Mobile phone imports top Rs520bn in FY26
ISLAMABAD: The import of mobile phones surged 258.6 per cent in terms of units in FY26, resulting in higher customs duty collection, according to Pakistan Customs data released on Tuesday. The detailed breakup of mobile phone imports was issued in response to...
Pakistan’s mobile phone import bill climbed sharply in FY26, with Customs data showing a steep rise in the number of officially imported handsets and a larger share of trade moving through documented commercial channels.
According to Pakistan Customs figures released on Tuesday and reported in a monitored public feed, mobile phone imports rose 258.6 per cent in unit terms during the fiscal year. The data was issued to address reports claiming that Pakistan spent Rs520 billion on mobile phone imports in FY26.
The customs breakdown separates imports of completely built units, or CBUs, from consignments of completely knocked down and semi knocked down kits used by local assemblers. Within CBU imports, smartphone arrivals increased from about 0.29 million units in FY25 to 1.04 million units in FY26, an increase of roughly 750,000 units.
Customs said industry feedback indicated that 60 to 70 per cent of the increase was made up of new and used Apple iPhones and Google Pixel devices. Since neither brand is assembled locally, the higher volume of officially imported handsets appears to reflect consumer demand for devices not available through Pakistan’s assembly base, rather than a broad shift away from domestic assembly.
The trend also lifted revenue. Duties and taxes collected on mobile phone imports rose to about Rs121 billion in FY26 from Rs89 billion in FY25, an increase of more than 36 per cent. Customs noted that collection growth outpaced the rise in import value, suggesting that a greater portion of the market moved into formal, tax-paying channels.
Officials attributed part of that shift to pricing differences across import routes. A commercially imported iPhone attracts about Rs150,000 in duties and taxes, compared with roughly Rs190,000 when brought in and registered against a passport and about Rs210,000 when registered against a CNIC. That gap has made commercial imports the cheaper option for many buyers, encouraging a move away from informal channels and toward fully documented imports.
Customs said duty collection on CBU smartphone imports alone more than doubled over the year, a sign that formal imports have gained ground at the expense of the grey market.
The wider import picture was also substantial. Pakistan brought in about 32 million mobile phones worth Rs520 billion in FY26, slightly fewer units than the 33 million imported in FY25. Around Rs420 billion, or roughly four-fifths of the total value, came from CKD and SKD kits imported by registered local assemblers for domestic production. Finished CBU devices accounted for about Rs100 billion, or less than one-fifth of total value.
The figures point to a market in which local assembly continues to dominate by value, while demand for fully imported premium handsets has pushed up both documented imports and customs revenue.
This report is based on a monitored public feed and attributed to Dawn Business.
Source: Dawn Business - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017427/mobile-phone-imports-top-rs520bn-in-fy26
