Chinese aid brings villagers in Timor-Leste access to digital TV

"Mr Yang, come to my home. The TV picture is very clear!"

"Mr Yang, when will you install the set-top box for our village?"

Mr Yang, or Yang Tao,  from China, is quite popular in several rural communities in Timor-Leste.

In 2021, China launched a demonstration project to aid in terrestrial digital TV transmission system in Timor-Leste. Yang was the head of the project management team.

Since then, he often visited communities, sometimes even very remote areas, to check the signal coverage and install set-top boxes. Over time, Yang has become a honored guest of the local villagers, and was always  warmly welcomed by them whenever they saw him.

Alvino, Yang's apprentice, is a local set-top box installation and maintenance engineer hired by the project management team.

"Look, the roof of this house is installed with Yagi antennas," standing on the balcony of his own small house, Alvino shared, "I learned advanced TV technology and knowledge from my master. Now, we can finally watch digital TV."

Talking about the development of digital TV in Timor-Leste, Alvino was at once a chatterbox. "In the past, we couldn't watch TV programs in the village at all, and even in cities, people could only watch a few channels, and there were various ways to receive TV signals. Now, we are using a standard recommended by the International Telecommunication Union with the help of our Chinese friends. We have our own digital TV system."

With the installation of reception equipment, 22 sets of digital TV programs with clear images are now available in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, and surrounding areas.

As a TV fan, Emrick, a Dili citizen, said, "There is a lot of news about China on TV. We are really envious to see the development and changes in China."

On the evening of Feb 4, Graciano, a consultant of the Timor-Leste Parliamentary Affairs and Media Department, sat in front of his satellite TV with his family watching the live broadcast of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. "Timor-Leste sent an alpine skier to the Beijing Winter Olympics. Each of us was so excited to see this athlete waving our national flag on TV," he said.

For the past two years, Graciano has been engaged in the construction of the digital TV project, making many trips to communities and villages to promote the project. "More and more Timorese can now watch high-definition digital TV, and the Chinese technical team has brought us a richer spiritual and cultural life."

As people-to-people exchanges between the two countries keep deepening, more and more Timorese people have become interested in China and Chinese culture. Graciano plans to come to Beijing this year for a one-year exchange study. "I want to bring more Chinese development experiences and Chinese stories back to Timor-Leste."

Timor-Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak has repeatedly thanked the Chinese government for its practical cooperation with Timor-Leste in various fields. China's assistance in the development of digital TV in Timor-Leste is of great importance to the local people in obtaining knowledge, understanding the world and broadening their horizons,  he said, adding  that he hopes Timor-Leste and China can further strengthen cooperation in the field of digital TV transmission and related infrastructure.