EDB finalizes Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy

The Engineering Development Board (EDB) has finalized the policy for Mobile Device Manufacturing in Pakistan.
The policy ready as a draft focuses on replacing imported mobile phone sets with locally assembled and manufactured ones.
The board has been directed to take a final decision on the policy by next month.
The policy envisages semi-knocked down (SKD) kits and completely knocked down (CKD) kits in the country.
The companies will opt for SKD, which is the assembly of sets with imported parts and in later stages manufacturing of parts will begin in the country under CKD, EDB officials say.
Also, the board has suggested that duties on the parts be reduced and certain benefits offered for manufacturing of the parts so that the mobile sets assembled through SKD and CKD become cheaper than the mobile sets imported as completely built units (CBU).
At present, out of 26 approvals, 15 mobile phone set assembly units were operating mainly in Karachi and central Punjab, but they are only producing analogue sets and just a limited number of units were assembling Smartphone locally