Lots of people have been complaining about TMNet's Streamyx broadband service and all this reminds me of the frequent water cuts and power outages we experienced back in the late 1950s. Streamyx seems to be going through the same problem which those other essential services faced earlier. It perhaps could take about 20 years or more before Streamyx's quality of service reaches acceptable levels.

However, those who need to be online 24 by 7 with peace of mind, less frustration and no loss of revenue, should consider using a mobile phone as a modem over the GPRS, EDGE or 3G wireless networks via a Bluetooth or cable connection instead.

I have Streamyx too and while I've not had any problems with the service as such, my ADSL modem cum wireless access router has been damaged twice by lightning since April. During those times, I depended on DiGi's Edge for Internet access to do my work (which requires submitting stories and photos online), my blogging and Web-based research.

Sure, Edge is only about half as fast as Streamyx but besides the occasional disconnection requiring a simple re-connect, it has not given me any major problems or needed any major repairs in the nearly two years I've been using it. Since I have an unlimited monthly access package (RM120 a month), I can be online all the time.

Celcom's postpaid subscribers pay RM99 per month for unlimited 3G data access or RM88 per month if they have Streamyx. If they have a notebook PC, they can get a Celcom wireless data card and enjoy free 3G data access for six months under a current promotion. Maxis 3G subscribers, meanwhile, pay RM120 per month for unlimited data access (including 3G) on top of their monthly postpaid bill for voice calls..

So to A Desperate Expat , what's that compared to losing thousands of ringgit due to disruptions of an essential data communication service?.While there may be no Edge or 3G coverage in Sungai Petani, there surely will be GPRS which is about as fast as a dial-up modem.

My friend around there has been using Jaring Flite's wireless broadband service and has been very satisfied and has not had any problems with lightning. Desperate Expat can read our article in the August edition of Mobile World or he's welcome to contact me at: [email protected].

While I generally disagree with the philosophy of not trying to change the world but in just changing oneself, sometimes it's necessary to adopt a philosophy of solving one's own problems and in doing so, changing the world in small ways as well.