Free Caraibe has launched mobile services in serval locations in the Caribbean and territory of France, laying out a plan that mirrors the strategy of disruption from parent company Illiad.
French newspaper Les Echos reported the Iliad-owned operator has launched services in Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Saint-Barthelemy and Saint-Martin. This comes four years after revealing plans to launch in those markets.
Iliad invested €35 million into launching 4G and 5G services across those markets, with coverage ranging estimated at around 94%.
Thomas Reynaud, Iliad CEO, pledged the company will spend up to €100 million in those markets over the next six years. The chief executive also labelled the new markets as “uncompetitive” due to mobile prices being two to three times higher than those in mainland France.
Mobile contracts from the operator start from €9.99 for 120GB of data, unlimited calls and texts. Les Echos reported this offer is up to six times lower than rival offerings from Orange, Digicel, SFR and Dauphin Telecom. Iliad adopted the same tactic in Italy and France.
Illiad secured a national roaming agreement with Digicel to get its network off the ground in 2021.