As ProPakistani first reported earlier this week, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority asked XiaomiPK.com to not to sell Xiaomi smartphones in Pakistan.
Since then, various media outlets and Xiaomipk.com, a privately run ecommerce website having no affiliation with Xiaomi.Inc., started implying that PTA was unfair in banning Xiaomi phones and that there are some hidden forces that are trying to block Xiaomi from coming into Pakistan.
Clearly this is not the case, as we reported in our original news story. However, we think there’s a need for more clarity on the entire incident to be black and white about what happened and what didn’t.
To begin with, here is how handset business is done in Pakistan.
Legal requirements to sell Handsets in Pakistan
- Under the Telecom Act 1996 (section 29), no terminal equipment (including smartphones) can be used on a live telecom network in Pakistan unless it has been type approved by PTA.
- Type approval granted by PTA signifies that particular equipment is approved for general sale and is suitable to connect with a specific public telecommunication network.
- Any commercial entity wishing to commercially sale/market terminal devices including mobile phones within the territory of Pakistan are required to obtain type approval from the PTA.
- Type Approval application requires authorization from manufacturer, technical specifications, details regarding after Sales Service Facility/Customer Service Centers, relevant fee’s and other supporting documentation. Full list of required documents can be seen here.
- Once type approval is granted, anyone can sell and market the type approved equipment/smartphone in Pakistan.
What Happened in Case of XiaomiPK.com?
XiaomiPK.com didn’t obtain any such type approvals from PTA, in fact they didn’t know that obtaining type approvals from PTA were necessary before selling Xiaomi Smartphones in Pakistan.
Lulu, the administrator and main guy behind XiaomiPK.com, confirmed ProPakistani that his firm didn’t know the process and that an email from Mr. Nouman Khalid from PTA told him that sale of Xiaomi phones is not allowed in Pakistan.
Mr. Lulu said that this was when XiaomiPK contacted a legal firm based out of Islamabad to obtain the type approvals. However, they never applied because the legal firm they had hired told them that earlier attempts for getting type approvals from PTA went in vain.
As a result XiaomiPK never applied to get type approvals, and instead posted PTA’s letter on its website.
Attempts for Getting Type Approvals for Xiaomi Smartphones in Pakistan
While we have mentioned above that there were attempts made by some vendors/distributors to get type approvals for Xiaomi phones, but they remained unsuccessful.
Khurram Mehan, a spokesperson at PTA, confirmed ProPakistani that only one vendor has so far applied for type approval for Mi 4i model on April 8th, 2016.
“As part of evaluation process the device documentation was reviewed and Operating System(OS) Testing was performed.
During evaluation it was revealed that Mi 4i device has certain features which are not in accordance with the required specifications and legal provisions, therefore, type approval has yet not been granted”, Khurram Mehran, Director PR, PTA
Mr. Mehran further told ProPakistani that PTA, along side rejection letter, communicated the vendor to modify the phone features that were not complying standard and to re-sumbit for Type Approval.
“The vendor never approached PTA again on the matter”, added the spokesperson.
Regarding XiaomiPK.com, Mehran told that PTA received a complaint on 22 July 2016 that this e-commerce store was being operated from China and was selling smartphones in Pakistan without any kind of Type Approval. Furthermore, the smartphones were being imported through grey channels according to the complaint.
PTA made contact with the website administrators and asked them to obtain Type Approval as soon as possible for the devices and that they must not sell phones until type approvals are granted.
“The website was directed to abstain from sale of non-type approved devices via grey channels within the territory of Pakistan, in case the company wishes to commercially sale/market these devices, they must apply for type approval”, PTA Spokesperson.
Unlike what PTA asked the website to do, it instead posted email ID, Personal details of PTA officials along with a misrepresented message reflecting that PTA purposely has stopped the sale/marketing of this device in order to create an outcry/hype.
Who is to be blamed now?
Clearly the e-commerce store is to carry the blame for selling phones without regulator’s approval. If they really want to get Xiaomi phones in Pakistan, which can eventually lead to Xiaomi considering entering Pakistan officially, they need to comply with the policies of PTA.
This is how it is done around the world. A recent example of OnePlus should be taken into consideration, where the world famous brand had to quit the Indonesian market because the law there requires imported 4G phones to contain 30 percent locally sourced components. Alternatively, foreign phone makers can invest in R&D or use local software to meet the requirements. OnePlus didn’t comply and had to quit the market.
