Punkt. & Gigaset team up for privacy-focused mobile devices
Punkt., a Swiss technology company, has entered into a manufacturing partnership with German communications firm Gigaset to develop a new range of European-built mobile devices focused on data sovereignty, transparency, and digital simplicity.
European-built approach
The arrangement will see Punkt. launch its first devices made in Europe with Gigaset's manufacturing expertise, with the launch planned for the fourth quarter of 2025. The collaboration aims to answer growing consumer concerns over data privacy and digital autonomy by ensuring complete European control over both hardware and software elements.
Punkt.'s initiative is a response to trends suggesting a significant proportion of consumers are dissatisfied with current personal data practices in the technology sector. According to the Thales Digital Trust Index 2025, 82% of consumers have abandoned brands due to concerns about data handling practices. Additionally, 86% expect some level of data privacy rights, and 63% feel the responsibility to protect personal data falls too heavily on the consumer.
Market reaction and data sovereignty
The Cisco Data Privacy Benchmark Study 2025 highlighted a shift in business attitudes, with 96% of companies finding value that exceeds costs in investing in privacy and 86% noting a positive impact of privacy legislation. Punkt. and Gigaset's move aims to meet these expectations by offering alternatives to devices from larger global technology providers associated with less transparent data practices.
Pointing to Switzerland's reputation as a centre for alternatives to dominant technology brands, Punkt. underscores the value of subscription-based models for data retention, as opposed to ad-driven or surveillance-based revenue models. This approach is designed to give consumers and enterprises more confidence in where and how their data is processed and stored.
Manufacturing and sustainability
The mobile devices will be manufactured at Gigaset's facility in Bocholt, Germany. The manufacturing process will make use of Gigaset's highly automated assembly lines, which provide real-time assembly feedback and employ strict quality control and testing protocols. Gigaset has achieved a device return rate that it claims is 90% lower than the industry average. All devices will also be produced using 100% CO2-free green electricity.
Punkt. will incorporate its own operating system and work with Swiss-based software partner Apostrophy. The goal is to build a platform and ecosystem based on a native trust chain, with the aim of ensuring privacy, compliance, and ease of use for customers.
Industry perspectives
"This agreement fulfils our intention to produce the very highest quality devices, made in Europe for trust, quality and resilience, to serve our discerning customer base around the world, and designed for anyone who cares about a healthy technology balance, or their personal, or corporate, data ownership."
This was stated by Petter Neby, Founder & CEO of Punkt.
Hillson Cheung, President of Telecommunication Products at VTech, the parent company of Gigaset, also commented on the partnership:
"We are thrilled to embark on this journey with Punkt., establishing a partnership that will meet the increasing demand for best-in-class mobile devices made in Europe. This collaboration will merge leading global technology capabilities with manufacturing excellence at our facility in Bocholt, Germany."
The companies intend for the partnership to serve both business and consumer markets. Punkt. stated that the devices, offered alongside its operating system and communication tools, will form part of an ecosystem designed to guarantee user privacy and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Punkt. emphasised that the entire process, from design to manufacture, will remain within Europe.
The first European-built Punkt. mobile device under this agreement is expected in the final quarter of 2025, delivering a new product in a segment with growing consumer and business interest in privacy and data autonomy.
