcoming spectrum auction next month, the 4G coverage area in country will increase and the service is likely to improve, paving way for the sale of advanced and 5G compatible sets.
Mr Khan said that the Mobile & Electronics Policy 2026–33 is a milestone initiative for the country’s industrial sector, emphasising that it will significantly enhance exports and strengthen Pakistan’s manufacturing base.
The industry has welcomed the new policy highlighting that with fresh spectrum scheduled next month the demand for new and more advanced phones will increase -including the 5G compatible phonesets.
“The new policy comes at the right time as the telecos will take around 5-6 months to roll out the benefits of new spectrum obtained by them,” said Amir Allawala, senior member of the Pakistan Mobile Phone Manufacturers Association.
“At the same time we will be ready with new sets,” he added
While, CEO Engineering Development Board (EDB) Hammad Mansoor has highlighted that there was huge market of re-export of refurbished mobile phones, and it has been projected to generate annual revenues between $300 million and $400 million.
The policy also recommends the establishment of a dedicated Mobile & Electronics Devices Cell within the EDB to ensure effective implementation and coordination.
It is expected that local production of mobile phone accessories too will take a boost after the policy is approved as currently importing any supportive items including hands-free , chargers , transfer cables etc is cheaper compared to manufacturing them.
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