As mentioned above, PTA’s door are still open for XiaomiPK to get type approvals and start selling Xiaomi Smartphones in Pakistan again.
Until then, they can’t sell Xiaomi smartphones here.
Future of Xiaomi Smartphones in Pakistan
Other than one vendor who applied for type approvals, also mentioned above, our sources suggest that different companies and individuals have been trying for the past one year to bring Xiaomi phones in Pakistan. But most of them are not familiar with the process of obtaining a “Type Approval” and they don’t even have the authorization from the original company in mainland China.
Unless type approval is granted, even to a single vendor, there’s no way for Xiaomi phones to be sold in Pakistan.
It merits mentioning here that not all vendors/distributors need to obtain type approvals separately, one type approval will enable everyone to sell the phones in Pakistan, which hasn’t been granted as of yet. And hence Xiaomi phones can not be sold in Pakistan.
Similarly, individuals who buy it from AliExpress or other Chinese stores can’t get it cleared from customs as well.
While we don’t know about the conflicting features or specifications but there are some discrepancies that must be resolved by Xiaomi. PTA said that it clearly communicated the conflicting specs and that they must be resolved in order to get a green-chit.
Now those who think that current players in the smartphone market don’t want Xiaomi to take their share and that they are influencing the authority to keep Xiaomi away, can contest with PTA on conflicting specifications.
Xiaomi, or anyone else, can even move courts to be sure that PTA is unbiased.
Another fact to be considered is that Xiaomi itself never tried to enter Pakistan market. A couple of years ago Hugo Bara, VP Xiaomi, outlined the global expansion plan till 2018 but Pakistan was never part of his expansion map.
In another scenario, if a middleman tries to sell Xiaomi smartphones in Pakistan then prices are likely to increase which will ultimately kill the sole unique selling point of Xiaomi smartphones. Moreover, middleman can’t guarantee after-sale services, meaing that customers won’t get any benefits value addition for the money they will spend.
Unless Xiaomi doesn’t enter Pakistani market officially, which is unlikely till 2018, Pakistani consumers will have either wait or pay high for Xiaomi phones in Pakistan that too after some is able to obtain the type approval for Xiaomi smartphones.
Update
XiaomiPK.com has seemingly wrapped up its operations.
“Type Approval application requires authorization from manufacturer, technical specifications, details regarding after Sales Service Facility/Customer Service Center”.
Just wondering if Apple officially authorized sale of its phones in Pakistan and if Apple has any customer service centers in Pakistan.
Yes they do have.
no it is local company which imports from uae. apple directly has no role what so ever.
Apple and many others have No Direct Presence in Pakistan and they don’t need to have while having their Channel Partners e.g. Apple, SAP and many other giants controlling whole MEA (middle east asia) region from Middle East…
Actually they do. You can go to http://www.apple.com and view the authorised resellers for Pakistan yourself.
there is no Pakistan store on the website dear!
here you go ‘dear’
locate.apple.com/pk/en/sales/?pt=all&lat=33.7155649&lon=73.0759055&address=Islamabad
but still Apple does not sell officially these are just re-sellers unlinke a real Apple’s store. I have even seen a real Apple store in Shanghai and they are Apple owned and Apple themselves sell stuff there. Pakistani importers are just importing a crippled iphone,ipad and ipod from UAE without Facetime, It has nothing to do with country specific specialization just a reseller is selling a UAE model here.
Obviously u won’t get an Apple Store here. But these phones are as official as they get. They have official Apple warranty and you can claim it easily in these stores.
see for ur self! http://www.apple.com/choose-your-country/
The following are the approved vendors for Apple phones. This is approval is obtained by filling in a form and submitting a fees of Rs 5000 these days .
Apple South Asia Pte. Ltd.(Registered reseller Hong Kong)
Apple Inc (The original Apple itself!)
.
These can easily be verified from PTA’s website as well
Xiaomi is available in UAE online stores and TRA doesn’t ban import of these phones. Being old student of Dr. Ismail I know what might be the reason, it definitely isn’t technology alone.
whats the reason in your opinion can you please share with us
Simple: politics and economical. And even if is not Xiaomi, it can apply to other brand that can be dangerous for their own earnings. In few words, corruption.
Pretty common in undeveloped countries. Here in Peru has a similar scenario. A company can enter with supposedly all the requirements filled, however they might have problems with the operator which might deny the sellings or the mass media which would want to ignore every time or even the politicians since they might have connection with other brand vendors.
