TM Net

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 It has been suggested that some of the information in this article's Criticism or Controversy section(s) be merged into other sections to achieve a more neutral presentation. (Discuss)
TM Net Sdn. Bhd.
Type PLC
Founded 1995
Headquarters Cyberjaya, Malaysia
Key people Jeremy Kung (CEO)
Industry Internet service provider
Parent TM Bhd.
Website http://www.tm.net.my/
TM Net headquarters
TM Net headquarters

TM Net is a Malaysian ISP which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the government linked TM Bhd. The company holds a near monopoly for Internet service in Malaysia, largely because almost all the last mile connections in the country are owned by TM Bhd.

Contents

[edit] History

TM Net was established in 1995 by the then state-owned and now government linked telecommunications company, TM Bhd. formerly known as Telekom Malaysia Bhd.

[edit] Products and services

TM Net offers DSL broadband access under the brandname Streamyx. For the Streamyx ADSL service, subscribers are offered speeds between 384kbit/s and 4 Mbit/s.

[edit] Criticism of TM Net

TM Net has been criticised locally on a range of issues. This section outlines some of the criticisms faced by TM Net.

[edit] Poor speed and reliability

TM Net subscribers have complained about slow speeds and the general lack of reliability of connections provided. However TM Net’s terms states, like those of other ISPs around the world, that "the service they provide is based on a best effort basis",[1] meaning that connections are not guaranteed to perform at their advertised theoretical speeds. Lower than advertised performance could be due to ageing copper lines, insufficient bandwidth, high contention ratios , or simply the effect of a lack of competition. In light of this, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has outlined mandatory standards for quality of service[2], it is however unclear if the standards are being enforced or whether TM Net currently meets these standards.

[edit] Last mile monopoly and lack of competition

Unlike the EU, Malaysia has passed little legislation for the unbundling of last mile connections[3]. This gives little chance for other companies to compete with TM Net. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has made a limited concession toward unbundling through its Access List Determination[4], although industry players remain sceptical[5].

[edit] Peer-to-peer connection throttling

TM Net's view on P2P usage is that it is 'unfair'[6], and implements traffic shaping, in line with its Fair Usage Policy[7]. Throttling P2P usage is at odds with TM Net's marketing of 'unlimited' broadband.

[edit] Customer initiatives

Malaysian political blogger Jeff Ooi proposed setting up a Streamyx SIG (Special Interest Group). Despite some initial success[8], the SIG is no longer functional.

[edit] References

  1. ^ :: TMNET :: Products - Streamyx - things you should know
  2. ^ COMMUNICATIONS AND MULTIMEDIA ACT 1998
  3. ^ http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/speeches/text/sp2001_043_en.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.mcmc.gov.my/what_we_do/access/pdf/FAQ%20UPDATED%20-%20310107.pdf
  5. ^ theedgedaily.com
  6. ^ TM Net - Promotions
  7. ^ TM Net - Products & Services - Personal
  8. ^ Screenshots: Calling Streamyx users in Klang Valley

[edit] External links