ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked nearly 100 million mobile devices across the country during the fiscal year 2024–25.
According to the PTA’s annual report, this included 868,000 stolen or lost handsets, 72 million counterfeit devices, and 27 million mobile phones with duplicate or cloned IMEI numbers.
The PTA highlighted that the implementation of the Device Identification, Registration, and Blocking System (DIRBS) has played a revolutionary role in strengthening mobile device management in Pakistan.
The system has significantly reduced the import of fake and substandard mobile phones, enhanced consumer protection, formalized the mobile phone market, and increased government revenue.
The report noted that the Mobile Device Management Regulations 2021, introduced under DIRBS, have helped curb mobile phone smuggling and unauthorized manufacturing in the country.
Since 2019, the PTA has collected over Rs83 billion in taxes through mobile device registration. By 2025, more than 95 percent of mobile phones used on Pakistani networks were locally manufactured, including 68 percent of smartphones.
According to PTA officials, the continued implementation of DIRBS has created a secure, transparent, and self-reliant digital ecosystem in Pakistan, positioning the country to fully participate in the regional mobile phone value chain.
