The Government has been encouraged by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to alter the mobile phone manufacturing policy and incorporate fresh sectors. According to PTA, adopting these modifications will allow the production of numerous other products, including laptops and tablets, creating job opportunities, boosting foreign exchange, and decreasing Pakistan’s reliance on imports.
The existing policy on mobile manufacturing solely supports the creation of mobile phones and offers incentives that are only available to mobile producers. PTA asserts that the existing regulatory environment is unfavorable to the manufacturing of numerous other electronic items, including laptops, tablets, signal boosters, car trackers, biometric devices, point-of-sale devices, dongles, RFID, etc.
Many of the devices stated above are now imported into Pakistan; if local production is initiated, the nation will make its first step toward self-sufficiency, enhance exports, and even stimulate the local IT industry by cutting equipment costs.
According to PTA, “the current policy on mobile manufacturing does not offer any competitive incentive for the export of locally produced mobile devices. This also has to be evaluated, and export incentives should be improved so that local mobile device exports to the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa region will be more successful.
The PTA contends that it is past time for the Pakistani government to carry out localization efforts and make the required adjustments to the country’s production regulations for mobile phones. The Engineering Development Board should take the required actions to assuring localization in addition to the government.
PTA has asked the local academic community to concentrate on this industry because local technology manufacturing needs strong R&D. Technology manufacturers will be able to adopt newer technology and boost exports if R&D is strong.
In addition to everything else, PTA encouraged the government to fix LCs for mobile manufacturers since they are unable to import raw materials for manufacturing.
