Digicel Buys Internet Service Provider Transact
Digicel confirmed today [Sept.21] that it has acquired local internet service provider Transact.
Digicel CEO Wayne Caines said, “Digicel is extremely pleased to have acquired Transact and we look forward to continuing the provision of reliable internet service to Transact customers. ”
“It is our aim to apply our existing business principles to the ISP market and, as such, have many enhancements planned. Our first efforts will be to build further redundancy and capacity systems that will protect service reliability for internet customers.”
“After these technical milestones are completed, Digicel will continue its commitment to all residential and corporate customers to provide the best value, best service, and the best network as a cellular provider and now also as an internet service provider.”
Bill Dickinson, CEO of Transact, also commented, “Over the past 20 years, Transact has had the pleasure of providing our customers with quality communication services in various forms. Transact wishes to thank all of our customers for their loyalty and patronage.”
“I am pleased to know that our valued customers will be looked after by Digicel Bermuda, a company with a great track record of bringing better value, quality innovation and excellent service to the telecommunications industry. I feel confident that our customers will be in good hands and trust our customers will feel the same.”
Mr. Caines added, “As part of our acquisition of Transact, we are planning to make available long distance voice services to all of Bermuda, which includes not only Digicel customers, but also any other cellular customer or any fixed line customer. ”
“We are excited about this planned service as we are eager to bring better long distance value to the people of Bermuda. The overall impact of this acquisition to the people of Bermuda is a healthy increase in competition, which translates to better value and better service for all. This has long been our goal in the cellular market and we look forward to doing the same in the ISP and long distance markets.”
In the short term, there will be no change to the service provided by Transact and this service will continue to be provided under the Transact name. Transact customer service will still be available by calling 272-4357 and the iStore, located on the upper level of the Washington Mall, will continue to be available for sales, bill payments and service queries. Customer bills will be delivered as usual and bills can still be paid using the same methods as before.
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Articles that link to this one:
- Digicel Buys Internet Service Provider Transact | Bernews.com - | September 22, 2011
- Digicel To Offer Long Distance | Bernews.com | October 13, 2011
- “Digicel Internet” Now Available : Bernews.com | November 17, 2011
The plot thickens. The Bible is fortelling……..
Caine and Able………..
Finally we may get some relief from the outlandish costs of long distance and internet services on this island.
Go Digicel !!
@ Heading Home: That’s wishful thinking… That’s more revenue for Digicel, sure they’d give you a good package deal but it won’t be the cheapest out there… Technology is a booming business and people would anything to have it.
DAMN!!!!! No changes in the short term!! Looks like i need a new service provider as we all know Digi is gonna F it up just like everything else!! I’m guessing, price will go up and service will go down.
The exact thing I thought of first when reading this headline.
I hope they do find a way to provide better value for the customer.
I get sick of hearing how much people pay, and the speeds they get for their
money overseas (anywhere in the world). Given our infastructure you would think that our prices would be similar.
But as with everything else here, its all due to politrickin.
LOL…When I lived overseas I paid $129 per month for house phone, cable tv with all HBO channels and starz, and highspeed unlimited internet. Wat do we get in Bermuda….LOL…I don’t know if I want to laugh at the service we get, the price we pay for it or just laugh at myself for paying it….sob.
Yup……I pay $118.95 to FKB Transact (Now Digicel) then $160.00 to cable for tv and internet access
Hoping the take over of Cable and Wireless means that new owners will be able to sell to home consumers.
Oh crap :/ I’ve been a loyal customer to Transact for many years and have never had any issues – at all! And I’ve experienced Digicel’s $h!ty customer service…not impressed!! I’ll see how things go and if I don’t like it I’ll switch!
I agree!!! waiting for another choice
Switch to what Demi.
Talaphone Cummpnee….
This happened when?? Cause something really weird happened to my phone service. 4am Monday my phone signals that I have a voice mail….connect to it…voice says message sent 7:20 pm Sept.15th….mmmm….then when i listen to the message, I get the name of the person, but I hear my voice (and I haven’t been in this person’s presence in weeks) and one of my children’s voice – having a conversation – which I remember having, while he was calling this same indiviual!! Can you explain that digicel??
