Cell phone imports in Pakistan increased by 0.50% over the first nine months of 2013-2014 compared with the same period last year.
The imports of cell phones into the country over July-March (2013-2014) were recorded at around $477m, against imports of around $474m during July-March (2012-2013), according to data provided by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
Similarly, cell phone imports for the month of March 2014 fell by 41% and 21% when compared with imports in March 2013 and February 2014 respectively.
Imports in March 2014 stood at $44.82m, against $77.261m in March 2013 and $56.901m in February 2014, according to statistics.
It is worth noting that Pakistan's overall trade deficit fell by 5% over the first nine months of the current year, as exports increased by 6% while imports increased by 0.86%.
The trade deficit fell by 11% in March 2014 compared with last year's deficit for the same month, according to the most recent PBS data. After the launch of 3G services, imports are likely to rise, and this will benefit the country as well.