Nepal imported mobile phones worth 2.75 billion in Magh. The extreme growth of the smartphones market that occurred following COVID-19 continues to climb up.
Nepal has imported 3 billion worth of mobile phones in a single month. As per the customs department’s latest report, 2 billion, 75 crores, and 63 lakh worth of mobile phones were imported to Nepal in Magh.
For this amount, a total of 4 lakh, 41 thousand, and 370 units of smartphones entered Nepal.
The records show that in the running FY 078/79, till Magh, 28 billion, 38 crores, 56 lakh was spent on mobile phones. During the same duration, 40 lakh, 5 thousand, and 804 units of mobile phones were brought to Nepal.
| Mobile phone imports in Nepal | Worth (NPR) | Units imported |
| In Magh | 2.75 billion + | Over 4.49 lakh |
| Till Magh | 28.38 billion + | Over 40.5 lakh |
Likewise, the increased mobile phone imports have equated to higher revenue collection for the government. Till the end of Magh, the federal government was able to rake in over 4 billion, 49 crores, 11 lakh in taxes. The government has also tightened the noose on grey phones with its MDMS which has curbed phones entering from illegitimate channels. This has further contributed to more revenue collection.
Related: Nepal’s Internet Bandwidth Touches 1 Tbps Mark
Key contributors to mobile phones import to Nepal
Nepal imports most of its phones from China. Till Magh China contributed 16 billion, 79 crore worth of phones. In this period, Nepal imported 30 lakh and 80 thousand plus phones from the Northern neighbor.
India also contributes significantly to Nepal’s mobile phones import. Till Magh, more than 10 billion, 34 crores worth of phones were brought into Nepal. That translated to 7 lakh, 45 thousand, and 160 unit of mobile phones in total.
Vietnam meanwhile, was another contributor to Nepal’s total mobile phones import. This year till Magh, Nepal spend 78 crores, 95 lakh for a total of 1 lakh, 69 thousand, and 806 unit of mobile phones.
| Mobile phone trading partners | Total spend (NPR) | Units imported |
| China | 16.79 billion | 30.80 lakh |
| India | 10.34 billion | 7.45 lakh |
| Vietnam | 78.95 crores | 1.69 lakh |
Ever since the COVID-19 lockdown began in 2019, the mobile phones market has skyrocketed in Nepal. This has continued to this year too. Online works, e-learning, online shopping, payment have made mobile phones a most necessary daily driver for today’s consumers.
Nepal has a robust market of smartphones in the mid-range. Handsets of Xiaomi, Redmi, OPPO, Samsung have completely swung the Nepali phones market with their feature-rich mid-rangers.
Don’t miss: No of 4G users in Nepal increased by 125% in a year
Besides, cheaper mobile broadband has spurned smartphones utilities further. In the future, the number of mobile imports in Nepal and its business potential are likely to increase further.
How have your mobile phone uses changed since the lockdown, and do you stay longer online these days than in the past? Do share in the comments below.
