Streamyx

Streamyx broadband is brought to you by Telekom Malaysia Bhd (aka TMNet) and has probably been around for ages. Streamyx of course is the first broadband service in Malaysia and is currently the largest provider for wired broadband. There has been plenty of news about dissatisfaction of Streamyx’s performance in the corner of every forums, blogs and even mamak stalls. Problems include slow speeds and disconnection problems. Does this means that Streamyx is an inferior network compare to others? Or maybe it’s just the higher expectations that users put on Telekom, being the nation’s prime telecommunications provider. Yet, there are some (or maybe few) places which Streamyx reigns as the best network available with its advantage as a wired broadband and also very competitive pricing.

Connection Speed (Back to top)

Streamyx provides the most flexible choices of connection speeds to choose from. Subscribers may choose a connection speed from 384kbps to 4Mbps. It’s hard to comment about the practical speed achievable with Streamyx. This is because factor is very highly variable when it comes to Streamyx. In certain places, Streamyx could easily achieve 100% of its peak speed. In other places, it could be as low as 30% and with plenty of disconnection problems. Other than that, because of the very large number of Streamyx subscribers, speed could vary a lot during different times of a day. And sorry to say that because Streamyx isn’t wireless, Internet Insider couldn’t help you test it out at your area. However, you can always ask your friendly neighbours how’s the performance of their Streamyx connection.

Fair Usage Policy (Back to top)

Streamyx provides unlimited usage for all its users. However, P2P is seriously throttled down. And yes, they do have a fair usage policy but it’s very subjective. On their website, they state that Streamyx will automatically throttle down the speed of “extreme” users who use a disproportionate amount of Internet bandwidth. And this constitutes for about 10% of their users. So for heavy users out there, just hope that 10% of other Streamyx users are using more bandwidth than you.

Coverage (Back to top)

Here’s another thing that is so troublesome with Streamyx. Other than the fact that Internet Insider couldn’t help you test it out because it’s not wireless, there’s also no clear map on Streamyx’s website to check for coverage. However, they have a list of areas of coverage which you can patiently go through here and although Streamyx has nationwide coverage, the list shows only coverage in the Klang Valley. Remember, to get Streamyx, there must be available ports for your phone line to connect to the network. To find out if there’s any available ports in your area, message STX to 33535 (eg. STX 0355195560). And if you don’t have a fixed phone line, it’s back to asking your neighbour for it again.

Contract Policy (Back to top)

Streamyx packages come with a 12 months contract policy and if a subscriber wants to terminate his or her subscription before the contract period ends, he or she must pay for the remaining months’ subscription fees. With this policy, a subscriber might as well bear with the service for the remaining months.

Ease of Application (Back to top)

Applying for Streamyx is slightly more complicated compared to other networks. Firstly, you would need to check if there’s coverage in your area and if there’s any available ports for you to connect to the network. To do so, message STX to 33535 (eg. STX 0355195560). If you don’t have a fixed phone line, try messaging your neighbour’s number. If there is a port available at your area, you’ll have to fill up some forms, and also give a copy of your identification card or passport to the agent you’re signing up with (eg. Internet Insider) and wait up to three working days to have your Streamyx account activated. After that, if you’re subscribing through Internet Insider, we’ll deliver the modem to you and help you set it up. And things can get extra complicated if you do not have a fixed phone line. You would have to wait an extra two weeks for TM to install the phone line if so.

Extra Stuff (Back to top)

Here’s a tip from us at Internet Insider – If you plan to subscribe with Streamyx, don’t rent the modem from Streamyx. This is because you’ll be renting it for an additional RM11 a month for as long as you’re subscribing with Streamyx. And no matter how long you rent it, it still belongs to TM. You might as well buy it for around RM100 to RM200 and own the modem.




Reference: www.streamyx.com.my

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