And even if they manage to enter, all of the previous problems will try to press to avoid to make enter other products. Before 2015, you could buy with USD 175 at best an smartphone with an Snapdragon 4XX series or a MTK 65XX based ones. However once Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus entered here, it deformed the market so hard that the new minimun is now the Snapdragon 6XX and the MTK 673X based ones and smartphones which don’t have those processors or similar features, are royally screwed up and couldn’t be sold and at the end, they are put in lower prices than expecting.
In few words, those factors tries to avoid to change hard the market forever. But even with that, someone manages to sneak in and BAM! the market is changed.
The local importer must have provided all documents to PTA and yes Apple has authorized sales of iPhone in Pakistan
Basically, Apple issues an authority letter to its authorised importer in Pakistan. The importer presents this letter to PTA along with other required documents and a sample of handset for obtaining type approval.
tldr: PTA really needs to unclench. Not many people give a crap about this country, and if PTA doesn’t unclench its stick-shoved b*mhole, we’ll never see any real technological progress in Pakistan.
selling cheap chines phones will bring technological progress in Pakistan. ???
if things are not regulated then market will become over crowded with B grade phones that are black hole for the security.. so get a life ! or a q mobile :)
meh … have you even heard of the work that goes into making Mi phones ?
i dont want to buy a 50k phone while 30k does the same as in case of xiaomi.
By cheap do you mean low price high specs phone? Seriously?
agreed !
this is way too much attitude…
take the analogy of a avg looking girl showing bitc*y attitude to some good looking boys … after a while no one will give a flying fk about her and she’ll just start a blog on how she’s a “strong , independent woman in this male-dominated society” :D
stupid af pta and their shenanigans !
its other way around … they told that website about type approval ,Even if they didn’t knew about it They should have agreed do it ! but They did other way around thought they might get away with this !
PTA should also be strict to 2nd Hand phones coming from abroad
You people should pay 25% tax on each phones.
How much we pay now ? o.O
Same.
privatize karna mangta :D
Point point point.
Dafa karo or companies thori hain yahan.
Xiaomi is the best company in China as its smartphones are sold more as compared to iPhone in China because of its quality. Have you seen the Xiaomi Air laptop? It is less pricey, smart design and quality product as compared to Mac laptops. Xiaomi is not like Qmobile that has bad quality, if you know, China produces two types of product, the best and the worst. I hope you can perceive.
Huawei le lo. It’s is quite similar to Xiaomi. Price bhi itni zaida nhi ha or sab se bari baat Pakistan ma mil skta ha.
true. oneplus is better looking and decent specs as compare to xiaomi . #JMO
And the price is almost double when compared to XIaomi.
Roti nahi khaane ko to bread khaa lo yahi baat ki hai
^burn
Anyone who dared to read the whole article plz summarize in max 5 lines!!
hahaha
PTA made contact with the website administrators and asked them to obtain Type Approval as soon as possible for the devices and that they must not sell phones until type approvals are granted.
XiaomiPK.com didn’t obtain any such type approvals from PTA, in fact they didn’t know that obtaining type approvals from PTA were necessary before selling Xiaomi Smartphones in Pakistan.
these guys are not authorized by company. they were running business in the name of xiaomi and all our media just picked up this story as they are talking about the company.
XiomiPK nay type approval liye baghair hi phone sell karnay shuru kar diye. PTA nay kaha k phone na becho, pehlay type approval lou tu bajaye type approval laitay, unhon nay shor macha diya. Media nay bhi qasar na chori aur PTA ko kosnay laga… for more, read above :P
bhai jab pta yeh bhi nahe batata what functions were objectionable what do u expect? and besides pta also banned their other models too.
Sir Jee PTA se Jaa Ker pochiye ke jhoot kyun bool rahe hai agar ye sache hai to cheezmall ne redmi phones ki approval daali hui ha approve kyun nai krte ?
Getting a Type Approval is easy peasy, all you need to do is get all the documents ready. There must some problem with Cheezmall getting authorization or technical testing documents. I know a Product Manager of another Chinese company and he told me that the fastest they got a Type Approval was just 16 days, normally it takes 30-40 days, depending on PTA and CACF.
Absolutely. And unlike what a lot of people are ranting without even knowing the facts, takes just a challan of Rs. 5000 along with a prototype which is returned back after testing
No for commercial, the sample unit is kept and the fee is $200
I guess it’s 5000 per additional TAC then
@disqus_8mwlxYscZb:disqus , man i gotta talk to you …
you Disqus is Private so i couldn’t get in touch with ya !
been searching for AGES !
where and when can we talk ?
drop me an email.. [email protected]
thanks mate !
