UK-headquartered shared network specialist Boldyn Networks, via its newly-acquired Edzcom division, is to supply a private 5G network to Oulu University Hospital in Finland. Edzcom, a pioneer in the private networks market, also based in Finland, has received funding from the European Commission as part of a call for proposals under its Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital programme. The funding is understood to be worth €1.55 million, from a second CEF call in February that saw a total of €50 million awarded across 10 projects.
Edzcom is coordinating the project in Oulu, in northern Finland, with local system integrator WICOAR Technologies, plus the University of Oulu and the hospital itself. In a press statement, Boldyn Networks called it the “first ever private 5G network to be deployed at an operating hospital in Europe”. The project, which goes by the name ‘Hola 5G Oulu’, will focus in the first instance on the supply of wearable 5G health monitors to patients, starting on one floor of a patient ward and selected operating theatres.
The consortium will research and develop advanced data sharing and visualisation techniques aiming to define efficient patient care, they said. WICOAR Technologies will lead research to develop wearable solutions, it said. A statement said: “Wearable solutions retrieve live patient data, including medical imaging and test results, so doctors can make diagnoses easily and quickly during patient visits, reducing the time needed in front of the computer and increasing the time spent with the patient.”
It went on: “Wearables also reduce the workload of nurses as they do not need to retrieve data before the patient’s appointment. Additionally, wearables can recreate visuals of patients’ vital monitoring, past diagnoses, and medical results for surgeons… The private 5G network will also allow anaesthetists to see and monitor all details of a surgery remotely and guide other doctors in the operating theatre even if not present in the room. This will be more secure for patients who can be at ease during procedures.”
A joint statement from Oulu University Hospital and Boldyn Networks said: “We’re bringing our expertise in large, connected venues as well as bespoke private networks to deliver a solution that will undoubtedly be replicated in other hospitals in Finland and globally. Our consortium partnerships exemplify a concerted effort towards creating a healthcare system that is future-proof to comply with the fast-paced societal changes and technological evolution.”
Petri Parviainen, senior key account manager at Boldyn Networks, said: “A private 5G network, with its high capacity and high-security nature, will provide the hospital with a reliable network, that can enable innovative healthcare-supporting solutions and solidly maintain its performance, even in the disturbance of a blackout.”
In February, Edzcom / Boldyn received funding of €1.55 million from the European CEF programme to go on “wireless operating rooms… and machine vision based surgical navigation”. A statement at the time said: “The project aims to implement a secure 5G infrastructure for next-generation wireless AR/VR healthcare solutions. It consists of the implementation of a private 5G network covering several units of the Oulu University Hospital which is intended to serve as a development and research environment for advanced information sharing and visualisation.
It went on: “The project will enable a new way of work in the wireless operating rooms and facilitate innovations, such as machine vision based surgical navigation. The 5G wireless network, together with wearables and a visualisation application, will provide surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists with personalised information in AR and VR modes.”
