“Of course we are looking at other markets”: Fairphone CEO talks about expansion plans and unique challenges of the US market

The United States is the undisputed leader in AI development, but a lot of smartphone innovation is still happening outside of Silicon Valley.

Some of the world’s most advanced phones – the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Oppo Find

Scratch that: you can buy the Fairphone 6 in the US, but only in a de-Google /e/OS configuration, as sold exclusively by Murena for an eye-watering $899. For reference, the European version of the Android-powered device costs £499 / €599, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Fairphones aren’t flying off shelves across the pond at the moment.

Could this situation change in the future? I asked Fairphone CEO Raymond van Eck, who explained the unique challenges of the US market and the likelihood of Fairphone expanding its operations outside of Western Europe.

“I’m not saying we don’t look at other geographies,” van Eck told me at the Exertis technology conference in London, where he also discussed the “myth” behind the cost of sustainability. “Of course, if you look outside of Europe, to countries like India, the United States or any other big country that has a few [mobile] operators, they may interest us. In fact, if you look at our social media, we have many followers in India and the United States. So these are things that we can look at when the time comes – but there is still a lot of potential to be exploited in Europe.

The Fairphone 6 alongside the Fairbuds (Image credit: Fairphone)

“Our resources are also scarce,” continued van Eck, “which is why we want to double them in the markets where we are very successful at the moment – namely the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and France, and we supply 14 other European countries.

“And yes, of course, we are also looking at other markets, but as you know, if you go to the United States, there is a little side [situation] where you need to look for bandwidth-friendly antenna systems. You can move around perfectly with the Fairphone 6 [in the US]. It’s not a problem. And we also see Murena selling the [de-Googled] Gen 6 in the United States as well. But to be certified on networks, you have to create a different antenna system, and our phones are modular. So that means we have to understand everything, and [doing so] takes resources and time.

To be certified on networks, you have to create a different antenna system, and our phones are modular.
Raymond van Eck, CEO of Fairphone

“These are all aspects that we weigh in on if we want to enter another market. […] To sell in the United States, certain aspects of the phone must be different from those in Europe, or you must design a phone for both markets.

So it’s clear that Fairphone is focused – for now – on growing its core European markets, and it’s unlikely we’ll see an Android-powered Fairphone in the US anytime soon.

The hand-held Fairphone 6

(Image credit: Fairphone)

I asked van Eck if the current pricing situation in the United States could have delayed Fairphone’s plans for overseas expansion, to which the CEO responded: “In my opinion, from a strategic point of view, the pricing situation is like the weather: it can change over time. [business] strategy based on the geopolitical climate. If I look specifically at the pricing situation, well, first of all, we don’t sell to the United States. So for us, at the moment, he’s not a big influencer.

“But we have a pretty close and intimate relationship with our suppliers, because they have to comply with all the sustainability frameworks and measures that we have. So we are in [a good position of] contact them if, for example, resources such as memory chips become scarce. And that’s of course what’s influenced by pricing, right? If other suppliers suddenly buy additional chips to make sure we have enough stock, we also know this in advance, as we have close relationships with our suppliers. And that helps us a lot in this situation.

The Fairphone 6 is now available in the UK for £499while an open source (i.e. de-googled) version is available in the US for $899 / £549. For our full verdict on the phone’s quality, check out our Fairphone 6 review.

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