Fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks are expanding the possibilities for digital healthcare. Hospitals and technology companies are testing how high-speed connectivity, low latency and dedicated network capacity can support remote ultrasound, medical imaging, connected medical devices and digitally integrated hospital operations.
The shift is not simply about faster internet. Healthcare applications may need to transmit large medical images, maintain real-time video connections and connect multiple devices while protecting sensitive patient information. Network performance can influence whether these applications work reliably, particularly in emergency care and other time-sensitive settings.
Projects in Germany, India, Singapore, the United States and France illustrate how healthcare providers and telecommunications companies are approaching these requirements. However, the evidence varies. Some projects have demonstrated technical feasibility, while others remain in the trial or planned-deployment stage. The distinction matters when assessing the technology’s clinical value and commercial readiness.
Connected Ambulances: Bringing Medical Expertise Closer to the Patient
Emergency care begins before a patient reaches the hospital. Ambulance teams may need to transmit patient data and diagnostic images while consulting specialists remotely.
5G-connected ambulances can support real-time audio, video and ultrasound transmission, allowing hospital specialists to assess patients and guide paramedics before arrival. However, clinical benefits depend on image quality, network reliability, staff availability and integration into emergency workflows.
A German study measured the technical performance
A study published in JMIR Formative Research in 2022 examined a 5G-enabled emergency telemedicine system that transmitted ultrasound images and video between an ambulance and a remote hospital. Researchers associated with the Technical University of Munich and Huawei evaluated the system’s technical performance and clinical usability.
The field test recorded the following results:
| Measure | Reported result |
| Average end-to-end round-trip latency | 10 milliseconds |
| Average ultrasound image traffic | 4 Mbps |
| Average video-stream traffic | 12 Mbps |
| Doctors involved in the clinical evaluation | 20 |
The study tested the connection under simulated network congestion, where competing data traffic reduced video quality and increased latency. Without network slicing, video throughput fell to 8 Mbps. Applying network slicing helped restore performance by allocating differentiated network resources to selected applications.
Network slicing can prioritise clinical data traffic over less time-sensitive services, depending on network configuration and service guarantees.
The findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of transmitting ultrasound and video data over a 5G network. However, they do not establish improvements in survival rates, emergency department waiting times or other patient outcomes.
The study’s limitations include a single field test and a clinical assessment involving just 20 doctors. Larger studies under real emergency conditions are needed to assess performance in routine clinical practice.
Remote ultrasound trials in India
In November 2021, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Ericsson demonstrated remote ultrasound using a 5G trial network in Pune, operating across the 3.5 GHz mid-band and 26 GHz millimetre-wave spectrum.
The trial explored how a doctor in an urban centre could conduct an ultrasound examination on a patient in a remote rural location using connected equipment and 5G infrastructure. The approach could extend access to specialist expertise where local healthcare resources are limited.
However, this remained a demonstration, not evidence of routine deployment across rural India or improved clinical outcomes at scale. Wider implementation would require suitable medical equipment, trained personnel, reliable power and connectivity, secure patient-data handling, and clear clinical responsibilities.
Remote Medical Imaging: Moving Large Data Files More Efficiently
Medical imaging systems generate large files that clinicians must access across departments and facilities. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans often need to be transferred to diagnostic workstations or specialist teams for review.
5G can support faster image transfers and remote imaging applications, complementing existing wired networks, Wi-Fi and medical-image storage systems rather than replacing them.
This can benefit clinicians reviewing images away from imaging equipment or collaborating across locations. However, performance depends not only on network speed but also on image-processing systems, storage infrastructure, application design and clinical access controls.
A Deployed 5G Network at a US Healthcare Facility
The US Department of Veterans Affairs and Verizon have explored 5G-enabled healthcare applications at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System through a private 5G deployment.
Applications include augmented-reality-assisted presurgical guidance using 3D representations of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, virtual-reality-based medical training and other visualisation tools. These technologies allow surgeons and trainees to interact with 3D anatomical information through immersive displays.
