Pakistan’s mobile phone manufacturing industry faces a setback in the month of August 2025, with local production and assembly dropping by 46% month-on-month. As per the fresh figures from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), only 1.94 million mobile phone were manufactured during the month.
Industry experts are still saying that the bigger picture remains encouraging. In the first eight months of the year, local manufacturers managed to meet 94% of the country’s demand, keeping Pakistan on track in its push toward self-sufficiency in mobile phone production.
Short-Term Dip, Long-Term Gains
The year-on-year trend highlights resilience: production is still up 30% compared to August 2024, when sales had slumped due to excessive pre-buying and the government’s decision to impose an 18% GST under the FY25 budget.
Analysts at Topline Securities keep on believing that the August slowdown is largely temporary. Many consumers are simply holding off purchases ahead of new model launches expected in September and October.
Market Trends and Consumer Preferences
Between January and August 2025, a total of 19.77 million locally assembled phones were sold, reflecting only a modest 3% decline year-on-year. Impressively, the market remains evenly split between feature phones and smartphones:
- 51% of sales (10 million units) were still basic 2G models
- 49% (9.7 million units) were smartphones
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This demand mix reflects Pakistan’s diverse consumer base, where affordability continues to drive large sales of feature phones, even as smartphones become increasingly popular among younger users and urban households.
Leading Brands in 2025
Among the local assemblers, VGO Tel leads the pack with 2.33 million units, closely followed by Infinix (2.24 million), Vivo (1.75 million), Itel (1.53 million), and Xiaomi (1.16 million). Other brands, including Tecno, Samsung, Q Mobile, Nokia, and G’Five, continue to maintain a presence, contributing to healthy competition.
Looking forward, Topline Securities projects a 7–8% increase in mobile phone sales over the upcoming 12 months, citing falling inflation and an expected wave of new launches from brands like Samsung and Xiaomi. Local giants such as Airlink Communication and Lucky Cement (which has stakes in the sector) are also anticipated to benefit from this growth.
In short, while August’s decline may have raised eyebrows, industry watchers glance it as a momentary pause before the market picks up pace again.