Algeria launches project to fight satellite dish blight

To rid Algeria of the millions of satellite dishes that mar the urban landscape, the government is launching a pilot project to deliver phone, internet and cable TV services via fibre-optic cable.

"The damage caused to our cities through the unrestrained proliferation of satellite dishes, which are mushrooming on balconies and building terraces, proved that it was time to put this to a stop and make our facades more presentable," Minister of Post, Information Technology and Communication Hamid Bessalah said last Thursday (September 10th) at the project's official launch.

The new service is being offered by Djaweb, a subsidiary of Algérie Télécom, and aims to gradually eliminate Algeria's estimated 12 million household satellite dishes.

The pilot project centres on the "Triple Play" system, a name which refers to the trio of services on offer, and is getting under way in the capital's Mokhtar Zerhouni housing complex. Residents will be able to access phone, internet, and TV channels via a socket in their flat.

"I'm really happy this is being launched where I live," said Mohamed, a tech-minded student who lives at Mokhtar Zerhouni. "Getting all these services with no hassle is such a relief. No more rushing about, getting satellite receivers flashed or downloading codes illegally. With this service, we can finally watch the channels we want."

Roughly 60 TV channels will be available through "Triple Play", including the French ones, which are the most popular among Algerians.

But the system comes at a price. The project has cost 80 million dinars for Mokhtar Zerhouni's 69 buildings, which contain 1,008 homes. While the price tag has not yet officially been fixed, local press reports indicate that subscribers will have to pay 42,000 dinars annually for Triple Play, which will be set up on demand.

Some members of the public find that price too high.

"I agree that it's nice to get rid of individual satellite dishes," says Mokhtar Zerhouni resident Fatiha. "They certainly don't look nice. But the service we're being offered is way too expensive."

"I work and have two children," she says, adding that Triple Play "would really make a hole" in her budget if added to her other expenses.

The government plans to spread the project across the capital, particularly in housing complexes, and wants an eventual expansion that encompasses other cities and towns. As the project is widened, local authorities will be responsible for the gradual removal of private satellite dishes.

"This operation is aimed at improving living conditions for the public [by] getting rid of individual satellite dishes, which spoil our urban and village landscapes," said Bessalah. "We'll then move on to roll out this system across the country, and we'll be putting this proposal to the government."

A second project to combat the satellite blight is in the works, involving the re-grouping of individual satellite dishes into three common dishes per building. These receivers will distribute Nilsat, Hotbird and Arabsat content to all the building's residents who purchase or rent a decoder.

That project is being developed at 1,000 dwellings in the capital's Aïn Benian area, and will cost 13.5 million dinars.