TransACT TV

TransACT Communications is a telecommunications provider, which offers quad-play services across the Australian Capital Territory region, including Queanbeyan and other surrounding towns in southern New South Wales. It was established in 2000 as a privately owned company, with all customers served using fibre to the home (FTTH). This network infrastructure, unusual in Australia, meant that TransACT was able to deploy video services at a comparatively early date and was an early adopter of IPTV technology.

The operator launched VoD services in March 2001 in three suburbs of Canberra. VOD Pty Ltd, a third party company offers VoD services to Transact subscribers. By early 2006 the rollout of TransACT’s NGN network was completed. TransACT continued with its network extension by provisioning ULL to exchanges where the FTTC network could not cover. TransACT completed their ADSL 2/2+ rollout on 1 March 2007. In March 2009, the company commenced an upgrade of its access network to VDSL2, which was completed in August 2009. This investment came on the back of TransACT’s ongoing rollout of FTTH using gigabit passive optical network (GPON) technology.

TransACT operates an open network with eleven companies providing ISP services. These include a mix of large national ISPs and smaller local operations. In late 2007, TransACT launched its own ISP, Grapevine.

In December 2007, it was announced that TransACT would take control of Victorian cable TV and telecommunications company Neighbourhood Cable from 1 January 2008. Neighbourhood Cable owned and operated Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) cable networks in Mildura, Ballarat, and Geelong, delivering cable TV, broadband Internet and telephony services. During 2010, Neighbourhood Cable’s HFC network was upgraded using DOCSIS 3.0 technology. This network became available to consumers in Ballarat and Geelong in November 2010, with Mildura following in early 2011. In 2011 Neighbourhood Cable was renamed as TransACT.

In June 2011 TransACT signed a First Release Sites (Trial) Agreement with NBN Co to become a Retail Service Provider on the National Broadband Network.

Since February 2007 controlled by TVG Capital Partners, in November 2011 TransACT ceased to be a private company when it was acquired by iiNet for the cash consideration of AUD 60 million. In purchasing TransACT, iiNet has become the clear third force in Australian telecommunications while simultaneously gaining a launch pad into the lucrative government and corporate services sector.