Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is working with mobile operators to cut eSIM prices by up to 50 percent, with the current Rs. 2,000 fee to be reduced to Rs. 1,500-1,000 to encourage adoption.
PTA Chairman Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat in this regard.
The chairman said discussions with mobile operators are underway to lower the current eSIM price of Rs. 2,000,. Increased demand would eventually help bring prices down further.
The PTA chief clarified that the regulator has no role in imposing taxes on mobile phones and such tasks are the ressponsibility of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
He informed the committee that around 25 million mobile phones are manufactured annually in Pakistan, while Samsung and Apple devices are largely imported and are subject to applicable taxes.
The PTA chairman also warned that higher taxes on mobile phones could create obstacles to the adoption and wider use of 5G services in Pakistan.
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