Communication Technology Options for Better Customer Experience – The Case of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) at TNB

Abstract

Malaysia’s Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has become the first electric utility provider in the ASEAN region to embark on the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project. The first phase of this project involves over 340,000 ordinary power consumers (domestic and low voltage commercial customers) in the state of Melaka. The deployment of smart meters for the first phase started in January 2018 and is scheduled to complete by the end of the second quarter of 2019. The second phase will cover selected areas in the Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Selangor) involving 1.2 million ordinary power consumers for the Regulatory Period (RP) 2 (2018-2020). AMI is an integrated system with a communication network being one of its primary components apart from smart meters, meter data management system and back-end IT systems. Radio Frequency (RF), Power Line Communication (PLC) and Public Cellular Network are the three main communication technology options used in the first phase in Melaka. Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses, depending on the various situations and requirements, and the technology adopted may differ for other utilities. This paper shares the experience and challenges faced during the implementation process and the performance of the network.