Hey Sir can you get me approval then if its thats easy ? I,ll purchase Mi5 from aliexpress and you will get it cleared ?
lol
Is there is any reality that Xiaomi phones send your data to their servers?? :/ i am confused, pehly Xiamoi buy krna chah rha tha, ab nai… suggestions plz
lol … pehle ya btao k pakistan me kahan sy buy karoge.
pta ny to ban lagaya hua h
bhai dost sy mangwaon ga, ksi dosry country say
i dont think k Xiaomi is interested in your data … if anything , it looks like a stupid rumor by rival companies.
if the price is good , go for it … boht qismat wale ho jo xiaomi mil raha hai tmko
thank u ;)
Please suggest me Xiamoi under 170$?
RN3 pro
Thank u.. :)
How can you get Type approval of a device which PTA consider “Banned” Get your facts right there was a guy who emailed them for a single phone and they replied that All Mi Phones are banned without any justification what so ever
Do you have the screenshot of PTA’s reply from this guy? PTA has reached us and told that no brand or device has been banned.
Yes sure here it is now add this in post aswell because you have just posted the one sided story you should go and ask PTA if someone import any handset like UMI, Meizu and apply for personal NOC its issued within 3 working days but if someone apply for Xiaomi single set NOC this is their reply that its banned.
@disqus_Qr9Q1OLCtE:disqus , can you guide me about HOW exactly do i get an NOC for an UMI Handset ?
im thinking about ordering the Umi MAx.
kindly tell me ..
1. How to Put in a request for the NOC. Also HOW long will the NOC for UMI max order be issued ?
2. What ADDITIONAL charges (like customs tax etc) do i have to pay (apart from the phone’s cost.) for an estimate of Tax calculation , i can tell you that the phone will cost me $150 or 15700 PKR. so kindly tell me about the ADDITIONAL charges i have to pay to get possession of my phone.
3. HOW long will it take to release my phone from Customs ONCE the phone reaches the Karachi Post office or something like that ? Provided i have the NOC in my personal possession and im ready to furnish it IMMEDIATELY upon demand.
Your kind assistance is MUCH appreciated in this regard
“PTA has reached us and told that no brand or device has been banned.” They are lying my friend
@kofmzc:disqus , then whats the trouble with Xiaomi ? are they Lethargic ?
don’t they know about the market they’re missing out on ?!
@kofmzc:disqus how about you order a NON-XIAOMI phone for a Beefy price , i’d suggest the Le MAX Pro ($250 or something) and let us all know how it goes :p
you’d be doing God’s work AND also getting a killa phone … its a win-win !
Cheezmall are imbeciles … straight up !
why not turn to Meizu , Oukitel , LeEco and other brands when they can’t get approval for Xiaomi. hel , even 360 MOBILES are offering WORLD BEATER specs for DIRT CHEAP prices !
if cheezmall bigwigs had a brain .. things would be so much better and SO SO much DIFFERENT !
1. Xiaomi it self have no intention to be in pakistani market yet !
2. any brand of communication device need approval before they can be sold in pakistan
3. The third party seller didnt got approval from PTA before selling them in local market
4. There are some features in Xiaomi phone that can be misused to doge security services .
5. if u want low cost smart phone use Qmobile :)
no thanks i dont want to send money to india via qmoble i read and listen to their on twitter fb youtube their actors r always spreading hatred of Pakistan
keep one thing in mind Q mobile is not an indian brand or link to any indian brand !
micromax and Qmobile buys there phone from same manufacturer in china and rebrand them
Who’s pays million of rupees to Indians for commercials?
Or Karina or Priyanka ko paise bhi to dene hotay hain Ghatiya Mobiles k Behtreen Ads k liye.
Mehran se kaam nahi challay ga?
PTA wale Mehran pe guzara kaise karenge ?
Before selling any phone, one has to get clearance from PTA.
According to PTA rules and regulations, a dual sim phone is only allowed if it has different IMEI number for both sim slots, so that it can tracked in case of any unfortunate event.
Xiaomi has same IMEI for both sims and hence cant operate in Pakistan
That is the conflicting feature of Xiaomi’s phones with PTA regulations.
Regards
Xiaomi has same IMEI for both sims and hence cant operate in Pakistan
NOT IT DOES NOT get your fact checked
Many users are complaining of single IMEI in Xiaomi phones (especially older models) across the world, due to which some operators cant offer dual sim functionality at the same time.
