Tag: DIRBS

  • PTA introduces 120-day tax-free mobile registration for overseas Pakistanis

    PTA introduces 120-day tax-free mobile registration for overseas Pakistanis

    Prime Minister (PM) Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the Online Temporary Mobile Phone Registration System on Tuesday, aimed at facilitating overseas Pakistanis and foreign nationals during their visits to the country.

    Under this system, individuals will be able to register and utilise their personal mobile phones for a duration of up to 120 days from the date of their arrival, exempt from any duties and taxes. This facility is available to overseas Pakistanis, including students and employees, as well as foreign nationals visiting Pakistan for tourism or business purposes.

    During the inaugural ceremony in Islamabad, PM Shehbaz acknowledged the significant progress made by Pakistani youth in the field of information technology and emphasised the need to seize the abundant opportunities in this sector. He further stated that the current government has allocated ample funds in the budget to support various youth-oriented programmes.

     To attract foreign investment and revive the economy, a Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has been established, with the IT Ministry playing a pivotal role in achieving the set objectives.

    Additionally, the PM highlighted the importance of promoting IT parks in the country to boost IT exports. He mentioned the distribution of free laptops among deserving students based on merit and assured that a non-financial package will be announced soon to further enhance facilitation for overseas Pakistanis.

    In December 2018, the government introduced the ‘Mobile Phone Tax Policy,’ allowing overseas Pakistanis to bring one phone without paying customs duty, subject to registration upon arrival at the airport. Failure to register resulted in the phone being non-operational. Initially, the registered phone could be used with one SIM for 60 days, after which it required payment of due taxes to regularise its usage.

    In 2022, authorities upgraded and introduced new features in the Identification Registration and Blocking System, enabling overseas Pakistanis to use their imported mobile phones for a period of 120 days.

    The system facilitated data exchange among the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). It was also integrated with the FIA’s record of passengers’ entry and exit.

  • Smuggled phones flood AJK and GB as device identification system remains unimplemented

    Smuggled phones flood AJK and GB as device identification system remains unimplemented

    According to a source in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the non-implementation of the Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) has led to an increase in the use of smuggled mobile phones in the Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan region. Unlike the rest of the country, the Special Communications Organisation (SCOM) is the main mobile phone operator in this region, and the DIRBS does not apply to its connections.

    The purpose of the DIRBS is to identify non-compliant devices operating on local mobile networks and eventually block them while registering compliant ones. Despite a halt in local manufacturing and import of mobile phones, around 100,000 mobile phones are being smuggled into the region every month.

    Industry experts have confirmed that non-duty paid mobile phones smuggled from Dubai have made their way to the region. Zeeshan Mianoor, Deputy Vice Chairman of Pakistan Mobile Phone Manufacturers Association, stated that the monthly sales of local mobile sets were around 2 million devices, with around 8-10% of them sold in the AJK and GB region.

    According to Dawn, Muhammad Ishaq Jalal, a Skardu-based journalist, explained that unregistered phones do not work in mainland Pakistan, but they operate on SCOM, and the same connection works in mainland Pakistan on the Ufone network due to the agreement between SCOM and Ufone. Jalal also noted that expensive, used smartphones are available at reasonable prices in the GB region because many of them are blocked in mainland Pakistan either because they were not registered with PTA or stolen, and their IMEI has been blocked.

    The spokesperson of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) stated that both the PTA and the Ministry of IT and Telecom have requested the Cabinet Division to ensure the implementation of DIRBS on SCOM. The spokesperson added that the system would be extended to the SCOM connections once the Cabinet Division approves the request. The DIRBS was introduced to protect local mobile device manufacturing by imposing duties on imports of mobile phones, as well as those brought by travellers coming from abroad. However, this system also helped to reduce mobile phone smuggling.

  • iPhone 13 buyers will now pay Rs132,000 for PTA approval

    iPhone 13 buyers will now pay Rs132,000 for PTA approval

    The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has made it nearly impossible for Apple fans to get iPhones in the country by significantly raising the tax on the overall iPhone 13 series.

    It is worth noting that the PTA approval costs for the iPhone 13 have been raised at a time when the iPhone 14 is likely to be released at the beginning of next month. However, it is unclear what prices the PTA will set for the approval of newer iPhones.

    The following are the latest PTA approval rates for the iPhone 13 lineup:

    Apple iPhone 13 Mini

    Tax Payable:

    Rs108,000 for passport holders

    Rs132,000 for CNIC holders

    Apple iPhone 13

    Tax Payable: 

    Rs108,000 for passport holders

    Rs132,000 for CNIC holders

    Apple iPhone 13 Pro

    Tax Payable: 

    Rs108,000 for passport holders

    Rs132,000 for CNIC holders.

    Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

    Tax Payable: 

    Rs108,000 for passport holders

    Rs132,000 for CNIC holders

    Read more: 12 important things you need to know before buying a used iPhone

    These taxes must be paid within 30 days after importation if the phone is registered on a passport, and within 60 days if it is registered on the national identity card.

  • Pakistan manufactured 9.72 million mobile phones in four months: Report

    Pakistan manufactured 9.72 million mobile phones in four months: Report

    Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) revealed that domestic plants produced 9.72 million mobile devices in the first four months of 2022, contrasted to 0.86 million acquired internationally.

    In April 2022, local manufacturing plants developed 2.56 million mobile devices, compared to 0.25 million imported from other countries.

    According to Brecorder, 5.69 million 2G smartphones and 4.03 million 3G and 4G phones are among the 9.72 million mobile handsets developed or assembled locally. 53 per cent of mobile devices on the Pakistan network are 3G and 4G smartphones, while 47 per cent are 2G.

    Despite the growth in local mobile phone production, Pakistan acquired $1.810 billion worth of cellphones in the first ten months of 2021-22, contrasted to $1.684 billion in the same period the previous year, a 7.43 per cent increase, as per the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

    Total telecommunications imports into the country climbed by 14.05 per cent during the review period (July-April) 2021-22, rising from $2.116 billion in July-April 2020-21 to $2.413 billion in the same period last year.

    According to PTA data, the local manufacturing tendency indicates a favourable response to the PTA’s Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) Authorization regulatory system.

  • Mobile phone imports nearly double in last 12 months

    Mobile phone imports nearly double in last 12 months

    Mobile phone imports have increased by 81.32 per cent as compared to the last fiscal year (July-June) 2019-20.

    The imports reached $1.369 billion compared to $755.548 million during the same period last year, according to the latest report released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

    Telecom experts are linking the phenomenal increase in import to the implementation of Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).

    Mobile phone imports increased 300 per cent in June 2020 as compared to $57.736 million imports of June 2019.

    Overall telecom imports saw an increase of 34 per cent during July-June (2019-20) if compared to the same period of last year.

    Total imports were recorded at $1.86 billion when compared to $1.37 billion in July-June (2018-19), while registering 71.62 per cent growth in June 2020.

    The figures stood at $272.576 million in June 2020 as compared to $158.93 million during May 2020.

    Other telecom apparatus imports witnessed a decline of over 21.36 per cent in July-June (2019-20) as they stood at $490.754 million against $624.017 million during the same period last year.

    When compared to May 2020, other telecom apparatus imports registered a 13.41 per cent decline in June as they were $41.453 million as compared to $47.871 million in May 2020.