WHO WE ARE

Crosscall, creator of sustainable mobile telephony, offers waterproof, durable and long-running cell phones and smartphones. The company was founded in 2009 by Cyril Vidal to meet specific needs and uses that he himself was confronted with, and for which no specific equipment existed. The brand designs models perfectly suited to the hostile and unpredictable environments encountered by sportsmen and women and professionals in the field (water, rain, wind, humidity, dust, shocks...); as well as a range of high-performance accessories. With more than 4.5 million units sold, sales of €114 million and over 20,000 points of sale, the French company, based in Aix-en-Provence, is continuing to develop its range of handsets, which are increasingly recognized for their quality and originality both in France and abroad. 

A BRAND BORN ON A STORMY DAY

I've always wanted Crosscall to be a collective adventure. I believe that's what it has been, what it is and what it will always be. I remember one stormy day, more than 12 years ago, during one of my outings at sea. I found myself caught in a squall as sudden as it was violent, and the salt water ended up putting my cell phone out of action. 

Most individual boats don't have radio equipment, so when your cell phone goes dead, you find yourself cut off from the world, with no way to report your position or call for help. It's the kind of frightening situation you'd like to avoid. Luckily, I ended up on dry land. On shore and soaking wet, I have just one idea in mind: to design cell phones adapted to the most aggressive environments, that meet needs and are differentiated by their durability. I didn't know it yet, but Crosscall was born!

A CHALLENGE TO MEET

The current economic system is such that entrepreneurship is no easy matter. The first few times I ventured to talk about my plan to create a brand of telephones, some people smiled at the idea that I was seriously thinking of challenging the multinationals who were already vying for a monopoly. On the other hand, convincing the telephone industry and its users that having more durable and resistant products would make a real difference to their daily lives wasn't something that happened overnight. But willingness always leads to progress. 

Over the years, men and women with diverse backgrounds and training have joined our project. Gradually, a close-knit team was formed around Crosscall, with the skills to rise to the challenge. We began by creating our own industrial model and laying the foundations for an original technology. Step by step, year after year, we have established ourselves as a credible alternative for major operators and distributors. 

SUSTAINABILITY, OUR COMMITMENT

While this may not have been the case in our early days, in today's context, designing more sustainable and responsible products has become a matter of course, and will probably become an obligation tomorrow. Times are changing, and we can only rejoice. But let's make no mistake about it: this requires a new vision of telephony. 

It's a question of definitively rejecting a model based on technological one-upmanship, in favor of our users' needs and the consideration of all the stakeholders in our value chain. This is not only what makes us different, it's also what drives our commitment. 

Thinking outside the box has led to our success and rapid growth. So much so, in fact, that we had to move our headquarters four times to accommodate our new employees. Since the launch of our first terminals, we have sold over 3 million of them and are now present in 16 countries. Even if Crosscall's initial vocation was to make sustainability accessible to the general public, we are also very proud to have been chosen by the SNCF, the Police, the Gendarmerie and even hospitals to equip their personnel in conditions of use that put the equipment to a severe test. 

Crosscall has now grown into a mid-sized company (ETI) with almost 200 employees, and has raised capital several times, while ensuring that its capital remains 100% French and that its employees have a stake in it. True to our DNA, we recently decided to offer a 5-year hardware warranty on Generation 5 products, a guarantee unique in the telephony sector. In line with the new regulations forcing manufacturers to display the level of reparability of their products, not only have our latest models obtained the best marks on the market, but we are committed to ensuring that their components remain available for 10 years.