Broadband in Malaysia: An oxymoron

First of all, let me say that I am on Streamyx. Using their 2Mbps line, combined with landline, which gives me a savings on the landline rental. I HAVE to admit, that I have not had any problems (so far, touch wood!). I have Streamyx set up as a LAN at home - with 2 computers wired into it, and also wireless connection. Helpful when friends visit and want to get onto the internet, they can just connect wirelessly.

Now, of course, when one says "problems" I mean that I have not suffered from lack of internet access since I started using Streamyx many many years ago - first in Mont'Kiara Pines, then in our PJ SS4C house, and now in Mont'Kiara Hijauan Kiara. Each time, getting the service connected or (in the case of going from Pines to PJ) transferring the service, took less than 5 days. Which, from what I see based on written complaints all over the blogosphere, is apparently quite miraculous. My friend Pat has been told NINE (Yep, kid you not.. NINE) days, and it looks like it will take even longer.

I have tried the Maxis Mobile Broadband - you know, the little gadget that looks like a thumbdrive, which just plugs into your computers USB port and allows you to surf "anywhere"? I gave up using that for 2 reasons: slow speed and the fact that I would not be able to set up a LAN at home using that.

When we first moved back to Mont'Kiara in April this year, I did check on the availability of other ISPs before I settled on Streamyx. So, why Streamyx? Well, they are the only ones who have more than 1Mbps service, they were actually available in the area (most other ISP's were not) and, as I said before, I have not had problems using them before either (I am obviously in the very very lucky MINORITY in this situation!).

Having said all that, my biggest complaint with Streamyx is SPEED, or lack thereof!! And, of course, the COST! 2MBPS at RM140 a month. That is approximately SG$58 per month.

In Singapore, last year, I paid SG$56 per month for a 6MBPS (SIX, yes, read it and weep, SIX MBPS) line per month. If I were to go and apply today, with, say, Starhub Singapore, I could get an 8MBPS line at just SG$44.94 per month. OR I could go for a 100 MBPS line at just SG$86.88 per month, and that would include landline (VOIP) for phone calls as well.

And in Malaysia, even in KL, we are still only looking at 2MBPS for residential broadband. Is this pathetic, or what? I mean, the technology is obviously there, right? So what is it? Just the fact that TM is a monopoly, so they don't give a hoot about their customers?

We pay so much in comparison to Singapore, and we get so little in return.

So, despite the fact that I have had no real problems with Streamyx so far, they are obviously just the better (cannot say "best") of a lot of very bad choices, which basically means, there is no real choice. If I had any other better option, I would definitely switch... but then, that is just my point of view.