The Streamyx guy solve my P1 problem

I complained about my P1 problem a few days back, they suppose to send in a technician in four days time. Today is the third or the forth day, but there is not sign of any technician coming in to solve the problematic P1 network problem.

The P1 technical people call me yesterday, ask me to reset the modem, place the modem in different place, towards the direction closer to the nearest base station, is still doesn't work. If I push the modem further a bit toward the base station direction, it will be put outside of the house. No joke.

Luckily the Stream guy came a little bit "earlier" today and solve our P1 problem. How? I think you all know how, just replace the P1 with Streamyx.

Streamyx ads strike back to P1

That will end my experience with P1 in 2009. I started using it on January 2009 with one year contract. Is still one or two months before the contract end, but I doubt P1 dare to ask for the 2 months remaining payment.

DiGi Get Connected roadshow at Suria KLCC 2009

DiGi is running a Get Connected roadshow from 4th to 8th November at Suria KLCC. I drop by and take a look at what they are offering. DiGi always came out with good offering, but I still want to complain a few things here.

1. DiGi gift. DiGi can spend millions of dollars on newspaper, TV commercial. I don't believe they are so stingy on their mystery gift. If you receive the following SMS you are entitle for 1 (if still available):

"DiGi Get Connected Road Shw@KLCC Center Court on 4-8 Nov09. 1st 300 customers to show this SMS@redemption counter will walk away with a mystery gift. T&C Apply."

Guess what is the mystery gift? Is a DiGi door hanger. What type of door hanger? Is like those you found in the hotel room, hanging on the door handle with "Do not disturb" writing on it. No joke, that is the mystery gift with limited supply.

Come on DiGi, You can do better than that.

The following are all about the wrong information that DiGi representative have given to me in the morning. Since I have bad experience with it, I double check the information, and then I go back to them in the afternoon, they admitted they have made some mistakes. Their excuse is, they are just on the first day of the roadshow.

I am so mad, not just for the wrong information, but when I ask the DiGi representative to double check some of my doubts. Few of them double check for me, few of them didn't. They still came back with some wrong information for me. May be the DiGi package are too complicatied for them to understand.

2. The Nokia 2730 does support 3.5G. I am interested with the free Nokia 2730 phone which came with the new subscription. One of their representative told me that it is a 3G phone, so I ask does it support 3.5G? He says no. I have checked the mobile88 website, it says yes for 3.5G (HSPDA). The representative insist the answer is no, because he is checking another website.

Later I check it on the website, Nokia official page says WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100, wikipedia says is a 3.5G cell phone.

3. The offer for 3G Internet Unlimited monthly 58 is RM48 not RM58, the offer end 31 December. When I was informed that the 3G Internet is RM58, I ask the promoter, isn't RM48? The promoter says RM48 is for DiGi broadband, DiGi 3G is RM58. I though I just get the 2 package price wrong. If you are confused with DiGi broadband and 3G service, try read broadband vs 3G.

When I go back to the roadshow in the afternoon, she told me that she just made a mistake.

4. Broadband data usage is not review in OCS (Online Customer Service) website. Start from the day I subscribe to DiGi broadband, I was told that I can check my data usage in OCS, but I never find it there.

Since they keep saying that I can check my data usage in OCS, I just want them to show me how. Then they came back the real answer to me, no, you can not check your data use in OCS.

5. You though I am complaining no pretty girls there? No, I don't. I am really tired today.

Training time at DiGi roadshow.

DiGi broadband vs DiGi 3G

DiGi broadband and 3G are 2 different services, most people are confused. This is the information that I have collected these 2 days, hopefully can help you to have a better understand the 2 different services.

DiGi has no 3G services, the DiGi 3G is just a marketing term. The DiGi 3G is a 3.5G (HSPA, High Speed Packet Access or some name it HSDPA, D means download), which is faster, an improvement to the 3G services. In general you can call 3.5G and 3G as 3G services, but DiGi 3.5G services only provide data access. You can not have conference call with DiGi 3G (3.5G) services. If you have a phone which only support 3G, it will not work with DiGi network.

