Mobile and health industries unite to advance connected healthcare

Deeper integration between the healthcare and mobile industries is crucial to realising advanced connected healthcare systems across the globe. Hospitals, clinicians and patients increasingly rely on connected devices, remote monitoring and data-driven care. Yet the infrastructure and partnerships needed to support these systems have lagged behind other sectors such as fintech, mobility and manufacturing.

At MWC Barcelona 2026, the Connected Healthcare Roundtable brought together leaders from hospitals, network operators, research institutions and digital health organisations to examine how connectivity can support this transformation. The discussion focused on a practical question: how can the mobile industry help build scalable 5G connected healthcare ecosystems that genuinely improve care delivery?

Their discussion focused on how advanced healthcare ecosystems could be implemented consistently, and at scale. This is a highly complex challenge. Healthcare remains highly regulated, operationally fragmented and technologically diverse. Progress therefore depends on careful coordination, shared priorities and realistic expectations.

Realising connected healthcare relies on coordination

The roundtable formed part of a broader industry initiative known as CHACCA, which aims to connect organisations working with healthcare and connectivity. The objective is to coordinate activity across multiple regional ecosystems, share knowledge, and accelerate practical projects.

Brian O’Conor, Chair of the Global Health Connector described the ambition in simple terms. “If you think about what we’ve done today in a relatively short meeting, we’ve connected the dots between telecoms and healthcare as a beginning.” However, that collaboration alone is not enough. What the sector lacks is coordinated implementation and measurable progress. The Head of GSMA Foundry, Richard Cockle, emphasised this practical focus during the discussion. “What we’re really trying to do is bring together like-minded people that want to drive towards a common objective.” In other words, the priority is to move beyond dialogue and produce meaningful outcomes.

Mobile industry has strengths to build on

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was that mobile operators should begin with the capabilities they already provide at scale. Healthcare does not need telecom companies to become medical technology vendors. What it needs is reliable connectivity infrastructure.

Mobile networks already support global standards, device authentication and secure communication across borders. These capabilities underpin much of today’s digital economy and could form the backbone of future connected healthcare services. In practice, this means enabling devices, platforms and hospitals to communicate reliably across national systems that often remain fragmented.

Bleddyn Rees, Deputy Chair of the Global Health Connector, argued that the mobile industry has already solved several structural problems that healthcare continues to face. Global telecom standards allow devices and services to operate seamlessly across networks worldwide. Healthcare technology, by contrast, still struggles with fragmented platforms and inconsistent data exchange between institutions.

However, applying these lessons to healthcare is not straightforward. Hospitals, community clinics and rural health centres operate in very different environments, often with ageing infrastructure and strict regulatory requirements. Connectivity solutions therefore need to remain adaptable rather than imposing rigid architectures designed for other industries.

Hospitals are complex digital environments

Hospitals are increasingly becoming digital infrastructure environments in their own right. Imaging systems, monitoring equipment, clinical software platforms and connected devices now generate vast volumes of operational and clinical data. Maintaining reliable connectivity across these systems is becoming just as critical as maintaining physical infrastructure.

Yet many hospitals still rely heavily on legacy connectivity models. Wired networks and traditional Wi-Fi infrastructure remain central to hospital IT environments, particularly for critical equipment. As a result, introducing new connectivity layers such as private 5G networks requires careful integration rather than wholesale replacement.

As someone pointed out during the discussion, the pace of change within connected medical technology often lags behind: “The tech industry is quite slow. They just went from cable to Wi-Fi.” The remark captured a reality often overlooked in digital transformation debates. Healthcare technology evolves more cautiously than consumer electronics because safety, reliability and regulatory compliance remain paramount.

The result is a hybrid connectivity landscape. Private networks may support critical hospital systems, while public mobile networks enable remote monitoring and telehealth services. Wi-Fi and wired infrastructure will continue to play an important role for many years.

Norman Fekrat, Managing Partner of Imagine Wireless, emphasised that no single technology can solve healthcare connectivity challenges on its own. “5G is not going to solve all your problems. It’s a multi-access connectivity that’s needed.” In other words, the future hospital network will combine multiple connectivity layers working together.

Data integration will be decisive for connected healthcare

While connectivity provides the foundation, the discussion repeatedly returned to the importance of data architecture. Healthcare systems generate enormous volumes of clinical, diagnostic and operational information. Yet much of this data remains trapped within isolated platforms.

Norman Fekrat argued that healthcare organisations must address data architecture before expecting connectivity improvements to deliver value. “Get all your data into a data platform.” Without integrated data environments, connected devices and advanced networks will only increase complexity rather than improve outcomes.

Clara Hewitt, Senior Insights Lead for Digital Health at the GSMA pointed to a broader structural shift within the healthcare sector. Historically, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and medical device industries evolved in largely separate domains. Increasingly, digital platforms are forcing these sectors to converge around shared data ecosystems.

