Malaysian utility Sarawak Energy has signed a 15-year contract with Itron to deploy 180,000 advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) endpoints in a network-as-a-service agreement.

Syarikat Sesco Berhad (Sesco), a subsidiary of Sarawak Energy, an energy development and vertically integrated electrical utility company in Sarawak, Malaysia, signed the contract to deploy Itron’s industrial IoT offering.

This should help Sarawak Energy improve operational efficiency and consumer engagement, includes Itron’s communications network for 180,000 AMI endpoints as well as Operations Optimizer and Utility IQ (UIQ) software-as-a-service. As part of the 15-year contract, Sarawak Energy will leverage Itron’s network-as-a-service (NaaS) to deploy, monitor and maintain the communications network.

In 2018, Sarawak Energy collaborated with Itron on a project to deploy and operate Itron’s IIoT network, including a pilot for 6000 AMI endpoints. With the implementation of the pilot, Sarawak Energy has now progressed to the next phase and awarded Itron with an expanded deployment of 180,000 AMI endpoints.

As a NaaS contract, Itron will manage the network and the UIQ headend software suite on Sarawak Energy’s behalf to collect and manage consumption data. Sarawak Energy will also use Itron’s Operations Optimizer analytics software to improve operational efficiency and develop business processes and workflows by leveraging insights from various internal and external data sources.

“With our open, standards-based network, Sarawak Energy will be able to easily and efficiently improve customer service, safety and operational efficiency,” said Don Reeves, senior vice president at Itron. “With such a high success rate from our pilot deployment in 2018, we are thrilled to continue the expansion of this project with our long-term customer, Sarawak Energy.”

Sarawak Energy is an energy development company and a vertically integrated power utility with a vision to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for Sarawak by meeting the region’s need for reliable and renewable energy, providing electricity to three million Sarawakians in urban and rural areas.

With 100 years of experience, Sarawak Energy aspires to become a digital utility by 2025 and has embarked on a mission to improve its service continuously by integrating technologies and best industry practices, while continuing to offer safe, reliable and competitively priced power in the region.

Washington-based Itron enables utilities and cities to deliver safely, securely and reliably critical infrastructure to communities in more than 100 countries. Its portfolio of smart networks, software, services, meters and sensors helps its customers manage electricity, gas and water resources for the people they serve.