Feel free to google yourself if you dont want to beleive me.
Regards
Only older models we are talking about new phone not 3-4 years old phone and i am mi user dont tell me to do research
I imported xiaomi redmi note 3 which is latest model. At custom they told only single imei that set had, so PTA didnt give me type approval.
Next time import PRO version and its with 2 imei number and try again you will get the same response.
Unfortunately it was Pro
Sorry cant believe because PRO version are for India and India would never allow same imei on dual sim
I bought it from Aliexpress
Yes i know both are available in Chinese markets they call it full netcom and half netcom
I got 3 Redmi Note 3 sent to me a few months back. All of these had the same IMEI for both the Sim slots. The only reason why I was able to get a hand on them was that they part of the luggage and the airports are pretty lax with what the passengers bring from China
Its your fault you bought Chinese version phone not mine next time expend some extra money and get the international version
International or not Xiaomi is banned by PTA. They don’t have enough cranium to black list specific models they just black list whole brand.
Didn’t ask for your advice mate so keep it to yourself. And btw even the phones imported by cheezmall were Chinese versions
Their fault that they imported CN versions not mine any other lame excuse ?
Yeah it’s not your fault so perhaps you can import International version mobiles, get them type approved and start selling them commercially :)
I have heard that their IMEI numbers doesn’t comply with GSMA standards or something like that, not sure though.
Some users even posted their mi5 phone’s separate imei . It is not about imei it is just about badmashi
I am living abroad and using Xiomi Mi5 and Samsung S7 Edge and both are dual SIMs and both are having different IMEIs for their both SIMs. I still want to see that on what features they have banned or not issuing the approval for Xiaomi… My Xiaomi phone is working far better than my Samsung S7 Edge…. If they are allowed to be used in USA and UK and INDIA then why they cannot be used in Pakistan… There is definitely something fishy that PTA is not telling us.
Summary. Some dogs had their hold on a few streets. And they had marked their territory. An underdog tried to enter once, and it was stopped. The next day, it tried again and never lived to see another day i.e. killed. Bulldog Police said that the dogs wanted to check the specs of the deceased dog (ahem), and then give it type approval and a license to live among dogs. When inquiry yielded no results, the dog snobs became stronger and built a wall around their territory just like Donald Trump. Outside the grand walls, innovation and progress continued to happen. Once competition was killed, it was only a matter of time that people were unable to pay exorbitantly high prices and jumped across the walls. Then the dogs within the walls had no one to sell to, all of a sudden. They went nuts and killed each other. People then returned to their homes after breaking down the walls, accompanied by their beloved underdogs. Thats how cavemen of Pakistan joined the league of developed nations and never looked back.
If its the case, how all other brands are able to get in Pakistan? Huawei, Oppo, OnePlus etc. Xiaomi mein kon c aisi super power hai jo dusre brands us se itna darr gae hain k us ko Pakistan mein enter hi nahi honay de rahe? Aisa kia bana dia Xiaomi ne k “Bulldogs” us k anay se khatam ho jaen ge?
Asking just for info not for argue.
another GREAT reason to leave this crappy country !
napak pta
Why you are bad mouthing the motherland rather than the system?
Motherland is too corrupt ,…
Besides last leader gilani said who ever wants to leave Pakistan should go.
the system is near collapse … the country is going to hel… what do you see in this country ,eh ?
everyone has a price. .. if some credible agency or some credible person were to offer you a job in a developed or even 2nd world country , far far away from Pakistan , you’d jump at the chance without even thinking once ! basically , you’d jump at the chance to escape from this place.
so don’t give me the nationalist vibe .. its an old maneuver…
come on , can’t you see ?
the hierarchies , the monarchies … the fiefdoms , all of them just circling around this motherland … eating away at it little by little
nothing good can happen to this country until there’s a massive overhaul at top level administration and seeing how apathetic the general populace is around here , that ain’t happening anytime soon. or maybe never. might as well run while you’re still alive and in one piece :D
Hell*
Go soon. This countrg does not need people like you either
And people like you either who are boot licker
Whatever you call me, I am not traitor like you. Yahan apne bartan nahin dhotay wahan goron k a§§ khushi se dho letay ho.
You are the one acting like boot licker not me when clearly PTA is playing games with Pakistani customers why dont they come out and tell the real reason instead of saying “some issue” with mi devices
They told the reason to the company who applied for approval, why should they tell to any Tom Dick or Harry?
