Every morning for the last three weeks (four weekends, three weeks!) I wake up to a red blinking light. It is the light of my P1Wimax modem. We had been one of the first to subscribe to Streamyx many years ago.

In fact, it had been on the day after the new service had been announced in the newspapers that we entered our name and address by hand into a ledger at the Titiwangsa Telecom office. Our experience with Streamyx had ups and downs, like any relationship.

So in January of this year, tired with the slow download speed and frequent interruptions of our Streamyx Internet connection - particularly on weekends - we signed up for the new service of P1 Wimax which promised a new, faster and better Internet experience. We were pleasantly surprised.

For two weeks, we had the perfect Internet connection. We could even watch films while they downloaded, a totally new experience altogether. So we signed up for a year. Soon after that, however, the first problems occurred. Sometimes it was difficult to log on, sometimes the connection was slow, sometimes the connection was interrupted.

But in general, the service provided was more or less satisfactory. But over the months, the P1 Wimax service deteriorated. There were times when I had to call every other day just to get enough connectivity to be able to download my e-mails.

It even came to the point where I was too fed up to complain anymore as there was no noticeable improvement to the service after having spent many hours on the phone with P1 Wimax customer service representatives resetting and reconfiguring the PC.

I must state here that I use the Internet from waking up until I fall asleep. As a news junkie, I hang onto the Net for almost every waking hour. At home, I am online for the latest news, my e-mails, for all work that has been left out during the day at the office, for the family business, talking with my kids and friends who are abroad, instant information on about everything under the sun that comes to my mind, research for my personal writing, research for new ideas for my work, for paying my bills and managing my financial affairs etc, etc.

So that I have no access to the Internet for now three weeks at home is a personal catastrophe for me particularly in the face of three consecutive long weekends of three days each this December. I am at my wits’ end as to what I have to do to get the service back. The answer when I call the P1 Wimax technical service is invariably that there is ‘congestion’ in the Batu Caves area, where I live.

First of all, there should be no congestion at all if P1 Wimax’ development of the infrastructure would go hand-in-hand with their signing up of new customers. Then – as I tell all of their ‘representatives’ on the phone – I suffer from insomnia and go online at all hours of the night. So what Internet ‘congestion’ could there possibly be 4 o’clock in the morning?

Streamyx’ service was far from perfect, but we had never had an interruption lasting more than a few hours, not to mention three weeks. So I am still waiting for an answer from P1 Wimax as to why they provided a good service at the beginning and what has happened since then that it has come to ‘no service’ at all?

And the ultimate question: when will we be able to enjoy the Internet again? At one time, we were told that the service would resume by Dec 14. This clearly has not happened. Recently, one of their representatives mentioned February 2010. This is not acceptable. Our one-year contract works both ways. Just to waive subscription fees is not enough. P1 Wimax should compensate us for the damage done and for putting us through this ordeal.

From neighbors and friends I know that we are not the only ones who suffer from P1 Wimax’ sudden inability to provide any Internet connectivity to our area. What did you do to the excellent Internet service provision we enjoyed during the first two weeks way back in January? Any rational explanation? Any explanation at all?

I would like to alert herewith all existing and prospective P1 Wimax subscribers to the fact that what has happened to us could happen any time to them as well. So please rethink your commitment to this company as P1 Wimax’ commitment to their customers could change at any point in time and they could decide that your area is not worthy anymore of their service, or some such thing.

Don’t sign one-year contracts. Subscribe to other Internet providers that can actually deliver what they promise on the longer term, not just for a few weeks or months only. P1 Wimax a company with First World infrastructure and services? Think again.