KUALA LUMPUR (April 19): Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PetDagang) said it is collaborating with Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) to upgrade over 1,000 Petronas stations nationwide with next-generation network infrastructure.

A joint statement by the two companies said the upgrade will be carried out by TM through its enterprise and public sector business solutions arm, TM One.

“We are excited to embark on a new chapter of our digital transformation journey for our retail business,” PetDagang managing director and CEO Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin was quoted as saying at an event today to exchange the collaboration documents to formalise the partnership.

“The nationwide upgrade is necessary as the new technology will allow PetDagang the capacity and support to introduce more digital-based innovations for our customers, such as the Setel app,” Syed Zainal said.

The Setel mobile application is South East Asia’s first e-payment app of its kind which allows users to purchase fuel directly from the comfort of their vehicles.

With the network upgrade, PetDagang said its network of stations will be able to accept more digital-based functions that will change the way customers interact within the stations. Other possible enhancements at the stations include self-service kiosk, gamification, enhanced payment system, integrated mobile services and unique personalised offerings.

Today’s partnership also sees PetDagang extending its SMARTPay services to TM staff, which would allow cashless payments and increased operational efficiencies while providing significant savings on the annual fuel costs for TM.

“We are indeed privileged and honoured to be entrusted by PetDagang to enable their exciting digital transformation journey nationwide,” said TM acting group CEO Imri Mokhtar.

“Lveraging on TM One’s comprehensive digital solutions enabled by high performance connectivity and digital infrastructure, we will be able to fulfill the dynamic sophisticated needs of the oil and gas industry in today’s hyper-connected environment,” he said.

“As an enabler of Malaysia’s Digital Nation aspirations, TM through TM One is committed to play our strategic role in building a more digital business and government through Digital Solutions and Connectivity,” he added.

Today’s collaboration follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and TM in April 2018, where both groups committed to increase their respective operational excellence and enhance customer experience, leveraging on each other’s strengths and shared values.