LOL can you stop licking their A$$ and go to PTA and ask them yourself about the status of Xioami
No, we should also know about it.
agar parh likh kar jaogy to kisi ki a$$ nahi dhoni paregi. … ab JAAHIL awaam (which majority of Pakistani’s are , sad to say the least) agar unparh bahar chali jayegi , to chamaaron ko nokrian bhi unki auqaat k mutabiq milengi…
the least we can do is learn from our much maligned neighbours… at least the Indians are clever enough to create a sizeable contingent in all the major institutions around the world.
You mean one should leave the country just because An authority banned a smartphone brand in the country? I mean really? O acha….
please … all i see are whiners like you when something bad happens
tell you what , don’t bit*h next time some catastrophe happens in pakistan
Please ASAP
Liars,,, if Mi 4i had these features why other phones were blocked too? and by the way these ppl should explain what were those features anyway? And besides xiaomi phones sold in intl markets come with intl. roms not chinese ones.
For each and every smartphone model, a separate Type Approval is needed. I urge that PTA should specify the exact features that they think aren’t right, so the importers better come prepared next time.
You don’t know what we are talking about here .PTA didn’t approved mi 4i so they got right to block Redmi note too? They simply emailed everyone that we don’t allow xiaomi.ok fine then but allow the parcel to return back to China why customs still keep it? To sell later in black market? Banning Xiaomi is whole sinister nothing about standards or features.
iPhone which sells in UK or USA isn’t approved by PTA but still it sells. Only Uae iPhone without FaceTime is allowed by PTA. I wonder what goes in FaceTime? Our politicians are so ugly that they don’t like video chat? Ohh but cm Punjab always doing video conferencing. #hypocisy
SO many poor folks have orders xiaomi phone and they are still in custom confiscation and pta says there was no application for approval? pta is high on weed
And what spec were not according to PTA rules?
They wont tell this because this is just a lame excuse from their side
Same IMEI on both Sim slots and some encryption issues
“some encryption issues” LOL
What about all those refurbished american(specific) carrier phones that are being sold in masses? lets take for an instance, why should i buy a 30k lenovo Zuk1 from cheezmall.com when same specs phones are available in 15k or less? In short i mean, high taxes are hurting consumers buying branded phones from authentic buyers, and although these refurbished phones gives premium choice but they are hurting the sales of brands here as well.
politicians are themselves involved in smuggling so what else do u expect?
I expect change and we can enforce government institutions to ban grey imports.
Our whole electronic markets are filled with snuggled goods. Laptops, phones ,CD players,dish receivers , LCD , tablets. What you think who can fix it? Those who are running all this fraud? When 30 percent tax is On each and every electronics why anyone shall buy legit goods?
Phones imported through grey channel, new or old are hurting the business of those importing legally. A source suggests that more than 50% smartphones sold last year were grey imports.
I think 50% is still quite low figure it must be around 70. High taxes has made legal import difficult. Even many legal businesses have started illegal import from Afghanistan.
So sad please xiomi come and save us from QMobile bull shit!!! Worst phone in the market QMobile if xiomi comes in pk it is gonna sell like hot cakes
type approvel is a joke. rubbish stuff of capitalism and anti-free-market-force done by red tape
The most important thing we “consumers” should consider is the after-sales. Don’t let the e-commerce stores rip us off, it is the basic requirement to provide after-sales service and warranty.
You get a cheap phone that gets dead after 2 days, tell me would it be cost effective?
Yes agree
Finally the true picture. Going a bit further into details, a person is allowed to import 5 cellular devices (Mobiles/Tablets ) as a gift within an year as long as they have been allowed by the regulator. All it takes is a form to be submitted online along with details such as IMEI, Make, Type etc.. To import mobiles commercially a vendor needs to register themselves with PTA after getting the type approval done by PTA. With Xiaomi devices there were 2 primary concerns. (a) Same IMEI with dual slots (b) Some data encryption issues which I will not go into right now :)
Any vendor can register themselves by filling the following form and following the guidelines as prescribed here
http://www.pta.gov.pk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1926&catid=94&Itemid=1
Explain it “Some data encryption issues” or i will call it BS
This and many similar threads at xiaomi forums will answer your question
http://forum(dot)xda-developers(dot)com/redmi-1s/help/device-encrypted-t3265664
I will suggest you to Stop acting like an IT expert when you know nothing and just want to prove that they (PTA) are on the right side.
