By Yeoh Li Ying

Narrow-less Band

Broadband Internet in Malaysia should really be named “Narrow Band” because the service provided by our beloved TMnet is so slow it is only less painful compared to Malaysian Dial-up Internet. It is painful nevertheless when we look at the excerpt from TM Net’s website …

“With Streamyx, you get broadband access service, which stays perpetually connected to the Internet with speed bandwidths of 384kbps up to 4.0Mbps.”

“So, now when you download your favourite songs, movies, music videos and even accessing your favourite websites, you won’t have to wait for ever and ever, leaving you with more time to enjoy the Internet as you like. “

“Broadband your life today and experience the World Wide Web like never before. “

Oh really? Wont have to wait long? Enjoy internet as I like? Blergh.. I beg to differ. Watching for example video on you tube take minutes before we can watch, unless you would want to watch the video tersekat-sekat. Even opening up webpages is a painful experience. Plus was the speed up to mark? While you subsribe to the RM 66 package per month with unlimited hours of access, and be promised download speed of 512kpbs and upload speed of 256kbps you would expect a better service than a dial-up. But how often do we enjoy the best of 512/256. Often we have to depend on the number of users in the area and thus when more people online at the same time, our internet speed is much slower. And for RM 66 I would say it’s really expensive compare to some other countries where we could get access for a cheaper and better connection. But still we continue to fork out this amount every month to stay connect with World Wide Web.

Lets take a look at the smaller picture and take our very own “Hotspot” as an example. Firstly, we get free access to internet if we are a student in the university. So we register our identity, configuring the computers and plus some hassle here and there, wah la, wireless fidelity (WiFi) connection is ready. So now you are connected to the imagery world and what would you do? Let’s see; check email, (yay) check friendster (yay), check facebook (yay), check blogs (kasikampus, yay =) ) check on radio’s website for streaming (hitz.fm, era.fm, my fm) (oops, sorry- but Flyfm still can- so yay a little), check on you tube (oops, sorry) and many more.

Arent we supposed to get connected with the imagery world without being denied the chance to access to all webpages? But why are we blocked from all the video streaming? Reason being : If most students goes on to video streaming, it will jammed the network and the connection will get screwed up. So why cant the university prepare a better network for all to access all websites without using the censorship to block streaming website?

It’s a real pity that we are not given the chance to fully have access to the Internet. Some say that if it’s for education purposes, we can ask to be allowed. But why the hassle to fill up forms and submit it to the administrator and they will review and finally give you the nod to access to streaming webpages when internet café is just minutes away from campus where you can go access as many webpages as you like. Wouldnt it be better to give it all to students and just, JUST prepared a decent connection to us?

Blocking on streaming webpages is not only the case, when we sometimes or rather most of the times have hard times connecting to the WiFi service. Sadly for me during my 1st year, I could not receive any connection from my hostel thus I resort to curi-curi use others connection from the outside (nearby housing area). If not, I will just go back home. I thought our campus was equipped with WiFi all around but sadly it was in certain places and some till now, could not access the net. I was lucky to move in to the newly upgraded hostel at Bakti and enjoying the WiFi service. But it has been up and down though. Guess the administrator said we couldn’t complaint much and be thankful for all the services that was given to us and not abuse them.

Oh, and firewall on the campus network very hard to trust cause we are always prone to get attack by viruses and anti-virus provided by administrator is just useless. We still get attacked all the time. I remembered following Aainaa to Pusat Komputer last week and that she asked the person to install the most powerful anti-virus. I laughed before the person say we only have this.. (Symantec, AVG) , so if you want powerful ones, you just need to buy the original.. Sadly, our plight as a student to enjoy hassle free internet has not been a smooth one but enduring the webpage to open, ticking minutes with minutes is an agony process.

When will our pleas be heard?