Malaysian telco CelcomDigi announced on Friday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with energy company Petronas to develop private 5G solutions and digital apps for the oil and gas sector.
Under the two-year strategic collaboration plan, CelcomDigi and Petronas will explore potential use cases in which 5G and digital technologies could improve Petronas’ operations.
The two companies will also look into opportunities to integrate clean energy solutions into CelcomDigi’s enterprise offerings to drive adoption among Malaysian businesses.
Petronas – which has been using private 4G networks since 2019 – first began using private 5G last year at its liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal in Sungai Udang. The company says the technology has increased efficiency in its operations.
More recently, Petronas installed a private 5G network on Kasawari Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), its flagship offshore platform near Sarawak Petronas said that Kasawari will serve as a test bed for 5G use cases and digital applications for other offshore platforms, said CelcomDigi deputy CEO Albern Murty.
“In the last five years, we have worked closely with Petronas to implement private 4G LTE networks on [21] offshore platforms and test digital use cases. Together, we have realised practical digital applications for rig operations,” he said in a statement. “For example, what used to be an edge test case of ‘connected rig workers’ is now a must-have to keep rig workers productive and safe.”
Petronas VP of group technology and commercialisation, Aadrin Azly, added that the partnership offers the company an opportunity to expand its 5G experience not only across its own operations, but to the entire energy sector. “We envision building a robust network infrastructure that’s able to cater to the growing demand for reliable access to high-speed internet within the oil and gas sector.”