And I suggest you stop having an attitude problem. I quote you from xda-developers where a LOT of people seem to have problems with data encryption. Since you have nothing more to say you ask me to stop acting like an IT expert. LOL
http://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-1s/help/device-encrypted-t3265664
Seriously this is the best you can come up with so you are saying securing device by encrypting is an issue with PTA do you know this encryption is available on many local phones and on external / internal computer hard drives you really sir are an ignorant person and blindly in love with PTA officials.
Ever heard of Samsung S4 approved long time ago by your friend guess what it does have the same encrypting option http://www.dummies.com/consumer-electronics/smartphones/samsung-galaxy/encrypt-your-samsung-galaxy-s-4/ Now go and google if you can find any other lame excuse
Zohair Chohan, can you please tell me if Xiaomi didn’t get a certain Type approval, then how come LG just recently(2 days to be exact) launched some 8-9 models, that too all belonging to 2016, in Pakistan? I mean I know they may be not sold with official warranty, but still one wonders how and why all of a sudden so many models, that too all at once? You can check whatmobile.com.pk to see which models these are, and there is something really good about it. It feels like they are bringing their smartphones here officially. Or what? Can you please confirm from your resources?
100s of unkown mobile brands, replica, korean and chinese mobile are being used and still they have rules and regulation are against xiaomi?? there is something wrong
Very well explained article with proper detail and context.
Very well done writer.
Thanks @khateeb321:disqus
Here’s the most sensationalist “click bait” title I can come up with. RIP online journalism.
مارکیٹ میں بہت سارے موبائل فون ایسے ہیں جنہیں پی ٹی اے کی طرف سے کوئی اجازت نہیں دی گئی اس میں چاہینہ کے بہت سے فون ہیں لیکن فروخت ہو رہے ہیں غیر معروف کمپنیوں کے موبائل فون پاکستانی مارکیٹ میں برسوں سے موجود ہیں جبکہ کہ ٹیلی کام ایکٹ 1996 میں نافذ ہوا لیکن کسی نے توجہ نہیں دی
What about iPhones ? Did Apple apply for this type approval ? Not sure about now since carriers are selling iphones these days but pre-2015, there was no official reseller or distributer for iPhones and iPads in PK and yet they were openly being sold via both e-commerce and local shops.
poor mr. lulu !
If every brand need the PTA approval, then why local online stores selling OnePlus, Asus, Acer, ZTE, BQ and other several brands without PTA approval. There is a list of brands not officially launched in Pakistan, but still local online stores and shops are selling their smartphones.
WHY only Xiaomi not allowed…?
In my opinion Xiaomi Phones can give tough time to local brand QMobile and they must have paid some heavy amount to PTA Corrupt Officials to target Xiaomi Phones
i emailed xiaomipk.com about avalablity of xiaomi mobile. he replied our type aproval has been rejected by pta which we applied 2month earlier. then i told him on 2nd email i tild there must be a fees fo that you have to pay that othrrwise u not be granted permission.?
“During evaluation it was revealed that Mi 4i device has certain features
which are not in accordance with the required specifications and legal
provisions, therefore, type approval has yet not been granted”, Khurram
Mehran, Director PR, PTA”
And QMobile Handsets satisfies all “Specifications” and T&C issued by PTA?
namesake ,
this is pakistan …. home of DOUBLE standards :D
It is just a matter of illegal gratification wich that chines firm refused to pay… otherwise more than 1000 shops in lahore are selling illegal and counterfeit phone after giving bribe to PTA officials.
Dear ProPakistani community,
For sharing some knowledge, Type Approval from PTA requires three compliance tests namely
1. Electromagnetic Compatibility/Electromagnetic Interference (EMC/EMI) tests
2. Safety/Environmental tests
3. Radio tests
These tests are to ensure that the device conforms to international standards and are safe for human use. Typically bigger companies (Apple and the likes) get these tests done from recognized foreign labs and provide the certification once they wish to launch in another country. On the flipside, a large number of chinese products do not have these certified test reports and distributors without going into details import them and are stuck afterwards.
Xaomipk.com is a classic case in point. I would also like to share that heading one of the only labs in Pakistan which can provide pre-compliance tests, I was approached by one of the distributor of Xaomi phones 6 to 8 months back. However, after getting all the details they decided not to opt for getting these tests done.
