KUALA LUMPUR, 26 APRIL 2024 – PETRONAS and CelcomDigi are collaborating to accelerate digital transformation and sustainability efforts for the energy industry, leveraging the power of 5G.

The collaboration was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Aadrin Azly, PETRONAS' Vice President of Group Technology and Commercialisation; Albern Murty, CelcomDigi's Deputy Chief Executive Officer, and Shah Yang Razalli, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Gentari and Chief Executive Officer of Gentari Green Mobility. Mohd Yusri Mohamed Yusof, PETRONAS' Senior Vice President, Project Delivery and Technology was also present at the signing ceremony.

The two-year strategic collaboration will see PETRONAS and CelcomDigi explore potential techno-digital industrial efforts using 5G technology to enable continuous improvements across PETRONAS' operations.

Additionally, the collaboration will also look into opportunities to integrate clean energy solutions into CelcomDigi's enterprise offerings to drive adoption among Malaysian businesses.

PETRONAS' Vice President, Group Technology and Commercialisation, Aadrin Azly said, "PETRONAS plays a major role in supporting the national technology agenda towards fortifying Malaysia's international standing in innovation. We pioneered the adoption of 5G technology for enterprise in Malaysia last year when we successfully adopted the 5G private network at its Regasification Terminal Sungai Udang (RGTSU) and witnessed increased efficiency in our operations.

He added, "This partnership offers us a great opportunity to expand the power of 5G for our enterprise and the wider community. 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."

CelcomDigi's Deputy CEO Albern Murty said, "The MoU presents an opportunity to accelerate the modernisation of oil and gas operations powered by 5G connectivity. In the last five years, we have worked closely with PETRONAS to implement private 4G LTE networks on offshore platforms and test digital use cases. Together, we have realised practical digital applications for rig operations; 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' openness to explore new approaches for work and innovation is instrumental to this steady pace of testing and implementation, a mindset that will drive good delivery momentum for our future collaboration.

We look forward to scale 5G-related improvements across other business areas, leveraging real-time connectivity and data analytics to optimise operations and actualise our shared clean energy aspirations for the oil and gas sector."

A solid partnership track record sets a strong foundation to accelerate digital adoption

PETRONAS and CelcomDigi have a longstanding partnership, which began in 2019, with the implementation of the first private 4G LTE network on Angsi, one of the largest offshore platforms for PETRONAS. Since then, the collaboration has resulted in 21 fully 4G connected offshore platforms. Additionally, both parties also collaborated to improve and optimise connectivity infrastructures in PETRONAS plants – enabling consistent connectivity to power digital solutions that enhance the operational efficiency of plants.

The latest project is the deployment of the first full-fledged private 5G network on Kasawari Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), PETRONAS' flagship offshore platform near Sarawak. Leveraging 5G and best practices in oil and gas solutions, Kasawari will be a test bed for 5G use cases, activating more digital innovations. Building on the strong foundation of deploying private networks in the last five years, successful use cases can be adopted for other connected offshore platforms, paving the way for PETRONAS to modernise its operations and unlock new sustainability practices rapidly.

‍