The Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), a government-owned power distribution utility, has selected Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter (PDF) platform to modernize its digital billing infrastructure after investing in substantially expanding nationwide electricity access. The solution will support the utility’s smart meter rollout to deliver enhanced, digitized customer care and billing services to its 35 million customers.

Servicing a customer base with some of the lowest average power bills in the world (typically less than $1 USD per bill), BREB’s infrastructure development projects are of critical importance to improving economic growth and quality of life in Bangladesh. BREB states that its rural electrification efforts have already helped to increase per capita income by $3,000 over the last decade through job creation, expanded hours of operation, increased worker mobility, and other factors.

In its next investment phase, BREB will adopt 500,000 prepaid smart meters supported by Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter, with plans to later expand to five million smart meters across the nation. Oracle partner Oculin Tech BD Ltd will support the implementation of a data center and its interoperability among the devices to be installed in the future.

“To continue progressing the Smart Bangladesh mission through rural and semi-rural electrification we need proven solutions that support more efficient customer billing and digital self-service activities,” said Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Project Director, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board. “The demonstrated success of the partnership between Oracle and Oculin Tech in Bangladesh with projects like NESCO and DPDC, combined with Oracle’s flexible, integrated billing and meter data management capabilities, gave us that confidence that this was the right solution for our requirements.”

Powerful, integrated customer connections

Capable of scaling to serve the world’s largest utilities, Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter helps organizations of all sizes flexibly adapt as the industry evolves. The platform delivers leading Customer Information Systems (CIS) with full advanced metering capabilities in a single solution. The offering runs on a single database and user interface. Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter’s robust billing and rating engine, combined with pre-built integrations to head-end and Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) systems, enables the utility to flexibly accommodate both prepaid and postpay customers through the same digital billing infrastructure. This gives BREB better agility to adapt to future needs and optimize smart meter investments.

Supporting ‘Smart Bangladesh’

With smart meter data collection and analysis by Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter, BREB can use aggregate consumption data and billing determinants to improve billing accuracy and collection. This digitized billing process supports better visibility and control to customers around their electricity consumption and costs, while supporting grid efficiency through improved load management forecasting. BREB customers also benefit from the convenience of essential self-service transactions, such as bill payments, autopay, payment arrangements, paperless billing, utility program enrollment, usage inquiries, and communications.

“Given its complex customer needs and vital charter, BREB needed solutions that simplify customer care and metering operations while providing more valuable connections to its customers,” said Rubaba Dowla, managing director, Oracle Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. “Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter platform will enable BREB to seamlessly expand smart meters over time and benefit from improved, centralized visibility into smart meter and device data from across its network.”

Oracle has a proven track record of advanced metering projects in Bangladesh and across the globe. To learn more about Oracle Energy and Water solutions visit here.