TM’s streamyx service is getting bad again these past week. Looks like more kvetching about their lousy broadband service. With WIMAX looming to be launched, I wonder how’s their internet service in comparison with all the pretenders out there vying to get a piece of the internet service provider market.

Maxis, Celcom and Izzi with their 3G wireless internet service was suppose to make a dent into Streamyx market. But having tested out the Celcom wireless broadband when I was trying to fix a friends laptop internet connection, and also hearing feedback from my brother who was trying out the Maxis wireless broadband, the situation of an improving broadband service in Malaysia looks rather dim.

With more and more people signing up for broadband and trying to get better speed to access the rich online content of videos like YouTube and social networking like using Facebook and Skype to keep in touch, the local service provider is probably having a tough time improving its service.

Streamyx using telephone cable for connection seemed to be mired in drop lines for no apparent reason. Land lines are supposed to have better connection than wireless sets as they don’t need to rely on strong wireless signals. So I could not fathom why the Streamyx is giving such lousy service.

At some point, I was considering the Maxis or Celcom wireless service, but after seeing drop lines from some of my friends (their MSN IM pops in and out and I asked them why, they said they could not get a good signal) I decided the wireless service offerings aren’t any better. Izzi with their supposedly 3.5G service requires that you sign up for a whole year contract. With the kind of Maxis and Celcom as an example, I’m a little weary about any of this kind of services. Besides it was not cheap. So I have to bear with using Streamyx and hope that they could somehow improve their internet services.

Now WIMAX is coming into the fore, though I have not really looked into what they have to offer, based on the press release, they are giving some privileges to early adopters. They also do not require early adopters to sign up for a whole years contract like other providers offering locking you in for a year whether you like or don’t like the service provided. So would WIMAX be a force to reckon against the other well established ISP? Only time will tell. Like any services offered to the general public, it is a volume game, and start-ups will need to garner a huge customer base to get economy of scale.

Just like the defunct MegaTV trying a pot shot at Astro, they tried bragging about giving better quality signals and better movie packages than Astro, but in the end Astro still won out because of their bigger customer base and thus has the finances to fend off any would be pretender who wish to take a piece of the satellite TV pie. In fact they are doing so well that they have monopoly control of the market. If you like Movies, Chinese serials you have no choice but to subscribe to them or get stuck with local TV stations which have very, very long commercials during the airing of shows and limited number of movies to watch.

With my Streamyx internet connection down now, I can’t even post this blog and have no idea when the service will be up before I can make this post. So much for Malaysia going into a knowledge economy with this kind of substandard internet connection, we will be falling behind against our neighbouring countries. Sigh…!