SRR deploys 3G network
La Reunion's largest mobile operator, the Vivendi-owned SRR, has deployed its first 3G network with the help of Alcatel-Lucent. The HSPA network is initially available in most of Saint Denis and other main towns of the island. SRR is a wholly owned subsidiary of French mobile operator SFR, which also has operations in Mayotte, another French overseas territory.
SRR, which trades under the brand name of SFR Reunion, had nearly half a million subscribers by the end of September 2008, according to The Mobile World. Its two rivals, Orange and Outremer Telecom, had 261,897 and 50,405 users respectively.
All three operators were awarded 3G licences in June last year by the French telecoms regulator, Arcep. Orange and Outremer also obtained 3G spectrum for the French Antilles and Guyana. According to the licence agreements, the networks must cover at least 70% of the population by 2013.
