Islamabad: The Minister of Industries and Production announced through twitter on Friday that smart phone manufacturer Samsung is keen to setup a smartphone assembly plant in Pakistan.
“Smartphone production in Pakistan is multiplying following the Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) implementation and Mobile [Device Manufacturing] Policy launched recently,” – Minister of industries and production tweeted.
He also said Samsung Pakistan has appreciated Government’s policies for considering setting up a smartphone assembly plant in the country.
Currently, around 14 smartphone companies are manufacturing in Pakistan but most of them are 2G technology phones. However, the mobile policy aims to encourage production with 3G and 4G enable technologies as well.
The demand for high quality affordable internet-enable smartphones are increasing. Nearly 40% of the population has yet to cross the age of 15 and start looking for their own smartphones. 76 million mobile broadband users in Pakistan will easily double to 150 million by 2025.
Also, to stop smuggling of smartphones and protect local smartphone producers, the government of Pakistan had also implemented DRIBS. Following the implementation of the system, the government now can ensure only registered phones are used in the country. Pakistan has also been ranked 4th generation regulator (G4) by International Telecommunication Union (ITU) this year and has become the only country in South Asia to have achieved this goal.