Black cables cling to building facades in Lleida, often in bundles of ten or twenty, cutting across floors and creating a chaotic visual effect. These tangled lines are frequently interrupted by plastic boxes, some with exposed or cut wires, and thick and thin cables whose original purpose is now forgotten, according to a report by Segre.
Javier Pelegrino from Redcab, a company specialising in internal cabling installations, states that most visible cables on facades are for electricity, telephones, and fibre optics. Jordi Lagunas, CEO of Bivid, estimates that around 80% of what is seen on facades is old copper telephone cabling. This includes former Menta and Ono networks, alongside newer fibre optic lines from Movistar, Orange, and Adamo. This means functional and obsolete cabling often coexist.
Installation Practices and Obsolete Networks
When a company receives a request for a new installation, such as fibre optics, it typically uses a subcontracted firm. These subcontractors are paid a negotiated, often low, rate per area or per access point. Lagunas explains that this low pricing encourages installers to work quickly and use existing cable lines to add new ones, often choosing the fastest route, which is along the facade.
Despite new installations, obsolete cabling is rarely removed. All three companies consulted for the report confirmed, "Nothing is removed." Movistar is an exception, slowly removing obsolete copper exchanges once all clients have left them. This practice leads to a continuous accumulation of lines on top of existing ones.
Legal Framework and Underground Alternatives
The state Telecommunications Law of 2014, which supersedes local regulations, designates fibre optics as a service of general interest. This allows cables to be placed on facades with few restrictions. Older electricity and telephone lines predate modern regulations. While current regulations encourage underground cabling for new buildings and urbanisations, and even tax companies for facade installations, subcontractors often find aerial installation quicker and cheaper.
Josep Gallart, an archaeologist and member of the Centre d'Estudis Comarcals del Segrià (CECS), noted that even in areas with underground infrastructure, new facade installations still occur. This is not only more economical but also simplifies locating faults or problems.
Lagunas of Bivid suggests less intrusive methods, such as installing discreet boxes that match the facade's colour and routing all connections inside them. His company uses these methods to minimise negative visual impact.
Impact on Protected Heritage in Lleida
While some buildings and areas in Lleida are protected, this often has little impact on cabling practices. With the exception of highly protected monuments like La Seu Vella, the New Cathedral, the Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs, and the Arc del Pont Vell, many other protected sites are still covered in cables. This includes both National Cultural Heritage Assets (BCIN), protected at a Catalan level, and Local Cultural Heritage Assets (BCIL).
For example, the 14th-century Gothic Chapel of Sant Jaume (Peu del Romeu), a BCIN, has cabling drilled directly into its 1399 stonework. Similarly, modernist buildings like Casa Magí Llorens, Casa Melcior, and Casa Cerveró, all BCILs, also suffer from visible cabling. Joan Ramon González, president of Amics de la Seu Vella and a CECS member, said that installations depend on the sensitivity of the operators. He mentioned that a 2nd-century Roman plaque on Casa Cerveró was covered by cables until recently. Almost all of Lleida is affected by this cabling.
International Comparisons and Catalan Regulations
Joan Ocón, who works with Ovibe Fiber in Germany, explains that German cities have no visible facade cables, with all infrastructure buried. He attributes this to Germany's slower but more meticulous approach, contrasting it with Spain's rapid, but often messy, expansion of cabling. "Here we wanted to boast that 80 or 90% of the country was wired and connected, and we did it all wrong, it's a disaster, an unprecedented botch," Ocón said.
Catalan regulation, specifically Article 35 of Law 9/1993 on Catalan Cultural Heritage, prohibits cable installations on the facades of historic monuments or archaeological sites. For other assets, such as BCILs, local municipal planning dictates how to proceed. Gallart, who previously worked in Lleida's Culture department, confirmed that some cabling has been removed from BCIN-protected properties under their control.
Lleida's own Landscape Ordinance (BOP of 15 January 2019), in Article 9.3, states that radiocommunication installations that alter visual aesthetics must undergo a prior report by the Municipal Heritage Commission. This suggests a framework for addressing the issue, though its effectiveness in practice remains a challenge.
