Streamyx, the only nationwide broadband service in Malaysia, has practically ground to a halt. It is a joke that dialup users are surfing at much faster speeds. Subscribers have vented their frustrations through the press, newsgroups and forums, castigating TMNet for not being forthcoming with the answers as to the root cause of the problem.
Despite the entire hullabaloo, TMNet is extremely slow in informing its subscribers regarding the status of the problem. First, it was an authentication server problem. Much later, we were informed that Streamyx was under a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. After three weeks, the problem is still not resolved.
To add insult to injury, Streamyx subscribers are tied down by a one-year contract with TMNet and have to continue paying for a service that is not usable. Cyberaddicts like me have no choice but to wait for TMNet to rectify the problem, or connect through dialup which would add more burden to our expenses in a trying time like this.
This lackadaisical attitude by a monopolistic service provider casts a pall to Malaysia?s Multimedia Super Corridor ambition. And yes, I am suffering from another bout of withdrawal symptoms. Now, where is my Valium….
