TransACT Capital Communications Pty Limited

Synopsis

TransACT Communications Pty Limited is a Canberra-based, privately owned company that builds and operates high-speed broadband communications infrastructure across the Australian Capital Territory region, including Queanbeyan and other surrounding towns in southern New South Wales. The network is under consideration by NBN Co as part of the NBN rollout across Australia. In November 2011, agreement was reached for the company to be bought by iiNet for $60 million.

The company delivers quad-play communications services in the ACT that include:

• Voice and internet services;
• High-speed broadband data;
• Subscription TV services;
• Internet Protocol TV (IPTV);
• A real-time VoD service; and
• Mobile cellular services.

TransACT also owns Victorian carrier Neighbourhood Cable that operates a HFC network in Ballarat, Geelong and Mildura. NCL delivers similar triple-play communications services, excluding real-time Video-on-Demand. In 2010 Neighbourhood Cable completed an upgrade of its network from DOCSIS 2 to DOCSIS 3 and delivers 100Mb/s internet services in Ballarat and Geelong.

In 2011 the company has a FttP network in greenfield estates across the ACT, and operates a data centre that enabled it to be selected as a participant in the Ready Now Panel for Data Centre Facilities that is managed by the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO). It was also selected for whole-of-government mobile services panel in 2011, (see chapter 6.4 for more information).

In this report we provide an overview of the company up to its acquisition, including analysis by BuddeComm with facts and figures on the company operations in tabular and easy-to-read chart formats.

Companies mentioned

Companies mentioned in this report include – Neighbourhood Cable Limited (NCL), ActewAGL, TransTALK, TransMOBILE, NBN.

Hot topics and technologies mentioned

Hot topics and technologies mentioned in this report include – Very High Data Rate DSL, HFC, Fibre-to-the-Kerb, Gigabit Passive Optical Network, IPTV, STB, Video-on-Demand (VoD), data centres.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Company information
  • 2.1 Overview
• 3. Company analysIs
  • 3.1 NBN infrastructure opportunities
  • 3.2 Triple play and content opportunities over the NBN
• 4. Neighbourhood Cable Limited (NCL)
  • 4.1 Overview
• 5. TransACT network
  • 5.1 Overview
  • 5.2 Suburban FttP network in Canberra
  • 5.3 Service providers
  • 5.4 Duplication of services a threat by NBN Co
• 6. Products and services
  • 6.1 Residential, Business and wholesale
  • 6.2 Data centre services
  • 6.3 IPTV
    • 6.3.1 Overview
    • 6.3.2 eHub Set-top Box
  • 6.4 Whole-of-Government supplier – data and mobile services
• 7. Company history
  • 7.1 Brief timeline – 1995 - 2011
• 8. Related reports

• Table 1 – TransACT total subscribers and annual change – 2002 - 2011

• Chart 1 – TransACT total subscribers and annual change – 2002 – 2011

• Exhibit 1 – TransACT Communications Pty Ltd (TransACT) at a glance – 2011
• Exhibit 2 – Network FttK coverage
• Exhibit 3 – Broadband ISPs over TransACT network