Airtel, Apollo Hospitals, Cisco demonstrate 5G use case in healthcare

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has partnered with Apollo Hospitals and Cisco to create a 5G connected ambulance that transforms access to healthcare and saves lives in emergency situations.

The demonstration was conducted in Bengaluru over the 5G trial spectrum allotted to Airtel by the Department of Telecom.

In the trial, a custom-designed 5G connected ambulance was equipped with the latest medical equipment, patient monitoring applications, and telemetry devices that transmit the patient health data to the hospital in real-time.


In addition, it is also equipped with onboard cameras, camera-based headgear, and bodycams for paramedic staff – all connected to the ultra-fast & low latency Airtel 5G network.


When a critical patient is enroute to the hospital and every second makes a difference, the 5G Connected Ambulance acts as an extension of the emergency room, the statement said.

"Healthcare is one of the most promising use cases for 5G, and we are delighted to deepen our partnerships with Apollo Hospitals and Cisco to bring some innovative use cases for the Indian market," Ajay Chitkara, Director & CEO, Airtel Business, Bharti Airtel said.

Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, said that Apollo Hospitals have been evangelists of connected ambulances and using these to reduce mortality and utilize the Golden Hour to the benefit of patients.

"The criticality of the 'Golden hour' is well known. It can mean the difference between life and death for seriously ill or trauma patients in an emergency. Studies show that an increased journey distance to the Hospital is associated with an increased risk of mortality. These insights propelled us to collaborate with Airtel on the 5G connected ambulance project and use 5G in order to utilize the disruption-free, lag-free connectivity it provides,” Reddy said.

Anand Bhaskar, Managing Director, Service Provider Business, Cisco India & SAARC, said that Cisco's partnership with Airtel, through its Country Digitization Acceleration program, is a step towards bringing the immense possibilities of 5G to life by improving the performance of critical-care applications.

"5G will be a game-changer in enabling new use cases and improving efficiency across every industry and specifically in the healthcare sector, as 5G will arm doctors with actionable insights to augment patient monitoring and treatment," Bhaskar said.