Since the implementation of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS), the import of mobile devices via legal channels has increased from 17.2 million in 2018 to 28.02 million in 2019, showing a 63 percent increase.
In 2020, 32.83 million devices have so far been imported.
PTA has blocked the IMEI of 175 thousand devices reported as stolen through DIRBS. The system has also identified and blocked 24.3 million fake or replica mobile devices and 657,645 IMEIs, which were cloned or duplicated.
The successful execution of the system has led to the establishment of 29 local assembly facilities. These facilities have produced over 20 million devices since 2019, with over 1.5 million 4G smartphones.
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The implementation of DIRBS has been the catalyst for local mobile devices manufacturing, providing a level playing field to local manufacturers. It has also enhanced the potential for placing Pakistan on the map of global mobile device exporters.
Furthermore, through DIRBS, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has collected a total of Rs. 90 Billion in custom duties from Jan 2019 to Nov 2020 on formal imports. This is Rs. 68 billion more than custom duties collected in 2018, i.e., Rs. 22 billion, registering a 309 percent or 3.09x increase.
Moreover, DIRBS has also enabled Rs. 9 billion revenue collection under individual category during the period from January 15, 2019, to December 3, 2020.
Before DIRBS implementation, this was an untapped area, and no revenue was being collected in the category.
