Malaysian multinational oil and gas company Petronas has opened a private 5G network at its liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex in Bintulu, on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak in Malaysia. National mobile operator Telekom Malaysia has handled the deployment, alongside Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB; National Digital Limited), a special-purpose vehicle company owned by the government’s Ministry of Finance to drive 5G development in the country.
The Bintulu site, billed as one of the largest single-site LNG plants in the world, is the fourth Petronas facility in the region to deploy a private 5G network; its first was opened at its regasification terminal in Sungai Udang, in Malacca, in 2022. The plant at Bintulu has a production capacity of 29.8 million tonnes per annum. A statement said the new private 5G network will improve productivity and operational efficiency across critical production processes.
There is no word on spectrum usage. Telekom Malaysia said it will work with Petronas to “explore opportunities to transform the energy industry through potentially expanding the distribution of private 5G networks to newer sites for greater integration and efficiency”. The project was unveiled at a ceremony last week, attended by government ministers. In the supplied quotes, everyone mentioned AI, and most also mentioned IoT. Telekom Malaysia talked about its own “aspiration” to be a “digital powerhouse by 2030”.
Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital, said at a ceremony: “5G is among the key technologies… in the energy sector. [It] helps to streamline the growing complexity in operational activities. Increased use of 5G-enabled intelligent systems such as industrial IoT, drones, robotics, AR/VR, and AI enhances operational efficiency and safety. Energy companies around the world are racing to modernise their operations, and I applaud [these companies] for taking the lead in digitalising Malaysia’s energy sector.”
Abang Yusuf Abang Pute, senior vice president of LNG assets at Petronas, said: “Petronas is positioning itself at the forefront of the global technological race while meeting the evolving demands of the energy landscape. The integration of 5G with IoT, AI, and automation will streamline workflows, increase productivity by automating data collection, while enhancing safety across all levels.”
Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, group chief executive at Telekom Malaysia, said: “This private 5G deployment is the next phase in [our] long-standing partnership with Petronas to future-proof its businesses for a sustainable future. Leveraging on advanced technologies like AI, enterprise 5G is expected to yield optimum operational efficiencies for its… reliable connection, real-time monitoring and analytics as well as remote maintenance. This collaboration will further catalyse digital innovation and industry adoption – which are key to ensure business resiliency in the future.”