Botswana Telephone Sets Import Market -- HS Code 8517 Trade Data & Price Trend (Q3 2025)

Botswana Telephone Sets Import (HS 8517) Key Takeaways

Botswana's telephone sets import (HS Code 8517) in Q3 2025 is dominated by high-value finished goods from China, which accounts for 43% of import value, creating significant supply chain vulnerability. The market shows volatile pricing, spiking to $249/kg in July before adjusting amid US tariff pressures, while supplier concentration leaves importers exposed—87% of value comes from a handful of key players like METSO FINOY. This analysis, covering Q3 2025, is based on processed customs data from the yTrade database.

Botswana Telephone Sets Import (HS 8517) Background

What is HS Code 8517?

HS Code 8517 covers telephone sets and communication equipment, including smartphones. These products are essential for global telecommunications, driven by demand from consumer electronics, enterprise communication, and infrastructure development. Their trade volume remains significant due to widespread adoption and technological advancements.

Current Context and Strategic Position

The United States increased additional duties on all imports from Botswana to 37% effective April 2025 [Global Trade Alert]. This policy shift underscores the need for vigilance in Botswana's telephone sets import market, particularly for HS Code 8517 trade data. Botswana's strategic position in this trade flow is influenced by its role as a regional hub and its integration into global supply chains. Monitoring these developments is critical to navigating the evolving trade landscape.

Botswana Telephone Sets Import (HS 8517) Price Trend

Key Observations

In Q3 2025, Botswana's import value for telephone sets (HS code 8517) reached 21.78 million USD, with unit prices exhibiting high volatility, ranging from $94.67 to $249.07 per kg across July, August, and September.

Price and Volume Dynamics

The hs code 8517 value trend showed a notable spike in unit price to $249.07/kg in July, building on earlier fluctuations from Q2, where prices had dipped to $79.51/kg in May before rising. This volatility aligns with disruptions from the US increase in duties on imports from Botswana effective April 2025 [Global Trade Alert], which likely strained global supply chains and inflated costs for electronics components. The subsequent price drop in August and partial recovery in September reflect market adjustments and typical inventory restocking cycles in the telecommunications sector, as importers adapted to policy-driven cost pressures.

Botswana Telephone Sets Import (HS 8517) HS Code Breakdown

Product Specialization and Concentration

In Q3 2025, Botswana's import of HS Code 8517 is heavily concentrated on communication apparatus for data transmission, excluding telephone sets. According to yTrade data, this category accounts for over 38% of the import value and 55% of the quantity, with an average unit price of $36.44 per item, indicating a focus on mid-range specialized equipment. An extreme price anomaly exists for base stations, priced at over $15,000 per unit, which is isolated from the main analysis due to its minimal volume.

Value-Chain Structure and Grade Analysis

The remaining imports fall into two clear groups: telephone sets, including smartphones and other wireless models with unit prices ranging from $22 to $92, and communication parts like aerials and switching components priced between $83 and $197. This structure shows a trade in differentiated manufactured goods, not bulk commodities, with varying quality grades from basic to high-end, reflecting diverse end-use applications in Botswana's market.

Strategic Implication and Pricing Power

For businesses involved in Botswana's HS Code 8517 import, pricing power likely resides with foreign suppliers of high-value networking gear and parts, given their specialized nature. Strategic focus should be on securing reliable sources for these items, while cost-sensitive segments like lower-end phones may offer negotiation opportunities. Analyzing HS Code 8517 trade data suggests a need for diversified sourcing to manage price volatility in this import-dependent market.

Table: Botswana HS Code 8517) Breakdown Details (Source: yTrade)

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Botswana Telephone Sets Import (HS 8517) Origin Countries

Geographic Concentration and Dominant Role

China Mainland is the dominant source for Botswana's telephone set imports in Q3 2025, supplying 43.11% of the total import value. This value share is significantly higher than its 17.36% quantity share, indicating Botswana primarily imports higher-value, finished telephone models from China. South Africa is the second largest partner with a 17.41% value share, but its 13.14% quantity share is much closer to its value contribution, suggesting a more balanced trade in mid-range products. The United States shows a unique profile with a very high shipment frequency of 34.24% but a low 4.27% value share, pointing to frequent, smaller shipments of lower-value items or components.

