KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) have formed a strategic partnership that will see the two government-linked companies collaborating in multiple areas.

Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked yesterday, Petronas and TM would implement five clusters by leveraging each other’s strengths and shared values, the two companies said in a joint statement released today.

Among others, they will work on increasing the adoption of Petronas products among TM employees, starting with Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PDB) extending its SMARTPay services to TM staff.

This, they said would allow cashless payments and increased operational efficiencies while providing significant savings on fuel costs each year for TM.

"Additionally, PDB and TM will be developing the next generation network infrastructure to enhance the former’s retail network and improve the customer service delivery at PDB stations,” they said.

The national oil company, through its technology arm Petronas ICT, will also explore a "data centre of the future” with TM.

"This would involve digitising Petronas’ data assets to improve data security, as well as enhance user experience,” the companies said.

The partnership will also see Petronas and TM exploring a smart park concept for the Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park, an initiative aimed at not only improving the experience of patrons using the car park, but also the safety and security at the facility.

Petronas President and Group Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin said leading Malaysian companies must take the lead in collaborating for greater success.

"As we discover new ideas and strengthen our connections, I hope that this collaboration will not only provide benefits to Petronas and TM, but also to our industries, our customers and the nation,” he said. — Bernama