Daily Times

KARACHI: The usage of 3G/4G services is increasing at an impressive pace in various cities of the country, providing an opportunity to the people to adopt new ways of communication, education and infotainment through devices, especially mobile phones in Pakistan.

The acquisition of mobile broadband technology is the significant in Pakistan so as the adoption of smartphones making Pakistan as one of the fastest growing market in the region.

According to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), some 42 million people are using 3G/4G services in Pakistan as compared to 140 million GSM phones in the country.

But the trend of switching from GSM to 3G and 4G technologies is rapidly increasing due to the popularity and availability of the services by mobile phone companies and smartphones by handsets makers.

A good smartphone having long life and advanced features are indispensible for gaining a useful experience of mobile broadband, hence brands of smartphones are increasing their presence in Pakistan with their advanced, high-tech and unique devices.

Pakistan is an interesting market and one of the top markets of the region in terms of volume for smartphone brands, commented Sharay Shams, General Manager for Smartphone, Lenovo Middle East.

The smartphone penetration is still below 50% and there is still a lot of feature phone/ non-3G/4G devices being used in Pakistan.” As the 4G coverage in Pakistan is increasing, there is a lot of growth potential in Pakistan and you will see it growing in years to come” Shams noted.

“My region comprises of Middle East, Turkey and Pakistan. I feel Pakistan is the number one volume market, but it is still low in terms of smartphone penetration,” he noted.

Most of the population here is in the youth category, below the age of 30, which is a sign that there will be massive digital transformation ahead. Besides, Pakistani consumers are internet savvy showing a good scope of growth for smartphone brand, Shams observed.

Over the last 2-3 years the smartphone penetration has gone up from almost 30% to about 50% for smartphone brands, he mentioned.

Talking about his experience, Shams said “We aim to bring the right product to the market at the right price point for the consumer, and do customized marketing relevant to the local market trends and needs”.

The smarthphones in the prices range of Rs10,000 to Rs20,000 is the biggest in Pakistan due to affordability factor. Some 35% of the smartphone users in Pakistan carry a low cost phone for safety reasons.

Keeping in view the purchasing power of the local population, he said Lenovo has marketed wide range of products starting from Rs 15,000 all the way up to Rs 75,000 thus addressing all the key price segments of the Pakistani market. “The Pakistani market has a good association and acceptability of the Motorola brand and the aim is to re-ignite the brand in this region”, Shams added.

Talking about future demand trends in Pakistan, he expressed optimism, saying: “In October, we will bring range of products in Pakistan. We will bring the Moto E Family, the Moto E and E plus. The Moto E is about the finger print technology and Moto E plus is with a big battery of 5000 (which is almost 2 days of battery life).”

According to data some 68% of the smartphone users in Pakistan are on Android. 77 % users are just 21 to 30 years old, and 60% of the Pakistani’s use more than one cell phone.

Published in Daily Times, September 26^th 2017.