5G supports the delivery of data-intensive clinical content, but it is only one part of the system. Performance also depends on imaging software, visualisation hardware, data accuracy and clinical validation. Network deployment alone does not demonstrate improved surgical accuracy or patient outcomes.
Smart Hospitals: Building Networks Around Clinical Operations
Hospitals rely on connected devices, electronic records and digital systems for clinical care and facility management. These systems have different connectivity needs, from routine internet access to high-resolution image transmission and real-time clinical applications.
Private 5G networks and neutral-host infrastructure offer two approaches to meeting these needs. Private networks can be tailored to an organisation’s devices and applications, while neutral-host systems extend mobile coverage for multiple operators within a building. These networks can help manage device density, coverage and performance, but cybersecurity, access controls, network monitoring and clinical risk management remain essential.
United States: AdventHealth and Tampa General Hospital
In October 2025, Verizon reported that AdventHealth and Tampa General Hospital had signed agreements for neutral-host or combined neutral-host and private 5G networks.
At AdventHealth, applications include smart beds, real-time location services, wayfinding, asset tracking and connected devices. At Tampa General Hospital, the network aims to improve wireless coverage, with a private 5G core providing a foundation for potential future medical, academic and research applications.
The two projects address different needs: improving indoor mobile coverage and enabling future clinical and operational applications. However, the agreements do not confirm that every proposed application is operational or that 5G has delivered measurable clinical improvements.
Singapore: Connectivity Across the Patient Journey
Singapore’s National University Health System (NUHS) has partnered with Singtel and Ericsson on a virtual private 5G initiative covering applications such as extended-reality-assisted surgery, clinical guidance, robotics, remote patient monitoring and hospital-at-home services.
A 2024 GSMA case study documented a Singtel indoor 5G network at the National University Hospital, with 19 radio units across 10 operating theatres and three inpatient wards. The network uses the 3.5 GHz band and supports edge-cloud and network-slicing capabilities.
Edge computing processes data closer to where it is generated or used, while network slicing allocates differentiated network resources to selected services. The deployment demonstrates 5G infrastructure in a hospital setting, although other applications require separate assessment of their implementation and clinical effectiveness.
France: A Planned 5G Transformation at Bordeaux University Hospital
In January 2026, Bordeaux University Hospital and Bouygues Telecom Business announced the 5MART HO5PITAL project, which aims to extend 5G coverage across 18 hospital buildings. Initial indoor coverage was scheduled for the second half of 2026.
The planned hybrid network combines public and private connectivity, network slicing and edge computing. Proposed applications include connected medical workflows, surgical visualisation and smart glasses for clinical assistance. The three-year programme envisages introducing use cases progressively.
The project remains a planned deployment, not confirmation that all buildings and applications are operational. It illustrates a phased approach to integrating connectivity with clinical and hospital operations.
Sweden: Testing 5G Across Emergency and Hospital Operations
At Södersjukhuset in Stockholm, Ericsson describes a 5G-enabled healthcare initiative involving the hospital and telecommunications partners. The hospital employs approximately 5,000 people and handles around 130,000 emergency cases annually.
The project explores applications across the patient journey, including ambulance communications, emergency department services, medical equipment tracking and hospital facility management.
Equipment tracking is one potential operational benefit. Connected systems could help staff locate mobile devices and equipment across complex hospital environments, reducing the time and effort required. The extent of any improvement depends on tracking technology, network coverage, integration with hospital systems and staff adoption.
The project is testing 5G capabilities in a hospital setting. These use cases do not establish that every application is in routine clinical use or has delivered measurable improvements in patient safety.
Adoption Remains Uneven
Despite the range of demonstrations and deployments, adoption is not uniform. A 2026 report developed through the GSMA’s Connected Health and Community Care Accelerator initiative, in partnership with NUHS and HIMSS Asia-Pacific, surveyed 50 senior hospital decision-makers across seven Asia-Pacific markets.
