Here’s a roundup of some interesting articles…and my sarcastic or insightful comments:

“WiMax operating license was issued two years ago to four local operators namely AsiaSpace, Green Packet, Redtone and YTL.
However, it took sometime for these companies to roll out the network as they were waiting for Equipment Vendors to complete market ready non-standard 2.3Ghz Radio Base Station Equipment and Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) in to production….At the same time the government is awarding a RM 11 Billion HSBB project to Telekom Malaysia to provide really High Speed Boroadband Service using fiber optic.”

Above from Dixonian:
Josh: is “Boroadband” a typo, or was it done on purpose? Think - what does “boro” sound like? Eg, “Boro” la you!

“The company Motorola announced that REDtone, a leading Malaysian provider of telecommunication services and solutions put into operation first in East Malaysia broadband network WiMAX.”

Above from: Justamp
Josh: East Malaysia has a very rural infrastructure that makes it especially suited to Wimax. To get around East Malaysia (at least the less urban areas), you need a boat or a 4X4.

“Will this happen in Malaysia? - Reports of critical interference with TV broadcasts in Hong Kong by broadband wireless systems in the satellite C-band frequency are on the rise.”

Above from: Remgold
Josh: Astro how liddat? Want to access net, cannot watch satellite TV? Die!

The obvious solution to this problem is to allow the Satellite providers to operate on a higher/wider frequency (which means you have to update your Satellite Dish) - but this also means you have access to more bands and immoral and decadent Western TV filth from the United States. (and also, broadcasts from Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, etc).

Have you wondered why our Satellite Dishes (Astro, for example, and there isn’t any other example) are so small compared to other countries? Any bigger, and they can receive transmissions from countries further than Malaysia. It is important to note that this limit was effected not for technical reasons, but for other reasons. Can you guess why?

“New kids on the block. Wimax is making its presence in this Multimedia Super Corridor that does not keep its promises on the 10 point Bills of Rights. Yes, Wimax is coming to town….Now that I knew the fee, it seems that W1max will not be in my list of priorities anymore.”

Above from:Xprienceoflife
Josh: Yes, it is rather expensive…

P1 (Packet One) broadband has launched its new website yesterday apparently. You can view the flash version or the HTML version here. I recommend the HTML one.

If you don’t know what WiMax is to start with, read here.
I love question and answer number 1.5 by the way. Hilarious!

Is P1 W1MAX safe to use?
• Absolutely! P1 W1MAX is totally safe to use.

Phew, that’s great to know! Now that we have health concerns out of the way…

The news in short: RM1999 (!) to start, and anywhere between RM49-RM269 for 400 kbps - 2.4 Mbps. Interestingly, the lowest pricing range is if you take the 24 month contract. However, if you sign up before 30th September 08, you apparently get a the modem for free (worth RM999)

Speed is noted on a “best efforts” basis. Coverage so far includes:
Gombak, Johor Bahru, Kampung Baru, KL City Center, Sentul, Setapak, Subang Hi-Tech, Subang Jaya, Sunway, USJ.

Note: If you’re reading this, P1, please consider the Kelana Jaya/Bandar Utama/Tropicana/Damansara Perdana area. Really! Not only because I stay there, but there are lots of people who do who can afford the higher pricing bracket that P1 Wimax is in, and are willing to pay for better service.

More here on coverage areas

Size: The modem size is either going to be super tiny, or huge, as seen from these pictures

Questions remaining:
- There’s something called an RM10 “Nationwide Access Fee”, which presumably means that when you subscribe to their service, you only get it for your area? Does this mean state, or area (eg, Selangor OR Petaling Jaya?)

Also, lastly there are some tips on which package is worth it for you, and also some speculation on the eventual speed of the service at MalaysianWireless.com. There seems to also be a call for feedback from P2P users as well, so leave your comments.

Remember, all services are always fastest when they first come out - but what happens later? It’ll be interesting to see if this higher pricing point will enable P1 to deliver.

Is anyone here using the 4MBps Streamyx package that was launched recently? I’m curious as to whether its any good. You can read some comments on LiewCF’s blog. Apparently it is only for 12,000 people.

However, no one of the commentators there (or anyone I know of) seems to be on that package. Anyone who is actually using the 4MBps Streamyx package is welcome to share their experiences in the comments field or by e-mailing us.

PS: We met up with one of the WiMax winners, and they are interested in doing something with this site. Look out for some exciting new changes soon!

This might either be good news…or bad news. Now that Dato Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik, has stepped down as Gerakan chief, do you think he will be able to be as openly critical of the telcos? Remember - he retains his post as the Energy, Water and Communications minister. Or would it make him even more fearless in his criticism, as he has nothing to lose anymore? We will wait and see.

FYI to the readers: Read this article, there is a recent quote by Dato Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik:

“Now you know why we distribute the WiMAX licences to the small companies… the big fellows, including the TM already have the 2.5GHz. Why you want the 2.3 GHz when you can roll out the WiMAX via 2.5GHz?,”

Yes, apparently this is how he actually speaks in real life. Kudos to that. It’s a lot clearer than most would dare to be. The awardance of WiMax licenses is to smaller companies is good news. To understand the motivation behind licenses and why its such a big deal (and a good thing did TM didn’t get 2.3 GHz) - it doesn’t just allow you to do something. Remember, if you get it, no one else can get it, even if you do nothing with it. Also, if you decide to do anything with it you can resell it or outsource the implementation…

From the same article, Celcom’s Chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly was quoted saying:“There is a window of opportunity for us to grab before the WiMax players come in. We have to grab the window as quickly as possible.”

