Xiaomi plans a US launch by the end of 2017
In an interview with CNET, Xiaomi’s Global VP Hugo Barra has detailed some of the company’s expansion plans for the future but it will take more than a year before it all happens.
Hugo Barra has confirmed that Xiaomi has some very ambitious expansion plans for the future, which include entering Brazil, India and Southeast Asia, as well as moving into a number of other western markets, such as the US, by the end of 2017.
"I think we have to be in the western markets by the end of next year. It's not something we can wait longer," he stated.
Although Xiaomi has these ambitious plans, it has come as a bit of surprise that they won’t be put into action for a while considering they announced their newest flagship, the Xiaomi Mi 5, at MWC in Barcelona, Spain, which many interpreted as the company having an announcement planned regarding a European or a US expansion, though unfortunately this didn’t happen. In fact, not only did this not happen, but the Mi 5 won’t even be hitting shelves in Spain were the device was announced.
Xiaomi does see these markets as ideal targets, especially the US, though expanding into the latter entails a more tedious process compared to in China. One reason being that most devices are sold through carriers in the US and are also put through lengthy quality assurance tests. On top of this, Xiaomi would also be forced to adjust its devices so that they are compatible with US spectrum bands.
All of this is what makes penetrating the US so hard and, in this case, is why it will take the company so long to enter the market., which, in many cases, forces foreign manufacturers to sell devices through their own sites, such is the case of Huawei and ZTE.
"It's the hardest market to enter. There's so many frequencies, the carrier requirements are so steep, but at the same time, if we manage to launch a phone in the U.S., from an engineering perspective, we've arrived," Barra says.
To conclude, Xiaomi will enter the U.S. market in due time, but all of these extra difficulties and requirements are perhaps the reason for a late 2017 launch.
Source: | CNET |
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Image Credits: | Engadget |