To help the consumer have a better understanding on DiGi broadband and 3G, DiGi people will tell you that broadband is for your desktop access to the Internet, 3G is for your phone to access to the Internet. If you just normal people and doesn't want to know more, you should stop here.

Further question, can I use my desktop or notebook connect to the DiGi 3G services? The answer is yes. You can place your SIM card (with 3G service activated) in to GSM modem which support 3.G (eg. Huawei 160e), or you can use your mobile phone as a dial-up modem for your notebook, it works. The only thing missing is you will not be able to receive phone call while accessing the 3G services with your notebook.

How about the other way? Will it works if I place the broadband SIM card into the phone? According to the DiGi representative, it works as long as your phone support 3.5G services, but you can not make calls with it. Since I do not have a mobile phone which support 3.5G, I have not tested with it.

If you access to DiGi broadband web page, you will notice there are 2 data services call broadband and 3G, hope my explanation can help you to make your choice.

P1 Sudah Potong advertisement

"你割左沒 ?" (Cantonese)
"Sudah poting?" (Bahasa Malaysia)
"Cut already (you Internet line)?"

I just go to P1 HQ to complain about the Internet connection again.

P1 lastest ads posted at the HQ building

The latest P1 advertisement campaign has been running for about a month time, it should come to an end. I didn't notice it at the beginning, I first know it from my friend. The advertisement is everywhere, on TV, radio, full page coverage on newspaper, billboard...is hard to ignored it.

Their slogan is, "Sudah potong?" (Cut already?). It refers to cut the fix Internet (Streamyx) line, and switch to wireless P1. The slogan may refer to circumcision as well. The ads are impressive, it capture public attention, but I think the the ads are rude, low class and inappropriate. You can talk about it with your MSN friends, put it on your non-official blog, but put up such ads to the public is not necessary.

I go to the P1 HQ not to complain about the advertisement, but the Internet connection (again!). I am having a connection problem for more than 2 weeks time. P1 representative told me that they are upgrading the network at my area, that causes slow network connection. The problem is not just slow, I can't even connect to the Internet at all, for almost 2 weeks time.

P1 should save some of their marketing budget and assign it to their technical department to improve their services. If P1 provide good services, fast Internet connection, I can advertise for P1 free of charge here.

If the problem continue, I have to "Cut now", not the wire line, but the wireless WiMax line. P1 agree to send technician to look at the network problem in a few days time. More stories after three days later.

Is WiMax a good business investment?

3 companies were fined a total of 3.8 millions for failing to provide the required WiMax network coverage

WiMax is a technology like WiFi, but has wider coverage range, since they use different protocol, you can not use a wifi device (eg. netbook) connected to WiMax service. The WiFi (the wireless internet that we use at our home and internet cafe) has a shorter coverage range of about 100m, WiMax coverage range is counted by kilometers.

Don't be too excited to get a WiMax license in Malaysia here. Before you start making money, you have to invest tons of money in and you are not sure when you can collected the money back. This is still not the worst case scenario.

So far there are 4 WiMax license issued, to Green Packet (P1 WiMax), Redtone, YTLE (YTL e-Solutions) and Asiaspace. The first three companies are public listed company, only Asiaspace is not public listed, most people are not familiar with Asiaspace. Each company is responsible to provide WiMax service for at lease 25 percent coverage, I assume these 4 companies share the 100 percent coverage, that's how MCMC came out with the 25 percent coverage figure.

P1 (Packet One, backup by Intel) has started to provide WiMax services in August 2008, and P1 is the first to roll out WiMax service in South East Asia. The other three companies are not ready to provide WiMax services yet (I remember Asiaspace did provide WiMax services). Redtone, YTLE and Asiaspace was fined a total 3.8 millions Ringgit Malaysia by MCMC (Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission) for failing to meet the required network coverage. YTLE was fined 1.9 millions, Asiaspace was fined 1.7 millions, Redtone was fined 200K.

Don't be too excited by getting a WiMax license, before these companies can provide WiMax sevices, they was fined millions of dollar. P1 has started WiMax service for slightly more than a year now, but the service quality is not good (read my previous post). Heavy investment in advertisement and marketing campaign may bring down Green Packet's profit too (financial report).

WiMax investment could be a money printing machine but it could be money burning machine too.