Today, President Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi inaugurated a new production facility operated by Select Technologies, wholly owned subsidy of Airlink. The facility will produce Xiaomi smartphone devices locally in Pakistan.
Congratulating cooperation in the field of mobile handsets which are being manufactured in Pakistan, the President highlighted that Pakistan has been looking for manufacturing of mobile phones in the country for the last 15 to 20 years as the country imports mobile phones worth more than a billion US dollars almost every year. “More than 50% of the mobile phones sold in Pakistan are assembled and manufactured in Pakistan. We are gradually improving our manufacturing process.”
The president, who believes there is a brilliant future in this direction, underscored that, Pakistan is experiencing a massive digitization, and mobile phones for online payments have become crucial. Every day Rs. 1.2 trillion in Pakistan are moving digital. President Ali added that, “We are encouraging people to buy handsets that are available or of good quality in Pakistan and at the same time we’re looking forward to more and more investment. We would like to continue creating ease of business for all sectors. There are huge human resources here, and we can train them intelligently in software, design and hardware, as well as in blockchain and other areas.”
On the occasion, Fawad Hussain Chuadhary, Minister of Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan, reinforced that the factory is very important for the development of tech industry in Pakistan. Industrial revolution is essential and Pakistani government is committed to providing maximum benefits for anyone who invests in technology. He also hopes that Xiaomi will consider manufacturing products including IoT devices and electric vehicles in Pakistan in the future.
Muzzaffar Hayat Piracha, CEO, Airlink is proud to announce the inauguration of its smartphone manufacturing plant for the production of Xiaomi handsets in Pakistan. He said that the factory is expected to generate more than $500 million in revenue in its first year of operation. “Our partnership with Xiaomi is a wonderful news not only for the company but also for Pakistan. Xiaomi is a global tech giant and market leader in innovative technology which is not only limited to smartphones. This venture will open many avenues as smartphone manufacturing is the first step towards a bigger goal. My aim is to register Pakistan on the global technological map with a vision of par excellence service delivery and product provision to every nook and corner of Pakistan. We will not only be localizing manufacturing; this will consequentially enhance exports of Pakistan and help us play our role in reducing the import bill.”
Ronnie Wang, General Manager of Xiaomi Middle East, maintained that Xiaomi is committed to providing amazing products at honest prices to the Pakistani people.
Peter Chai, General Manager of Xiaomi Pakistan mentioned that about 4 years ago, Xiaomi set foot in the Pakistani market, since then it has quickly become the fastest growing smartphone brand of Pakistan. He pointed out that, “if we look back at what we have achieved so far, it makes us very excited about what is about to happen in the future. We have taken this step in response to the call by the Government of Pakistan, with a vision of reducing import and increasing exports; it is also in line with our mission of giving maximum quality at minimum prices.”
