Telimicro GONE

GUARDIA  SWOOP ON TELMICRO

Expats furious over loss of TV signal

By CBN Newsdesk team

GUARDIA Civil raided the offices of television rebroadcaster Telmicro Levante SL on Tuesday morning.

Officers swooped on two properties used by the company in Algorfa and San Luis, Torrevieja.

Eye witnesses at Finca Los Garroferos in Algorfa reported that Guardia Civil had cordoned off the whole industrial estate and questioned anyone going in and out.

They noted that everybody who was there to have any dealings with the company was taken away for questioning.

Equipment and computers from both offices were impounded and the premises sealed off.

Following the crackdown the TV signal to the homes of thousands of expats was switched off and clients have been left without a service.

A Guardia Civil spokesman said the force could not confirm why the raids had been launched but said the investigation was still ongoing.

“I can’t say why because the operation is being kept secret and we do not want to give away any clues,” he stated.

A judge from Torrevieja courthouse is fronting the case.

Telmicro Levante SL customers, who have paid up to 600 euros for the installation of their English TV service along with a 180- euro annual fee, were up in arms over the situation.

Contact numbers for the company have been cut and clients have complained they have received no information to explain why their expensive service has suddenly disappeared.

Pat Taylor, from Benijófar town hall, said she had been inundated with calls from irate Telmicro Levante customers

She added that she had recently paid her own annual subscription, while a neighbour had paid his own and that of a friend on Monday, only for the signal to go off on Tuesday.

“They are not happy to say the least, it’s a bit of a farce,” she said.

“Nobody knows what is going on but what can you do – there are lots of people in the same boat.”

Problems with the Telmicro Levante SL service first surfaced in May when the signal for Sky programmes was lost.

At the time the company stated via their TV channel that they had been ‘forced to undertake the transition to new English language channels’.

When Sky Sports channels reappeared in June a further message appeared which seemed to suggest the rebroadcasting of Sky could be the source of the problem.

“Telmicro has studied the channels available in this area and has concluded that there are several channels that are being transmitted free to air by different companies,” the message stated.

“Amongst these channels are Sports 1, 2 and 3 which we all know cannot be transmitted.

“Telmicro has made the necessary adjustments to enable you to receive these channels on your receiver without the need for an installer to visit your home.

“You can now receive these channels on your Coship digital receiver even though we are not the source of the transmission.”

However a spokesman for BSkyB told CB News in May: “We authorise the reception of Sky TV in the UK and Ireland only.

“Our terms and conditions expressly prohibit reception elsewhere in Europe.”

news@cbnews.es

Thousands of residents have once again been deprived of their television viewing, after the Spanish authorities carried out a high profile investigation into the activities of their television provider.

The police investigation into the broadcasting rights of local digital television provider, Telmicro Levante S.L came to a head this week, with a series of raids on its offices. The company was established around two years ago, when Ángel, the owner of ASYT (which operated under the name Telmicro Levante S.L.) went into partnership with Amiel of Cina Electronica S.L. It has been in the spotlight on several occasions during recent months, motivated by the Ministry of Telecommunications (CMT) introduction of new legislation preventing them and other British television providers from re-broadcasting Sky and other subscription channels. The company temporarily withdrew selected channels from its broadcasting network in May, stating that it would be “breaking the law” if it did not observe the new restrictions. It was believed that the legislation would only affect those receiving re-broadcasted signals through mesh dishes, as satellite dishes receive a direct, legitimate signal from Sky or alternative broadcasting networks.

The missing channels were gradually re-introduced to the Telmicro system, much to the delight of viewers, who naturally assumed that the problems had been resolved. More customers subscribed and existing clients have since continued to pay annual subscription charges and enjoy the full benefits of their television package. Until now. On Tuesday morning, plain-clothed and duty patrols from the Policia Judicial and Guardia Civil based in Torrevieja, Alicante, Novelda and Pilar de la Horadada, raided the Telmicro Levante offices in San Luis, in an operation which continued throughout the day. Telmicro clients experienced a temporary break in service during the morning, while ‘Sunshine FM’ Radio Station, which also uses the Cina system, temporarily went off air. Selected channels were reinstated intermittently, before computers and other technical equipment were catalogued and confiscated from the Los Montesinos office during the early part of the afternoon. Broadcasting then ceased completely and as RTN went to press it had not yet resumed. All the equipment was loaded into an unmarked van, along with several envelopes visibly brimming with cash and several representatives of the company were detained by the Guardia Civil. A Guardia Civil Spokesman told Spanish newspaper Informacion, that they had seized over a million euros worth of equipment and over 500,000 euros in cash. The Police subsequently closed the office to the public, who were already flocking to the door to complain about the latest viewing problems and the officers remained there for the rest of the day, questioning employees and several local business owners about the company’s activities.

COURT
All the company’s offices, including the ones in La Marina and Camposol were closed and the entrances bound with official police tape. Notices have now been posted upon the doors, informing clients that the business has been closed by the ‘Juzgado de Primera Instancia Numero Uno’ pending a court hearing. The Guardia have 72 hours to charge the 17 detainees, who are mainly British, or release them and so no further information was available as RTN went to press. They have said that they expect to make more arrests as the investigation continues. It appears that the operation on Tuesday was the culmination of several departments of the Spanish law enforcement agencies working together to stop the company from trading. However, RTN spoke exclusively to the National Police in Torre de la Horadada and we were told that the investigation that they themselves are conducting is due to; “delito contra la propiedad Intelectual” or copywrite infringement.

INSTALLERS
RTN also spoke to a group of independent installers who have been left as much in the dark by Telmicro Levante S.L. as its customers. A spokesman for the installers said; “We have been given no information from the company and we cannot answer any of the customers questions as we don’t know any more than they do. We feel that we are being blamed for what has happened but all this is not our fault; it is all down to Telmicro Levante. We have mortgages and families to support and now we are all out of work.” Incidentally, whilst these investigations have been continuing, Spanish Broadcasting giant, ‘Canal Digital Plus’, has secured a deal with ‘Sky Sports’ allowing it exclusive broadcasting rights to the channel in Spain.

All sounds a bit fishy to me,  is it true that Torresat has been taken over by a Russian, our parents have had an apartment in Orihuela Costa for ten years and have had Torre for most of that time, they have been told that now the yearly subscription is going to be doubled and they can take it or leave it !!  and to be honest the reception over the past month with them has been touch and go as well.  Maybe time to change over to spanish TV,  at least with sports the persons name is the same in what ever language !!