Wow this is huge, this means that Digcel will offer longdistance, Internet and Cellphones ?
if this is all under one bill, i would be over the moon…
Finally Bermuda is coming out of dark ages. Well done Digicel
@ not Dopey: Your gonna go over the moon alright… Your azz is gonna be scourged when you hit the sun with your bill…LMAO
Be sure to read the fine print…
Funny how this happened WITHOUT government’s 10 year long and still uncompleted telecom reform.
You guys just don’t get it do you.
Maybe we should call in the Police Spokesperson to fill us in……….
Where is Paula….Miami….
21/12/12……..
I am goinng to give credit where credit is due ! Well done Digicel, this is forward thinking. I love the fact that you have shaking things up… I am sure cellone are in a huddle trying to figure out what to do next.
You guys have the opportunity to really jolt the market, Mobile Phones, Long Distance and Internet… That is the businesss…
If this is all on one bill, it means less hassle for the customer… I for one can’t wait to sign up.
Not surprised we all know Digicel is floating with money thanks to us suckers who are their customers. One thing is for sure, cell phone company’s are not feeling the economic pinch. I feel sorry for all the Transact customers because Digicel are not able to provide constant and uninterrupted cell phone service now they wanna provide internet service,LOL! good luck.
Of course you can’t ‘Siting’.
Are you related to the Caines? Work for them? Have stocks, bonds in the company?
Someone slew someone. Was it Caine, Able or the snake that runs rampant….
I think that it is pathetic how every time these matters come on Bernews people use it as an opportunity to talk “smack”. I mean really…if you don’t have balls to say it to the carrier, venting on an unrelated article is idiotic. How can someone help you if you don’t even have the balls to address the company directly? It’s your job as a consumer. Funny part is half of these comments are from CellOne employees or even Digicel employees trying to hype up the article. I personally think that this acquisition is interesting and definitely should spark some healthy competition between cell, LD and internet carriers. It’s innovative and I look forward to seeing what comes from this.
It’s the Bermudian way disbelief, these folks only have the mouth not the guts to approach the company when they have a problem with service.
Agreed. If they do not like the service, switch! Simple. I wonder though, how long until these same customers aren’t satisfied post switch?? Some people are never satisfied. I am a Digicel customer but I don’t complain about CellOne. I have been their (CellOne) customer before and know the pros and cons I experienced. For me to invest energy in downing them when they took over M3 for example is unfathomable. Makes me really think that the people who have negative comments are overly invested for different reasons. I am sure Digicel or CellOne customers that have terrible experiences switched, moved on and don’t need to look back/comment if they are currently content.
Please, do not talk from your a$$. We hate the smell of it and the way it runs down our computer screens. Obviously you are either a Caines, a relative or a high ranking member of Digicrap to say something so ridiculous. We do complain to the company and are told there is nothing that can be done. Digi Bermuda is worthless, they offer a great many products and services, but quality of service is something they have yet to grasp and prob will never get.
Yeah I clearly am an employee or relative who would incriminate the company in entertaining this foolishness *rolls eyes*. My point is that you have an obligation as a consumer to voice your concerns just as the company has an obligation to uphold the customers’ expectations. Your over investment in downing a company or anyone who has anything semi positive to say is causing me to wonder if you wear purple everyday to work. Some customers have good experiences and some don’t. Same with CellOne. It’s the nature of the beast.
So when will BTC get their long distance license? And Nortrock their cell license? Etc!
I am a happy Digicel customer. I have been with the company for 5 years. I am excited for the new opportunities.
Way to go I will be the first in line to sign up for long distance and Internet service
I’m trying to work out if you are being sarcastic, I really hope so. You know how CDs used to cost $20 in the States and now 10 years on, when the value of money has moved on, they are suddenly $10 – well that’s an industry that is still making a turn at in real terms a quarter of what it was charging. The internet here is the same, the prices are disgusting, and this sale won’t help. The government should intervene, because this is anti-cpompetitive. Look, I understand that bringing beers or a sofa in costs money and we pay more, but this I do not understand, beyond people ripping us off. Stand up Bermuda, we all have internet, and this is outrageous. I’m British (although lived here for 17 years) and do you know what my better, all in service costs me a month in the UK? $12.