Let’s hope everyone grabs the window, including TM and the other WiMax players, if only for the sake of competition. TM, we’re quite confident you can launch WiMax. After all, you already have an impressive track record in rolling out things - About 80% of of Malaysian broadband consumers use TM Streamyx, even if it is oversubscribed, under capacity, inefficient, and with terms of service that shortchange your customers. We’re confident of you accomplishing the same with TM WiMax! When you roll out, consumers now have will have the amazing freedom of surfing slowly like Streamyx users…but without wires! Amazing! Hooray!

More seriously though, lets look at this article and take note of the things that should happen - and let’s see what will.

- All the winners of the WiMax license are expected to quickly roll out the service to 25 percent of the population in the area given to them by end of this year, with a service provision of at least 1MBps at affordable rates.

- It is expected that they will be able to roll services to at least 40 percent of the population in the areas given to them

- Each of the companies is expected to invest between RM250 million and RM300 million in the first three years of the WiMax implementation.

In closing, dear Dato Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik - please make sure of these things happen. You have been one of the most vocal (not to mention “official”) critics of the people responsible for slow rollout in broadband here, and for that we thank you, and urge you not to stop.

A lot of people here (well, maybe not here, but in Malaysia) don’t really know what it is exactly you do, but wouldn’t it be great if you left a legacy as the guy who fought for better Malaysian broadband services, and won? We hope to immortalize you one day as “Bapa Jalurlebar”…

We’ll be arranging interviews with key personnel of companies that have won the WiMax bid. One we’re meeting next week, time permitting.

Who/which companies would you like us to interview?

And what questions would you like to ask? Eg, When will WiMax be available for my home? Pricing? Etc. Leave your comments, and it will help determine the interview. Thanks!

A lot of you are Googling for the results of the WiMax license awardance - in short the people who won were YTL, Greenpacket, Redtone, AsiaSpace (who is AsiaSpace anyway?).

I will be writing more on this, but in the meantime, you can read Jefrey’s take on the winners, and what they said.

According to this article: “Wimax.com - Malaysia to award 2.3GHz licenses next month”, the delay of awarding the licenses since September 2006 is expected drawing to a close soon. Interesting things noted are that the operator “offering the highest speed at the lowest price” and with a “substantial amount of resources required for a nation wide rollout” will be the one most likely to win, according Malaysian Energy, Water & Communications Minister, Dato Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik. Bidders include Redtone, DiGi and Maxis. Although not noted in the article, Green Packet might be one of the bidders. Another article titled “Foreign firms to build WiMax system in Malaysia” , says that foreign firms Alcatel, Lucent, Redline Communications and local firm Nasioncom are also bidding.

Update: Maxis & Motorola have been testing 4 live trial WiMax sites. They have announced a successful call from the KLCC trial site, and testing for the other trial sites is planned to be completed in the second quarter of 2007.
My personal plea (that I’m sure a lot of you agree with too): Please, Dato Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik, let the winner be the ISP that we have all been waiting for.

Sure, we were late on the news of his resignation, but I hope we’ve redeemed ourselves by being one of the first to tell you where he’s going next.According to an industry insider (from a company working closely with Green Packet), after resigning as CEO of TMNet, Michael Lai will join the highly hyped Green Packet Berhad. No word yet on his position, but speculation says he might be the new CEO.

He might make quite a difference, judging by the some favourable comments from industry people. Michael is currently on holiday and not in KL. Word is he left TM Net because of unfair corporate structure - underlings were promoted, and key performance indicators for the National Broadband Plan are no longer in his hands, making his role very small.

It is also said that there will no new CEO replacing Michael Lai (there is a current acting CEO, a Malay lady named Zainab Hashim), as there is no need to - operations of TM Net will be going to the main TM Group. Products and marketing of Streamyx will go to TM Retail, and Technical & Content will go to TM Wholesale (who has been doing a shitty job as of late.) TMNet will be handling content like BlueHyppo & the music portal.

However, the industry insider goes on to say that Streamyx will improve drastically in a year - this new restructuring will bring younger people to the helm (between 30-40), to replace the traditional guys. And…it won’t be called TM Net Streamyx anymore - it will be TM Streamyx.

Green Packet Berhad is pretty well backed, with support from Energy, Water & Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik. To quote Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik: “Green Packet had proven itself to be one of Malaysia’s technology companies with an impressive track record locally and was also creating a significant impact in international telecommunication services. ” Check out this link on The Star - Landmark Green Packet Deal and this link, on Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia. You can also see their corporate fact sheet on GreenPacket.com.

So, will Green Packet be able to “gerak” broadband to the “Rakyat”? They will benefit from Michael’s marketing savvy (as who else knows the weaknesses of the main monopoly ISP better?), but let’s hope their service holds up as well. Congratulations to Michael Lai, and Green Packet.

More updates as times goes by…remember nothing here is guaranteed to be accurate, and is based on speculation and insider info. Let’s hope this new round of restructuring in TM and Green Packet will bring about some much needed change to us, the broadband users.