According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), mobile phone imports to Pakistan have grown by 12.04% in December 2022, despite the country’s dwindling reserves. Imports stood at $72.291 million in December, compared to $64.520 million in November. Despite this, overall mobile phone imports during the first half of the current fiscal year (July-December 2022) have seen a negative growth of 66.73%, standing at $362.862 million, compared to $1.090 billion during the same period last year.
On a year-on-year basis, mobile phone imports saw a negative growth of 69.10% in December 2022, compared to $233.917 million in December 2021. Overall telecom imports, which include mobile phones, saw a negative growth of 60.24% during the first half of the current fiscal year, standing at $565.896 million, compared to $1.423 billion during the same period last year.
On a year-on-year basis, overall telecom imports saw a negative growth of 62.43% in December 2022, standing at $110.165 million, compared to $293.193 million in December 2021. Additionally, other apparatus imports, which includes equipment other than mobile phones and telecoms, saw a negative growth of 38.97% during the first half of the current fiscal year, standing at $203.035 million, compared to $323.656 million during the same period last year.