Origin Countries Clusters and Underlying Causes

The trade data reveals three clear clusters for Botswana's HS Code 8517 imports. China forms a "Premium Supply Cluster," providing high-value finished goods. South Africa and the United Arab Emirates form a "Volume Logistics Cluster," with both showing higher quantity or weight shares relative to value, indicating these may act as regional hubs for bulk shipments or assembly of mid-range phones. The United States and Vietnam form a "High-Frequency Transactional Cluster," characterized by their disproportionately high shipment frequency. This pattern suggests a supply chain built on rapid, just-in-time deliveries of smaller consignments, likely catering to retail or aftermarket demand.

Forward Strategy and Supply Chain Implications

Botswana's heavy reliance on China for over 40% of its telephone set import value creates significant supply chain vulnerability. Any disruption in Chinese manufacturing or shipping would immediately impact product availability. The high-frequency shipments from the US, while valuable for inventory flexibility, represent a smaller portion of total value and cannot compensate for a major shortfall from China. To build resilience, importers should actively develop secondary sourcing options from the existing volume cluster, particularly South Africa, to diversify their supply base and mitigate concentration risk.

Table: Botswana Telephone Sets (HS 8517) Top Origin Countries (Source: yTrade)

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Botswana Telephone Sets (HS 8517) Suppliers Analysis

Supplier Concentration and Dominance

According to yTrade data, the Botswana telephone sets import supplier market in Q3 2025 shows high concentration, with a small set of suppliers dominating trade. The main group, handling 87.07% of the value through frequent, large shipments, defines the typical import flow. This cluster represents the core of Botswana's telephone sets import activity.

Strategic Supplier Clusters and Trade Role

Other clusters include suppliers with high value but low frequency, those with low value but high frequency, and a minor group with low value and low frequency. The dominant HS code 8517 suppliers, like METSO FINOY and DIMENSION DATA, indicate a direct-to-factory sourcing model, as these are likely manufacturers or primary distributors, not intermediaries.

Sourcing Strategy and Vulnerability

Importers in Botswana face high dependence on few suppliers, raising risks from supply chain disruptions. Strategy should focus on securing relationships with key suppliers while diversifying sources to reduce vulnerability. The US duty increase on imports from Botswana [Global Trade Alert] highlights external trade pressures that could impact costs or availability, urging careful monitoring.

Table: Botswana Telephone Sets (HS 8517) Top Suppliers List (Source: yTrade)

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Action Plan for Telephone Sets Market Operation and Expansion

• Prioritize sourcing high-value networking parts from dominant OEM suppliers identified in the hs code 8517 trade data to secure critical components for Botswana's Telephone sets Import market and protect against supply disruptions.
• Actively develop secondary sourcing options from South Africa to diversify the Telephone sets supply chain away from over-reliance on China, mitigating significant concentration risk.
• Leverage the high-frequency, lower-value shipment data from US suppliers to optimize inventory management, enabling a just-in-time strategy for cost-effective stock replenishment.
• Continuously monitor global trade policies and duty changes, as these external pressures can directly impact the cost and availability of goods within Botswana's import strategy.

Take Action Now —— Explore Botswana Telephone sets Import Data

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is driving the recent changes in Botswana Telephone sets Import 2025 Q3?

The volatility in Botswana's telephone set imports is driven by price fluctuations, with unit prices spiking to $249.07/kg in July 2025 due to US duty increases, followed by market adjustments in August and September.

Q2. Who are the main origin countries of Botswana Telephone sets (HS Code 8517) 2025 Q3?

China dominates with 43.11% of import value, followed by South Africa (17.41%) and the US (4.27%), reflecting a mix of high-value finished goods and frequent smaller shipments.

Q3. Why does the unit price differ across origin countries of Botswana Telephone sets Import?

Price differences stem from product specialization—China supplies high-value finished phones, while the US focuses on frequent, lower-value shipments of components or aftermarket parts.

Q4. What should importers in Botswana focus on when buying Telephone sets?

Importers should diversify sourcing beyond China (43.11% reliance) and strengthen relationships with key suppliers like METSO FINOY to mitigate supply chain risks.

Q5. What does this Botswana Telephone sets import pattern mean for overseas suppliers?

Suppliers in China hold pricing power for high-value goods, while US and South African suppliers play niche roles in logistics and rapid deliveries, offering limited volume flexibility.

Q6. How is Telephone sets typically used in this trade flow?

The imports consist of differentiated goods, including smartphones, wireless models, and networking components, catering to Botswana's diverse consumer and industrial communication needs.

Detailed Monthly Report

Botswana HS8517 Import Snapshot 2025 AUG

Botswana HS8517 Import Snapshot 2025 SEP