Wireless Broadband

"Wireless Internet Broadband Available here! Danawa - SACOFA" the banner screamed as I droved through my housing area. Those words were like magnet to me - at last I said, Wireless Internet - something new to try.

The advertisement banner

Fixing the broadband reciever

Contractors on my house's roof

The DANAWA technician configuring my wireless broadband connection

Speed Test

Another Speed Opinion

Those words caught my eyes as the banners were put up along our housing area. I told myself, why not? After experiencing the unpredictibality of streamyx in my previous home, I had decided that I would try this wireless broadband package offered by SACOFA. I will be giving it a month or two of trial and providing the performance rating to their technicians. After all the tower is loacted at the top of The Summit Condos in BDC Kuching which happens to be near my area - so speed should not be much of a problem if they can solve it. Though, at this point in time the speed lingers between 250k and 338k at times, I believe they are trying to improve this glitch.

Now at the time of Blogging this I discovered that the Sacofa Sdn Bhd website was down (Does that mean trouble). So, for those who do not know what Sacofa is about i guess I will explain below:

Sacofa is concession holder to be the provider of telecommunication infrastructure in Sarawak. Sacofa was granted a 20-year concession to build and operate telecommunication towers in Sarawak by the State Government of Sarawak in 2002. Today, Sacofa is the license holder of the following licences awarded by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (‘MCMC) :-

1. Individual Network Facilities Provider License

2. Individual Network Service Provider License

3. Class Application Network Service Provider License

I do realise that the State Government intends to transform Sacofa as its Technology and Telecommunication (T&T) flagship. I was encourgaed more by the report below:

According to Red Orbit Online News:

Sacofa 950km Cable Job a Success SACOFA Sdn Bhd, a Sarawak State Government-backed company, has successfully laid a 950km long fibre optic cables on the seabed of the South China Sea, linking Buntal in Kuching to Mersing in Johor. The "East-West Submarine Cable System", which has a capacity of 20 gigabytes, will enable broadband services to be more easily available to the public, said Sarawak State Secretary Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain. Aziz said the presence of this fibre optic system will enable broadband services to be more easily available to the people. "There is no doubt the usage of the Internet for social, economic and education purposes will increase with this new system," he said at the soft launch in Kuching recently. Aziz added that one of the broadband services he foresees becoming popular in the future is tele-conferencing, or holding meetings online. Sacofa's managing director-cum-chief executive officer Abang Jemat Abang Bujang said the submarine cable system project started in mid-2003 and was completed in the first quarter of 2004.

So I guess I would better jump in and look this latest product of wireless broadband. After all I work with the State Government, who else could could provide a more honest feedback (I was tempted to use the word 'critic'). I did question the Sacofa boss, Abang Jemat b. Abg Bujang during the Betong Development Seminar in March 2005 about the potential of introducing wireless broadband in Betong Division. It will jumpstart the broadband revolution in the rural areas - and ultimately narrow that digital divide between urban and rural dwellers. I am excited about the prospect.

At this moment they are offering two packages - the 512k costs about RM99 per month and the 1 MB costs RM180 per month. Installation charge is RM100. Danawa, the subsidiary offering the broadband can be contacted at 082 252039 or o82 238209. Currently Danawa does not have any website that I know of (I shall hint on the areas they need to improve whn I meet Abg Jemat next time around). The most I could find out about Danawa in the net was its other name is Danawa Resources (DARES) Sdn Bhd. The major milestones to date was the report that broadband is available in the Lower Rajang Area according to the STIDC Online News. I would say its slow progress but at least they are moving in the right direction.

I am very much interested in this capability because it offers some prospect for broadband to be introduced to other rural areas like Kapit, Song and the interior. To date, I am looking forward to a better performance of Danawa's development - so stay tuned.