TNB initiates national connectivity plan pilot project

KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has initiated a pilot project in Jasin, Melaka this month to assess the technical, safety and commercial viability of using TNB’s electrical infrastructure for the government’s National Connectivity Plan (NCP) that will allow faster, cheaper and wider Internet accessibility.

“The pilot project, to be completed by the end of 2018, will cover 1,100 out of 4,300 houses in three areas, namely Taman Merbau, Taman Maju and Felda Kemendor, in Jasin,” TNB Chairman, Tan Sri Leo Moggie said in a statement. 

Moggie said households would gain access to high speed broadband (HSBB) network that will be made available through TNB’s owned fibre optics which forms part of the company’s existing telecommunication network.

“Telecommunications system has always been an integral part of the utility industry. For TNB, we have been developing our telecommunication network all these years,” he said. 

He explained that the national electricity corporation’s telecommunication network now uses fibre optics technology as part of the electricity grid operation’s design and requirements to ensure high reliability of electricity supply nationwide.

TNB, with full support from the Ministry of Communication & Multimedia Malaysia and the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change has earlier been invited to participate in the NCP to help expedite the delivery of this program.

The pilot project will be the platform to test the concept of open access. The platform is expected to stimulate active participation from new and existing providers in backhaul and retail broadband that will create competition that should push broadband prices down for the benefit of Malaysians.