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ISLAMABAD, Apr 14 (APP): Mobile industry has created more than 220,000 high-paying jobs in Pakistan and accounts for 5 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The GSM Association, a trade association of GSM mobile operators worldwide has recently released the preliminary results of a study prepared by Deloitte which also found that this sector also contributed approximately 6 per cent of the total taxes collected by the Central Board of Revenue.
The study found Pakistan’s economy and society is benefiting from rising mobile phone usage and low tariffs, which lowers the cost of doing business and improves productivity, while helping families and friends to connect to each other at home and abroad.


Deloitte estimates that over a period of 10 years the elimination of the activation tax would generate an additional Rs. 132 billion (US$2.17 billion) in total tax revenues through the positive impact on the mobile industry and its spill over into the broader economy, above what the government would obtain maintaining the tax.


The study shows that tax collections from the mobile industry would grow consistently year on year in the period 2007-2017 due to increased penetration and higher revenues.



Last year, mobile operators invested US$2 billion in Pakistan, 54% of the total foreign direct investment in the country, according to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority.


These findings were released when GSMA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rob Conway visited Pakistan in last week of March.


Rob Conway met in Islamabad with President and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. He also met with CEOs from Ufone (Mubashir Naqvi), Mobilink (Zouhair Khaliq), Paktel (Guo Yonghong), Telenor Pakistan (Tore Johnsen), and Warid (Hamid Farooq), as well as the Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari and Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), Maj Gen ® Shahzada Alam Malik.


“With 53 million mobile users and 34 per cent penetration, Pakistan is now a leader in mobile usage in south Asia,” said Mr. Conway.


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