Algeria Telecom subsidiary unveils new GPS, VoIP services

2008-08-04

Algérie Télécom Satellite will soon offer customers teleconferencing, VoIP and GPS services, linking even the remote "Grand Sud" region of the country to the rest of the world.

Nazim Fethi in Algiers contributed to this report– 04/08/08

[Getty Images] New mobile technologies, including GPS (Global Positioning System), are expected boost business and tourism by helping to link Algeria's "Grand Sud" with the rest of the world.

Algérie Télécom Satellite (ATS), a subsidiary of Algeria's national telecommunications company, will offer the "e-direct" package of several new services, enabling customers to stay connected from anywhere in the country, company CEO Mahieddine Maâche announced at a news conference Tuesday (July 29th) in Algiers.

"Since it was created, ATS has carried out a development strategy aimed at facilitating access to new information and communications technologies by satellite," Maâche said on the second anniversary of the Algérie Télécom subsidiary's launch. The expanded services are "thanks to the "interconnection of five satellites which cover the planet," he said.

Global positioning (GPS), based on General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), will become available in October. Algeria Telecom Satellite signed a contract with Turkish partner Teknobil last month to offer the GPS capability.

The service should bring an end to the isolation of the Grand Sud (Great South), which makes up the largest part of Algerian territory. The anticipated coverage is quite an achievement, considering that Tamanrasset wilaya is a three-day drive from the capital and as big as France.

Over the years, drivers and tourists have become lost in the Grand Sud, especially when they have left the main roads and ventured onto desert tracks. The south is also home to many oilfields, and the many employees of national and international companies who work there are obliged to make long and hazardous journeys by road.

With GPS, Algérie Télécom Satellite hopes to provide a much-needed lifeline for the economic and tourist sectors. The geolocation technology is specially designed to improve the productivity of companies and allow vehicle fleets to be located, monitored and managed.

"The introduction of GPS is excellent news for us and for our customers, who often complain about the fact that they cannot use their navigation systems in Algeria," said Mouloud Chikaoui, who manages a travel company operating mostly in the south.

"This communication tool will allow us to be in permanent contact with our tourists and to be able to intervene if necessary. This is also very reassuring for our customers and the tour operators who are constantly seeking out new destinations in Algeria's Grand Sud," he added.

Tayeb Belaydouni is a driver who shuttles between the north and the south regularly. "I spend my entire life in my lorry and I often have no-one except God to talk to," he told Magharebia. "I've had breakdowns which have left me stranded in the middle of the desert for several days, in hellish weather conditions."

"GPS will save lives and allow everyone to save precious time and money," he added. Along with GPS service, videoconferencing technology will soon be available from Algérie Télécom Satellite. Companies will be able to conduct live meetings, training and interviews remotely.

ATS also plans to introduce VoIP, which unifies the voice and data network around a single IP protocol. This system permits secure transmission of calls at a significant reduction in cost compared to traditional telephony.

"Packet mode IP is more economical and flexible than the older generation mode circuit. The customer can access all fixed and mobile networks and abroad," Algérie Télécom stated in a press release.