South Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung is keen to set up its assembly plant in Pakistan, informed Federal Minister for Industries & Production Hammad Azhar on Friday.

The development comes during the minister’s meeting with Samsung Pakistan MD and CEO. The minister said that the smartphone production in Pakistan is increasing exponentially following the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) implementation of Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS), and Mobile Policy launched recently.

The minister informed Samsung officials appreciated both policies and are now actively considering setting up a smartphone assembly plant in Pakistan.

Back in May, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved in principle Pakistan’s first Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy.

After a detailed briefing on various aspects of the policy, the ECC directed the Ministry of Industries and Production to further fine-tune its various features and incentives for promoting localization and research and development leading to export of mobile phones.

Ministry of Industries and Production initiated Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy in January 2019 by designating Engineering Development Board (EDB) as a secretariat for policy formulation through consultation with public and private sector stakeholders.