Americans overwhelmingly buy their smartphones at carrier stores on contract—nearly 70 percent, according to 2025 IDC data—so any growing phone manufacturer must partner up to succeed, rather than rely solely on online retailers like Amazon.
That's why Fairphone, the only mobile manufacturer in the world with a 10/10 repairability rating for its smartphones, has announced its first carrier partnership with Boost Mobile. Fairphone has sold its smartphones in Europe for more than a decade, but it only began selling its phones in the US this summer.
Boost is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) formerly owned by Sprint and Dish before Dish merged with EchoStar. Unlike carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon, MVNOs lease network access and don't own the underlying infrastructure; Boost primarily relies on AT&T's network for coverage, though it has some access to T-Mobile. While Americans largely rely on the big three carriers, Counterpoint research director Mohit Agrawal tells WIRED that around 16 percent of US consumers rely on MVNOs, including carrier-owned MVNOs like Mint Mobile and Cricket.
The $650 Fairphone Gen. 6+ is the only cellular device Fairphone sells in the US, and it’s certified to work on T-Mobile’s or AT&T’s networks. With the Boost Mobile partnership, you still can’t directly buy it from Boost's online storefront or brick-and-mortar stores. Instead, you'll have to buy the device from Fairphone or Amazon, then activate it through Boost with any of the MVNO's plans. Fairphone's website will have Boost plan options at purchase.
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