Heat Waves Amplify Moroccan TV Signal Interference Along Spanish Coast

The signal of Moroccan television channels is so powerful that it interferes with Spanish channels in many homes on the Andalusian coast, causing reception problems. The phenomenon, called "fading" in English, is stronger in summer and has particularly developed this year due to the heat waves hitting Spain. It refers to reception problems due to a deterioration in the quality of the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) signal, reports Merca2.

According to data provided by the technology company Televes, more than 18 million Spaniards, or nearly 40% of the population, live in coastal areas, very sensitive to the degradation of the signal of Spanish television channels. "The entire coastline is affected by this phenomenon, but the provinces of Cadiz and Malaga have been particularly affected over the past year," explained José Manuel Muñiz, the technical secretary of the Andalusian Association of Telecommunications (ATELAN).

These Moroccan interferences date back to the late 20th century and the early 21st century, more precisely in 2008. But the arrival of DTT has further complicated the problem. The inhabitants of the Costa del Sol, who suffer greatly from these interferences, are increasingly abandoning this technology and subscribing to platforms such as Netflix or Prime.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regularly address the issue with their Moroccan counterparts in order to find a solution. But for the moment, the efforts have not yet borne the expected fruit. In addition, interference is also recorded in telephone communication, particularly in the Estepona region. "It has happened several times that, while you are making a call, the network changes and you find that you are connected to a Moroccan network," confides a resident