The Vodafone 5G Network will connect surgeons around the world in a pioneer telemedicine project

• This pilot project is part of a broad collaboration agreement that will make the Clínic position itself as the first 5G hospital in the country.
• The ‘remote surgeon’ pilot is part of the Telestration project created by AIS Channel, and is based on a telementoring technique that, through 5G technology, allows a specialist surgeon to guide a surgeon in a distant operating room, remotely and in real time.
• The pilot takes place within the framework of 5G Barcelona, an initiative driven by the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council, Mobile World Capital Barcelona, the i2CAT Foundation, the Technological Center of Telecommunications of Catalonia (CTTC), Atos and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), with the aim of transforming the city of Barcelona into a 5G digital hub of European reference.
• The first surgery in streaming with 5G technology will take place during MWC19 Barcelona, with surgeons connected remotely performing a surgical intervention.

5 February, 2019

Barcelona, 5 February 2019.- Vodafone Spain will be the technological supplier of the 5G network necessary to connect surgeons around the world within the ‘Telestration’ project, a technology created by the company AIS (Advances In Surgery) Channel, the world’s leading online platform for medical education and a pioneer in teletraining for surgeons.

This pilot project, named ‘remote surgeon’, has been impulsed within the framework of 5G Barcelona, an initiative driven by the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council, Mobile World Capital Barcelona, the i2CAT Foundation, the Telecommunications Technology Center of Catalonia (CTTC), Atos and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), with the aim of transforming the city into a 5G digital hub of European reference. The pilot has been developed in the Hospital Clínic, an institution that counts with the latest high technology surgical equipment and ‘Optimus’, a hospital surgery room classified as the most advanced in the world. The versatility of the solution makes its set up possible in any hospital in the world, allowing highly valuable knowledge transfer in the global surgical ecosystem.

The ‘remote surgeon’ will revolutionize telemedicine

Connecting a remote surgeon through ‘Telestration’ technology is a simple and reliable solution. Thanks to 5G technology, a specialist surgeon guides, without being physically present and in real time, another surgeon who is operating in any operating room in the world. It is thus possible to transfer practical knowledge at critical moments. The low latency presented by communications with 5G allows the surgery to be broadcasted in real time, without any delays, which is key during medical interventions.

With ‘Telestration’ it will also be possible to carry out remote training, since the expert surgeon and his team will be able to monitor the implementation of these procedures remotely. In this way, 5G technology represents a real democratization of knowledge and advances in surgery.

This solution created by AIS Channel allows to transform any surgery room in the world to remote with the surgeons involved. The aim of AIS Channel is to extend this solution globally, which represents a radical change in medical knowledge transfer.

Live stream surgery at MWC19 Barcelona

During the coming edition of MWC19, the first live stream surgery with 5G technology will take place, allowing the remote connection of a team of surgeons based in two different locations. This operation will be broadcast in real time at the event’s facilities.

This session will show one of the great advantages that the introduction of 5G technology will bring to health. The low latency of this technology will make possible, in the coming years, the synchronization of all the necessary devices to permit the simultaneous connection of different specialists from around the world and thus improve the conditions of any type of surgical operation, in addition to the many benefits ahead with 5G.

5G Barcelona, strategic in the healthcare sector

The ‘Telestration’ project is the result of a collaboration agreement signed by Mobile World Capital Barcelona, AIS Channel and Hospital Clínic de Barcelona in last year’s edition of the GSMA’s MWC to promote innovation in the health sector within the framework of 5G.

The pilot is run within the framework of 5G Barcelona, an initiative promoted by the Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona City Council, Mobile World Capital Barcelona, the i2CAT Foundation, the Technological Center of Telecommunications of Catalonia (CTTC), Atos and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) to turn the city into a 5G digital hub of European reference.

5G referents in the eHealth sector

Vodafone joins 5G Barcelona and participates in this project through the 5G network deployed in the environment of the Hospital Clínic, which will be the first 5G hospital in Spain, and in the vicinity of Fira de Barcelona, with the aim of being part of some of the most relevant projects worldwide based on 5G, such as ‘Telestration’.

In addition, as part of this ‘Telestration’ project, impulsed with AIS Channel, Vodafone will be responsible for transforming the current surgery room located at the Hospital Clínic into ‘wireless’, which will make possible to optimize latency between the connected elements of the surgery room and a smartphone or tablet device. Also planned is a streaming solution design to allow live broadcasting in high quality and low latency, and a cloud environment will be created to store all the video material generated safely.

For the mobile operator this is one more step in the eHealth sector, as it is currently participating in different leading projects and pilots nationally and globally.

United by technology in a key sector for society

Dr. Antonio María de Lacy, head of the Gastrointestinal Surgery Service at the Hospital Clínic and creator of the ‘Telestration’ technique pointed out in the press conference that “the ability to connect surgeons remotely with insignificant latencies thanks to 5G technology is a step further in the mission of AIS Channel to democratize medical education around the world.”

Mr. Antonio Coimbra, Chairman and CEO of Vodafone Spain, added that “participating in pioneering projects like this one shows our clear and determined commitment to lead the development of 5G, a disruptive technology that will transform the way in which we relate. We are entering a future in which needs will arise that can be covered by real-time applications, such as the one we present today and that can completely change the way the medical community learns. That’s why we believe that 5G will play a very important role in our society.”

Dr. Josep María Campistol, general director of Hospital Clínic, highlighted that “this collaboration represents a great opportunity to incorporate technologies that will be very useful for our patients and society. This association makes the Clínic the first 5G hospital in the country.”

Mr. Carlos Grau, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, commented that “this type of pilot projects are a clear example of the potential of 5G technology to help improve the quality of life of citizens, especially in a field as important as health “.