diff --git a/R/defaults/main.yml b/R/defaults/main.yml
index 9e37be2e..b8b97f66 100644
--- a/R/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/R/defaults/main.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 # Set to present if you want install from CRAN
 r_install_cran_repo: absent
 #r_cran_mirror_site: http://cran.rstudio.com
+r_cran_set_default_mirror: True
 r_cran_mirror_site: http://cran.mirror.garr.it/mirrors/CRAN/
 r_base_specific_version: False
 r_base_pkg_version: 2.14.1
diff --git a/R/tasks/main.yml b/R/tasks/main.yml
index 6dd47304..0e754edd 100644
--- a/R/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/R/tasks/main.yml
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@
   when: r_plugins_from_deb
   tags: [ 'r_software', 'r_pkg' ]
 
+- name: Configure the default CRAN mirror
+  template: src=Rprofile.site.j2 dest=/etc/R/Rprofile.site owner=root group=root mode=0444
+  when: r_install_cran_repo
+  tags: [ 'r_software', 'r_profile', 'r_pkg' ]
+  
 - name: Install some packages needed by R plugins when installed from source, if needed
   apt: pkg={{ item }} state={{ r_packages_state }} update_cache=yes force=yes
   with_items: r_distribution_required_packages
diff --git a/R/templates/Rprofiles.site.j2 b/R/templates/Rprofiles.site.j2
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..660168d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/templates/Rprofiles.site.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+##						Emacs please make this -*- R -*-
+## empty Rprofile.site for R on Debian
+##
+## Copyright (C) 2008 Dirk Eddelbuettel and GPL'ed
+##
+## see help(Startup) for documentation on ~/.Rprofile and Rprofile.site
+                                        #
+                                        # NOTE: managed by ansible
+                                        #
+
+# ## Example of .Rprofile
+# options(width=65, digits=5)
+# options(show.signif.stars=FALSE)
+# setHook(packageEvent("grDevices", "onLoad"),
+#         function(...) grDevices::ps.options(horizontal=FALSE))
+# set.seed(1234)
+# .First <- function() cat("\n   Welcome to R!\n\n")
+# .Last <- function()  cat("\n   Goodbye!\n\n")
+
+# ## Example of Rprofile.site
+# local({
+#  # add MASS to the default packages, set a CRAN mirror
+#  old <- getOption("defaultPackages"); r <- getOption("repos")
+#  r["CRAN"] <- "http://my.local.cran"
+#  options(defaultPackages = c(old, "MASS"), repos = r)
+#})
+local({r <- getOption("repos")
+       r["CRAN"] <- "{{ r_cran_mirror_site }}"
+       options(repos=r)
+})