The findings indicate a gap between interest and implementation:
| Adoption measure | Share of surveyed hospitals |
| Had a 5G initiative, pilot or plan | 50% |
| Had progressed to active deployment or execution | 24% |
These figures suggest that interest in 5G is more widespread than active implementation among the surveyed organisations. They should not be generalised to every hospital in Asia-Pacific: the survey included 50 decision-makers across seven markets and represents a snapshot of adoption, not a census of the region’s hospitals.
Moving from a pilot to a sustainable deployment involves more than installing radio equipment. Hospitals need a defined use case, integration with existing systems, budget, staff training, security controls and a way to measure whether the deployment improves a clinical or operational process.
What 5G Means for Healthcare Technology and Intellectual Property
The projects described above bring together several layers of technology: mobile-network infrastructure, network management, edge computing, connected medical devices, imaging applications and software for clinical workflows. Each layer can raise different intellectual property questions.
- Network infrastructure and standards: Patents may cover aspects of cellular communication, network slicing, device connectivity and other technical features. Standard-essential patents are patents that are necessary to implement a technical standard, subject to the relevant standard and patent claims. Their licensing may be governed by fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) commitments where applicable.
- Healthcare applications: Separate inventions may concern remote ultrasound workflows, medical-image transmission, connected equipment, patient monitoring or surgical visualisation. These applications may combine existing communications standards with software, medical hardware and clinical processes.
- Ownership and freedom to operate: Hospitals, telecom operators, medical-device companies and software developers may contribute different parts of a solution. Agreements should address ownership of new inventions, access to data, licensing rights and responsibilities for deployment. Patent searches and claim analysis can help identify relevant rights, but a product or project should not be assumed to infringe a patent simply because it uses 5G.
The commercial opportunity is therefore broader than network deployment. Companies developing healthcare applications need to assess their technical contribution, protect genuinely new inventions and understand the standards and third-party technologies on which their products depend.
Conclusion
5G is being used and tested in healthcare settings that extend beyond ordinary mobile connectivity. Research on connected ambulances has demonstrated the technical feasibility of transmitting ultrasound and video data with low measured latency. Hospital projects in Singapore and the United States show how private or virtual private networks can support connected devices and advanced visualisation. Initiatives in France and Sweden illustrate the wider plans for integrating connectivity into hospital infrastructure and clinical workflows.
The evidence is not uniform. Some figures come from a small research study, some examples are company-reported deployments, and others describe planned projects or applications under evaluation. These distinctions are essential when judging the maturity of the technology.
The next stage of adoption will depend on whether hospitals can move from technical demonstrations to reliable, secure and clinically useful services. Connectivity is an enabling layer. Its value will ultimately be determined by how effectively it supports medical teams, improves operational processes and meets the needs of patients.
Sources and References
- https://formative.jmir.org/2022/5/e36824/
- https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2/2021/12/vi-and-ericsson-partner-to-showcase-the-power-of-5g-to-transform-healthcare-in-india
- https://www.verizon.com/about/news/5g-va-palo-alto-health-care-system-unprecedented-care-veterans
- https://www.verizon.com/about/news/healthcare-providers-verizon-neutral-host-private-5g-networks
- https://www.gsma.com/connectivity-for-good/spectrum/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Set-asides_case-study_Singtel.pdf
- https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/networks/gsma_resources/virtual-private-5g-brings-connected-intelligent-healthcare-to-the-patient-journey-at-nuhs/
- https://www.chu-bordeaux.fr/Espace-m%C3%A9dia/Communiqu%C3%A9-de-presse/CP-5MART-HO5PITAL-VDEF-14.01.26.pdf/
- https://www.ericsson.com/en/cases/2026/innovate-5g-healthcare
- https://www.gsma.com/get-involved/gsma-foundry/gsma_resources/5g-maturity-and-adoption-across-hospitals-in-the-asia-pacific-region/
- https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/article/from-pilots-to-practice-closing-the-advanced-connectivity-gap-in-healthcare/
