Daily Times

Federal Minister for Industries and Production Muhammad Hammad Azhar has said that three more smartphone manufacturing plants will be set up in the country in near future.

Talking to the media persons on Saturday, the minister said that a smartphone manufacturing plant set up in Lahore will produce six million handsets annually. The minister said that an increase in smartphones’ production will result in a decrease in the prices of smartphone handsets. He said that the government has taken solid steps to curb smuggling of smartphones.

The minister said that the coronavirus is spreading at a fast pace. Hamad Azhar urged the people to follow safety precautions and get inoculated against the virus.

Earlier in December last, Hammad Azhar said that VIVO, one of the world’s most popular smartphone brands, will be setting up a manufacturing facility in Pakistan. “Intl Smart Phone Brand VIVO has decided to establish a smartphone manufacturing facility in Pak. Land purchased. Deployment of DIRBS eliminated smuggled phones. It was followed up by the Mobile Manufacturing Policy. Revenues already doubled & now local manufacturing is taking off,” said the minister in a tweet.

Earlier, it was reported that tech giant Samsung is looking to set up a smartphone assembly plant in Pakistan, Federal Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar announced. “Smartphone production in Pakistan is multiplying following DIRBS [Device Identification Registration and Blocking System] implementation and Mobile Policy launched recently,” he tweeted after meeting with the Samsung Pakistan MD and CEO. The DIRBS allows the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to stop the use of smuggled mobile devices.