Harris Broadcast is playing a lead role in creating a new and unique triple-play platform in Algeria for Hasnaoui Télécom Algérie (HTA), which will launch its first IPTV service as part of a triple-play offering. The versatile new platform will use a turnkey solution developed by Harris Broadcast, enabling the introduction of new facilities, such as interactivity and content on demand, whenever HTA require.

Harris Broadcast is managing the entire project, which it is fulfilling together with Alpha Networks and Verimatrix, after demonstrating that they could supply the complete IPTV infrastructure solution from ingest through to the set-top box.

To create the core of the IPTV platform, Harris Broadcast has provided a complete video headend capable of delivering large numbers of SD and HD channels, with its Selenio media convergence platform handling all video processing tasks. Selenio enables a very compact and efficient headend. The Harris Broadcast MSA-100 multi-source analyser system monitors signal quality in the video and transport stream domains.

Alongside its core processing platform, Harris Broadcast has integrated technology from Alpha Networks for streaming and network management, and Verimatrix for scrambling and conditional access. Alpha Networks also provided the interactive set-top boxes to meet HTA’s consumer specifications. The project includes negotiation with broadcast rights holders to secure access to content and channels: a true turnkey approach which gave HTA a single line of negotiation and project management.

Triple-play market

HTA was established in 2012 with the specific intention of leading the triple-play market in Algeria for high-speed broadband, comprehensive television facilities and voice communication. HTA plans a phased rollout of the new service across Algeria. The area around the city of El Ryad will be first online before the end of 2013, with Oran following soon after, leading the way to coverage of the rest of the country. While IPTV is the first video service to be delivered, the platform is ready for OTT and video on demand once HTA wishes to roll out the services.

“We see the Algerian telco market being worth close to three billion Euros, and we want to win a large part of that by bringing the best services to market first,” said Omar Hasnaoui CEO at HTA. “As a new company ourselves, we wanted to bring in a technology provider in which we could have complete trust. Harris Broadcast is one of the most respected names in video technology, and with them we created a one-stop solution, which has worked very well for us.”

“If ever we are asked to show how flexible we can be, this is the perfect project illustration,” said Mathias Eckert, vice president sales and services, Europe and Africa, at Harris Broadcast. “HTA was keen to have one contract and we were the only company that could put it all together for them. That took the risk out of the project for them, and gave them a solution that was completely integrated, completely seamless. With all the video processing running on Selenio, it is also simple, with very low levels of maintenance and training required.”