KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has etched its name as the first entity to embrace a private 5G network, a significant milestone in Malaysia's push to digitalise the economy.
"The ripple effect of this adoption will be felt across various sectors. It will inspire other industries to follow suit, fostering a competitive environment where innovation and efficiency are paramount," Deputy Prime Minister and Plantation and Commodities Minister, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said at the launch of 5G Private Network Adoption today.
The deployment of the Petronas 5G Private Network is not just an achievement for one company; it is a milestone for the entire nation.
Fadillah said the deployment of the Petronas 5G Private Network sets the stage for a dynamic partnership between the government, private sector, and academia.
He added that it presents an opportunity for collaborative efforts to fully unlock the potential of 5G technology.
"This collaboration will create an environment where innovation thrives, allowing us to harness the complete capabilities of 5G."Additionally, a core focus will be on nurturing local talent, ensuring that our workforce possesses the skills and expertise necessary to propel our digital future forward," he said.
To date, Malaysia has received recognition from independent analytics companies Opensignal and Ookla on its efforts to become a global leader in 5G connectivity.
Malaysia is also well on track in its target to achieve 80 per cent 5G network coverage in populated areas by the end of 2023.
"The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in working closely with mobile service providers to deploy 5G standalone networks will foster more use case development across industries in Malaysia.
"As of September 2023, Malaysia's 5G network coverage in populated areas stands at 70.2 per cent, with 5G subscriptions totaling 2.49 million, translating to 7.4 per cent penetration rate," said Fadillah.
Sharing on the benefits of 5G, Petronas senior vice president, project delivery and technology Datuk Bacho Pilong said the deployment of the 5G private network at Regasification Terminal Sungai Udang (RGTSU) in Melaka, has improved operational efficiency and safety, supporting its business and sustainability targets.
By combining 5G with Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and automation, Pilong said the company is putting Petronas as among the leaders in the global technological race.
"This will also ensure we meet the demands of supplying safe, reliable, cost-optimised and emission-abated energy solutions for Malaysia and our customers globally," he said.
Pilong said Petronas is focused on delivering energy in a just, responsible, cost-optimised and emissions abated manner, for Malaysia and its customers across the world by creating a resilient technology ecosystem.
He said this includes adopting 5G in its facilities as the benefits of 5G for industry transformation is enormous as the group has seen through the results shown in its pilot location in Sungai Udang.
Very soon, three more assets in Sarawak, Terengganu and another one in Melaka will also be 5G-ready.
"In fact, plans are in place for the implementation of 5G in approximately 10 onshore facilities, and over 20 offshore facilities from 2024 onwards.
"We are confident that the speed of connectivity and reliability enabled by 5G will boost the performance of solutions that we have deployed at our assets in these respective states," he added.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/business/corporate/2023/10/965305/5g-private-network-adoption-will-have-ripple-effect