Mobile phone repair business booms in Pakistan

Pakistan’s largest mobile phone market in the Saddar area of Karachi. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

Students in repair class. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

Students listening to the instructor. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

A view of repair shops. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

Software faults being detected and repaired at Saddar. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

The technicians at the Saddar market. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

Screen of a mobile phone is being replaced. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

Muhammad Ahsan Mosani, owner of a repair center in the market. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

Muhammad Rizwan, president of the Karachi Electronic Dealer Association. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

A technician repairs a mobile phone. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

Mobile phone accessories. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

A student repairs a mobile phone. (AN photo by Khurshid Ahmed)

KARACHI: In the Saddar area of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest mobile phone market is buzzing with customers, some buying new smartphones, others seeking to get theirs repaired.
The number of mobile phone users in Pakistan is increasing daily, said Muhammad Ahsan Mosani, owner of a repair center in the market.
“Our technicians have acquired expertise either through training courses or while on the job,” he told Arab News.
“The presence of qualified technicians makes this market popular among mobile phone users.”
The advancement of cellular technology and huge investment have made Pakistan a major importer of mobile phones.
Every month, 1.5 to 2 million handsets are imported and sold in the country through legal channels, said Muhammad Rizwan, president of the Karachi Electronic Dealer Association.
He added that 30-40 percent of the electronic gadgets imported are smartphones, citing the introduction of 3G and 4G services in Pakistan. With no manufacturing facility in the country, most mobile sets are imported from China.
The huge influx has created employment opportunities for thousands of youths, as sales and repair shops have sprung up across Pakistan. Many technical institutions are now offering repair courses.
“I want to open my own mobile phone shop,” Muhammad Kamran, a student at the Memon Industrial and Technical Institute (MITI), told Arab News. “There’s huge demand for technicians.”
Muhammad Kashif, who is enrolled in a four-month course, said he has already opened a repair shop.
“There was no such facility in my area, so I decided to start my own business just weeks after starting the course,” he said.
MITI instructor Ayaz Mobin said the institute offers short courses of up to four months, and most students get jobs immediately.
Smartphone technology “is a bit complicated, but we have modern equipment to deal with it,” he told Arab News. “Our students are trained to use all kinds of equipment.”