Malaysian telco U Mobile has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaysian renewable firm HLGY Energy to develop a portfolio of 5G-supported smart solar farms across the country.

Under the terms of the MoU, the companies will jointly explore the use of 5G networks to monitor and manage solar farms. According to the partners, the tie-up will focus on determining how U Mobile’s ULTRA5G network can enable industrial automation and remote monitoring across large solar farms. In addition, the companies aim to explore how to assess applications that utilize drones, surveillance systems, and the use of AI.

As part of the agreement, U Mobile will act as HLGY’s innovation, automation, and communications infrastructure provider. This will involve the company tracking the performance of solar inverters, photovoltaic arrays, and other electrical equipment through digital monitoring. The partners have not disclosed what form of network architecture they will use for the system, nor the system's coverage area or how it will integrate with existing physical monitoring equipment.

Proposed applications under the agreement could include autonomous drone inspections, AI-powered analytics, and smart CCTV surveillance.

How Lih Ren, chief business officer of U Mobile, said: “This collaboration will demonstrate how U Mobile’s ULTRA5G network can enable the next generation of smart and sustainable infrastructure. By combining private 5G connectivity with AI and industrial automation, we aim to help HLGY Energy develop renewable energy assets that are safer, more efficient, and increasingly autonomous.”

Kenneth Yap, chairman and executive director of HLGY Energy, added: “Malaysia’s green energy transition needs renewable energy infrastructure that is reliable, efficient, and built for the future. Our collaboration with U Mobile brings together solar energy expertise and private 5G connectivity to explore how AI and automation can improve the way we operate and manage our solar assets.”

According to HLGY, the MoU is expected to support its longer-term renewable energy plans, including opportunities under the Malaysian government’s Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS) framework. The company has not publicly disclosed its total installed capacity, but owns and operates several utility-scale solar projects in Malaysia, including the Kedah Rubber City Solar Power Plant, at which the 5G monitoring system is expected to be deployed.

Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, U Mobile is Malaysia’s third-largest mobile network operator, with more than nine million subscribers.