Digicel has made a business acquisition of an ISP that was obviously for sale if the merger was put on the table in the first place wouldn’t you think?
Or was this a hidden conspiracy theory that we all love to post on blogs about lolol.
I apologize for picking on this post first but…. let’s analyze how some other countries’ practices(US in-particular) to curb revenue loss has nothing to do with us…..and if anything has an even worst result.
Your comparison of cd sales dropping in price to “still make a turn”…..
Cd sales are next to non existent in Bermuda, and being that they have to be imported like “beer and sofas” they are taxed to an amount that the retailers can’t afford to lower their price to anything under 20+bucks. Hence the Internet download stores($1.99) are eating all the food like iTunes for us legal purchasers, or free on google search for us privateers. Whichever you choose, internet downloads have killed cds and for Bermuda that takes “kill” to a different level because we are to small to try and create our own online digital media store to serve worldwide…..So that was in effect a pretty bad example if you think at anytime cd sales are/will/may flourish in Bermuda in the last 5years+….
How will the sale not help and they haven’t even began to structure a price proposal to customers yet if less or more? would it still be a horrible move for us just because Digicel wants to buy an ISP provider so they can offer more services? I don’t understand, and I cant see the future to tell you yay or nay, but logic dictates your making quite shaky statement(though u r very free to), and I dunno how a “standup Bermuda” is gonna help in any logical motivation for change.
Being British(UK), then you do know that Digicel is a company founded and owned by a group in Ireland right? so the Bermuda group along with the CEO (a hired black Bermudian who had to apply for the job like everyone else) is guided by a board of foreign directors to answer to with regards to revenue expectations, and how much they can spend and how much they have to make for the Group? Or do you feel there is a greedy local entity steering the company, taking advantage of us locals by charging outrageous prices even though they dont have to?
ive been with Transact from about the first two weeks they started, they were the first to make Logic and Northrock lower their prices as the BIG DOGS to match the more competitive smaller outfit who was raking in ne signups, i used to pay like 70 bucks for a 128kb dsl connection before transact cut that rate to shreds…. if Digicel can acquire this company and offer it on a wider scale of promotions and advertising while still having the good service then obviously they will attract more customers and be able to lower internet prices in the future, this may go the same for our cellular broadband data prices that we complain about and also calling cards…..
Your saying “Government should intervene”…on what????tell them they are not allowed to try and make it in a recession? even though the majority of extra charges are government imposed or reflective towards government taxing of other infrastructures the company pays? which is why our bill is so high in the first place……
“anticompetitive”????? because the owner of Transact porbably has bigger fish to fry in a more lucrative part of the world and wants to sell his company to the highest bidder? Which happens to be an cellular service provider? I suppose them merging with BUZZ or Rubis woulda been a wiser choice huh
why do some of us love to brag about how cheap their net costs in a saturated market overseas like UK and US where the internet servers and content actually resides…. and access infrastructure, along with connectivity, is being hocked off for pennies a mb due to so many providers trying to swim in a recession. Do you know that we all have to share our connection on a pipe running underwater from Bermuda to US/UK etc? hows that for independence or choice of competitive service…..
lets look for solutions not far fetched predictions on good or bad.
here are some realistic scenarios for us to analyze if u havent given up reading my ungodly hour keyboard rant lol.