Dr. Hammad M. Cheema
RIMMS-SEECS-NUST, Islamabad
Dear ProPakistani community,
For sharing some knowledge, Type Approval from PTA requires three compliance tests namely
1. Electromagnetic Compatibility/Electromagnetic Interference (EMC/EMI) tests
2. Safety/Environmental tests
3. Radio tests
These tests are to ensure that the device conforms to international standards
and are safe for human use. Typically bigger companies (Apple and the
likes) get these tests done from recognized foreign labs and provide the
certification once they wish to launch in another country. On the
flipside, a large number of chinese products do not have these certified
test reports and distributors without going into details import them
and are stuck afterwards.
Xiaomipk.com is a classic case in point. I would also like to share that heading one of the only labs in
Pakistan which can provide pre-compliance tests, I was approached by one
of the distributor of Xaomi phones 6 to 8 months back. However, after
getting all the details they decided not to opt for getting these tests
done.
Dr. Hammad M. Cheema
RIMMS-SEECS-NUST, Islamabad
Well Well, PTA – a crap authority with no sense how to deal with consumers. by increasing prices in telecom sectors taxes on calls/sms/data/helpline/recharge etc., now seriously thinking about Mobile seller/Manufactuers, Qmobile – Mobiles are so cheap with no integrated chip (IC) which save human from radiation hazard., but you can find the “Approved by PTA” round logo in the box, how PTA approved it? technically or by design, they don’t have their radiation limit report.
I have read earlier comments, yes Apple don’t have repair centre, but PTA only cares for money, Money is everything to them to give revenue to Govt., strenghten their position in Govt’s eyes.
Xioami- all know crash indian market, cheap cell with highly recognized specs mobile. PTA what should have to specify what are the issues with XIaomi which contradict with their approvl types?
If PTA Doesn’t appove such type, means Either PTA still in the era of it’s beginning/ or other companies giving them enough money, so they are not allowing Xiaomi in Pakistan. But third class brand like Qmobile- Gfive- Local Warranty companies opened Third Class Handsets- HEALTH HAZARDS for normal human being.
PTA better look upon it’s policies, act as professional. they don’t even have such skillfull resouces to approximate the price of Spectrum sold to Telecom, other words, they hired international firms to crystal clear their deal, why don’t they hire such professional who are enough capable to handle such big deals. everything in Pakistan, handled by locals, but in such big big money, they usually include Internatinal firms to fix their percentage given to their services.
Whenever you talk to Operators for anything, they usually response you we put tax, increase prices under PTA Telecom acts, Consumer Protection acts, whereas consumer has no right but suffer.
roj naye naye chutiyaap chalte rehte hain ..koi nayi baat nhi hai :P
Still no clue, what is the main reason
I don’t know about others but I think Xiaomipk.com was a fishy business.
From the start, I knew they are operating without type approval. I was in fact going to file the complaint myself but I got late.
when I observed their domain registration it was protected by paid service. I was able to see the address info. guess what the address provided by the domain registrar was of Xiaomi Inc office in Beijing. Then I placed an order just to see what happens. I got a call from an anonymous weird 4 digit number which was from a call centre. they asked me for confirmation. When I talked with that fella, he told me that website is not having any physical presence in Pakistan, they are just sending products to this call centre and then the call centre dispatch the products to customers.
Thanks for sharing this information Dr. Hammad
PTA officials are not disclosing the actual facts…and Pro-Pakistani seems to be warned after their last post in favor of Xiaomipk…thats why they have written this eulogistic cover-up supporting PTA…
Instead of asking mobile phone company to change their product, PTA should acquire latest technology to cope with it…
Yar Apple products launch ho jain bas ?
Ye BC cellular networks waly premium charge krty hen & warranty b ni hy! So himat ni hoti leny ki ?
what is meant by ban in Pakistan? is it mean tha i cannot use the cell phone in Pakistan even bought from another country?
wtfff man i so much wanted xiaomi in Pakistan . we are going back in cave age . PTA bring the technology to pakistan and ban qmobile or rivo kinda shttyy companies . BRING XIAOMI in PAKISTAN ..
Can somebody confirm the xiaomi products from Cheezmall are legit? Headphones to be more specific…
I can understand that anyone who want to sell brand in any country should get approval but individuals should be allowed to import phones for personal use.
Only one vendor need approval on a sole prototype and then all other models are allowed for everyone. What if Xiaomi or some other company create a custom prototype to meet bulls*it requirements and sell their all other phones just like they’re selling in all other countries. Does PTA have time to test each and every device or get prototypes for testing again and again?
If what i read here about the PTA procedure is true then this whole procedure is failed and rubbish..