KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has received several proposals from third-parties which are keen to help deliver the government’s Nationwide Fiberisation Plan (NFP).
The NFP, which is undertaken jointly by TNB and Telekom Malaysia Bhd, is aimed at expanding high speed internet access nationwide and bring down cost of the service.
President and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Azman Mohd said TNB was open to any third parties who could add value to the broadband fiberisation network, especially those with infrastructure.
He, however, said the infrastructure should not be owned or developed by so many people because it is going to be duplicative, and will not contribute to a better pricing or doubling the speed requirement for broadband penetration in Malaysia.
“I think it’s logical to explore an option where infrastructure players would be actually devising a way to make it accessible to the public,” he told reporters after the soft launch of the Conference of the Electric Power Supply Industry (CEPSI) 2018, here today.
On Tuesday, TNB and TM inked a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop an implementation plan to deliver the NFP.
The development followed government's appointment of Broadnet Network Sdn Bhd to undertake the NFP project with a RM1.5 billion incentive provided by the government.
Azman said it is logical to partner with a firm that has the necessary infrastructure.
“The owners of the high-speed fibre infrastructure in Malaysia are TNB and TM. If you want to make it a success, we have to get these infrastructure combined together so they can allow open access to the people,” he added.
Meanwhile, TNB is hosting CEPSI 2018 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here from Sept 17-22.
Azman the conference will address issues related to power supply, including megatrends, sustainability, energy trilemma, digitalisation and smarter future.
“We are expecting over 1,500 delegates, industry leaders and players in the electricity supply industry and energy from East Asia and the Western Pacific at the conference,” he added.
Azman, who also the Association of the Electricity Supply Industry of East Asia and Western Pacific president, said some 250 power utilities and suppliers will display their products, services and leading edge technologies during the conference.
CEPSI 2018, themed, “Reimagining Utility of the Future” will underpin the current scenario of how the electric supply industry is transforming in response the emergence and convergence of technology disruptions, economic shifts, evolving sustainability and regulatory requirements, as well as increasing customer expectations.