1/ If Government is to make amendments, it will be something that some would profit greatly and others would lose their whole outfit in one swoop of the pen. But that can be discussed later when we see if this is such a “bad sale” because if u know the state the political parties are in now, there will be no room for talking bout shutting down companies and jobs so close to election time just from amending a telecommunications mandate……
2/If and when Government grants access for BTC, M3 Wireless, and Cablevision, to become Internet service Providers of their own and you dont have to double pay for internet and your connection, the prices are going to drop considerably you think? Can u imagine Cablevision, the number1 tv service being able to offer u phone and internet service in one bill? and no one to challenge them but the ONLY line-phone service in Bermuda who has the same package to offer, both phone and internet? read between the lines please….this is a good merger in my opinion
3/Cablevision and BTC decide to stop charging customers for connecting end-users to their internet service providers of their choice…therefore, the cable modem or dsl connection that they spend millions to upkeep they just handoff to the public so we can “standup” Bda in the internet pricing game too!(wish wish and tapping heels)
OR
the amendment would be for BTC and C/V to charge the internet service provider for the connection upkeep instead of the user, and the isp inturn has to reflect this charge to the customer somehow .
AND….
what will then happen to the Transacts and the FKBs who though didnt have the super large infrastructure or amount of clients as the big guys(Logic,Northrock) but had good service….
Where do you think they would have fit in this puzzle?
FKB already threw in the hat and joined with Transact when their service was putting the company in red a few years ago and obviously they arent seeing enough return for the acquisition, hence the sale decision.
two small companies merging and still not having any majority hold of internet clients,along with good service for the cheapest price, was a slow sinking ship once we hit these times….
so when do you think Transact would put out their for sale sign in this recession climate????
o…. I’m not here to berate i’m here to debate…. so please no subliminals….lets just be real about things sometimes folks, cause it obviously affects us living here if we all carry the same acceptance attitude to anything…..
I think this may be an improvement in price in the longrun when the walls come crashing down and they grant your favorite soap box provider, and dogbone provider its own internet link, I would like to think that the bigger the better…. Transact/Digicel should be a good merger to keep them in the game and be able to compete when the price wars start again…..
Sorry about the longness, Im gunning for a larry Burchall spot
RLS….
Sorry too much to read!!
What happened to regulatory reform? Can they do this?
Well, gov approved the acquisition, so yes. Friends in high places.
Regulatory reform – that’s laughable. This creates an imbalance in the cellular communications arena. Other cellular service providers will have to pay for their ISP gateways and include that cost in their product offering. Digicel, on the other hand, will not. As the mobile broadband market grows, (and lets be honest here, it’s a very very small market in Bermuda), Digicel will have an unfair competitve advantange over any other service provider as they own their own ISP. Sure, Digicel will be quick to say that they too have to pay for gateway connectivity but it will be internal dollars only – no external spend – unlike the other service providers. Ulimately, it’s the consumer who will suffer. Unless, of course, the regulator governs fairly and ensures predatory pricing does not prevail – in accordance with regulatory refom. Given the political connections in this equation…. you should be able to finish this line of thought for yourselves.
Digicel can’t even handle their own phone company let alone anything else.. Just be prepared to never be compensated for anything and for the horrendous customer service when something goes wrong, which I am so sure it will do quite often..
Well I guess you will be happy if they bring in foreigners to manage their customer service since we Bermudians are so horrendous, Or is it just the people that work for Digicel who have bad customer service practices during crisis.
By the way Transacts heldesk is in foreign so your not even talking to a local. But your sure great old Digicel with broadest amount of customer base on the island will mess it up somehow right with your wishful thinking. I guess the only way you can have god service is join cellone, where, the majority of fired and sacked Digicel gripers go lol.
Transact may send you to an overseas helpdesk, but they are very efficient and helpful. Digi o nthe other hand, either do not answer their phones, or have no clue what si going on. Transact 1 digi 0
I note that this acquistion is highlights the move towards bundling services and greater value for customers, it amazes how far behind Bermuda is as it relates to ISP pricing. I can’t wait for the bundling of ISP, Long Distance and cell phone…
Way to go Digicel….
I wonder what they will name the new ISP
[I wonder what they will name the new ISP]
Ummm: How ’bout Digicel.
Dear Digicel,
You guys at Digicel better open a supermarket as well please, I am sick of paying USD$7.00+ for a loaf of bread man………….Caines, buy some food and give away saturday with some free phones as well Bie.
Digicel all the way!
With BB and skype being free I didn’t realise people still made long distance calls…..
you too!