Rejoice people, Independence Day of Malaysia is just around the corner!

This time around, we will not only be celebrating the independence of our beloved country and the exploits of Datuk (soon-to-be-conferred) Lee Chong Wei in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

So what else are we celebrating? Malaysians have plenty to celebrate indeed, Avril Lavigne's concert will be going on, the oil price has been reduced and last but not least, the stranglehold on local internet service held by TMNET (a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad) might finally be broken by the imminent launch of WiMAX in Malaysia.

While the major WiMAX players have been rather quiet, P1 W1MAX is flexing its mighty muscles everywhere. YTL e-Solutions Berhad is expected to launch its WiMAX services in these few days.

What? You did not hear about P1 W1MAX yet until now? They are ubiquitous, their modem has been featured on a local Chinese daily, they have a pre-launch trial for consumers in the most recent PIKOM PC Fair and they officially launched their WiMAX service on 19th August 2008 in Mandarin Oriental, KL.

Unfortunately I have not been able to attend the event despite being invited by virtue of owning a (self-proclaimed) popular blog. However, I have included some photos of the event below, just to show you how grand the event was. I wish I was there. Special thanks to Danny Foo for giving me permission to post his photos of the event here.

I will be writing another post soon to discuss about the packages offered by P1. Hopefully by then, other WiMAX providers have also launched their services. Then I might be able to compare between the different providers' packages and try to identify the best solutions for home (and maybe corporate) users. Until next time... If you would like to find out more about P1 W1MAX, see below - I found the advertorial in my free Hotmail email service, too bad they have limited coverage now, which means I have to rely on Streamyx a little longer...

Yes, you probably have heard about it. Taking opportunity of the recent PC Fair, one licensed WiMAX provider has offered WiMAX for trials to the speed-hungry internet users who don't mind spending more (or not?).

During my foray in the crowded convention center (KL lar), I failed to spot the said WiMAX provider, but I see that many people are holding that particular company's paper bag, I wonder what other goodies are offered. Err, go find out yourself lar which company is that, bad mood already, did not get to find out about the trials' terms and conditions.

So WiMAX is inevitable now, Streamyx (TM) better take notice! What are the possible effects of WiMAX in Malaysia?

1. Increased competition among internet service providers (TM, Maxis, Celcom, Jaring and the WiMAX providers).
2. Increased internet user base (especially those in the rural areas).
3. There will be increased money spending and business on the internet.
4. More offline job opportunities to support the online activities.
5. ASTRO & Cable TV will face competition too, online TV and streaming content will become popular.
6. Free internet connection in public places? ("Yes, I have a dream, ...").
7. More gadgets and devices will integrate wireless connections.
8. Possible Internet-on-the-Go services via WiMAX.
9. Better technology makes human lazier, resulting in obesity, bad health, ...
10. Perhaps there will not be much effects after all, WiMAX in its initial implementation will closely mimic wireless broadband, its full effects in the near future remains to be seen...

Err, above effects due to WiMAX implementation are purely my own opinions, you can disagree. To the less tech-savvy, I have this message for you: Aiya, let WiMAX come lar, nothing much to concern you lar (unless you have been looking for a faster and more stable internet service).

I see one licensed WiMAX provider company making great efforts to conquer the market, what about the others? Do you hear anything about them?