This convergence creates new opportunities for healthcare analytics, personalised treatment and remote monitoring. However, it also introduces significant governance challenges. Healthcare data remains among the most sensitive categories of personal information. Any connected healthcare ecosystem must therefore prioritise security, privacy and regulatory compliance from the outset.

Healthcare connectivity infrastructure

Healthcare delivery is also moving beyond traditional clinical settings. Hospitals remain central to acute treatment, yet large portions of care now occur in community environments or patients’ homes. Connectivity infrastructure must therefore follow the patient journey rather than remaining confined to hospital networks.

Fredrik Engström, Head of Innovation for Region Stockholm emphasised that digital health systems must support continuous care across multiple environments. A patient may move between hospital treatment, outpatient monitoring and home-based recovery within a single care pathway. Connectivity must remain reliable and secure across each stage.

Stroke monitoring provides a useful example. Patients may begin treatment in hospitals supported by private 5G networks connected to specialised medical equipment. After discharge, monitoring continues through wearable sensors connected to public mobile networks. Clinicians can therefore track recovery remotely while patients remain outside hospital environments.

Wearable technologies are rapidly expanding this model of care. Dr Yujia Gao, Assistant Group Chief Technology at the National University Health System in Singapore (NUHS), highlighted the scale of change already underway. “Wearables have changed healthcare more than education.” Continuous monitoring devices now generate detailed physiological data that previously could only be captured inside clinical settings.

These developments place greater pressure on connectivity infrastructure. Wearables, sensors and diagnostic devices must communicate securely across multiple network environments. Without reliable connectivity and integrated data systems, the promise of continuous patient monitoring cannot be realised.

AI, sensing and spatial computing enter clinical environments

Alongside connectivity and wearables, several emerging technologies are beginning to reshape healthcare environments. Artificial intelligence, extended reality and advanced sensing systems are gradually entering clinical practice. Dr Yujia Gao described a future healthcare environment supported by digital twins, spatial computing and sensor fusion. Surgeons may soon use augmented or virtual reality systems to visualise complex anatomy during procedures. Digital twins could simulate patient physiology to support treatment planning and diagnosis.

Healthcare facilities are also experimenting with ambient intelligence systems. In this model, sensors collect information continuously while remaining largely invisible within clinical workflows. Devices monitor environmental conditions, patient movement and vital signals without requiring constant manual interaction. Dr Gao summarised the principle behind this approach succinctly. “Covert, not overt.” The goal is to integrate intelligence into clinical environments without overwhelming clinicians or patients with visible technology.

Robotics is another area receiving increased attention. Human-robot collaboration could support surgical precision, rehabilitation therapies and hospital logistics. These systems rely heavily on reliable connectivity, low-latency networks and secure data platforms.

Fragmentation remains biggest barrier to connected healthcare

Despite these technological possibilities, fragmentation remains one of the largest obstacles to connected healthcare. Hospitals, device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, telecom operators and regulators all operate within distinct ecosystems.

Communication barriers often arise simply because different sectors speak different technical languages. Healthcare providers, technology vendors and telecom operators frequently approach the same problems through entirely different frameworks. Even basic conversations about interoperability can become complicated.

The medical device industry presents another challenge. Large equipment manufacturers operate under strict regulatory environments and long product lifecycles. As a result, connectivity features are often integrated slowly. Several speakers highlighted the difficulty of coordinating collaboration between major manufacturers. Competitors rarely sit at the same table to define common technical frameworks. Without neutral forums that encourage cooperation, ecosystem progress can stall.

Regulation must evolve alongside innovation

Regulation plays a defining role in how quickly digital health systems can develop. Healthcare environments operate under strict governance frameworks designed to protect patient safety, privacy and clinical accountability. These safeguards are essential, yet they can also slow the adoption of new technologies if regulatory processes fail to evolve alongside innovation.

John Jeans, Co-Chair, Africa Health Business, argued that regulators must move in step with technological progress rather than trailing behind it. Healthcare innovation increasingly involves new forms of data exchange, connected devices and distributed care models. Regulatory frameworks therefore need to adapt early enough to support experimentation while maintaining appropriate safeguards.

Norman Fekrat reinforced this point from a connectivity perspective. Industry cannot simply wait for regulators to define the path forward. Telecommunications providers, healthcare organisations and technology companies must articulate clearly what infrastructure and policy frameworks are required to support new healthcare services.

Other technology sectors offer a useful precedent. Telecommunications standards bodies, cloud infrastructure providers and software ecosystems have all evolved through sustained dialogue between industry and regulators. Connected healthcare will require the same kind of coordinated engagement if it is to scale safely and effectively.

Infrastructure gaps still define global healthcare access

While advanced digital health systems attract considerable attention, the roundtable also highlighted the more basic realities facing healthcare globally. In many regions, the primary challenge remains access to essential healthcare services rather than advanced digital platforms. That was especially clear in the discussion around Africa, where infrastructure constraints still shape what is possible.

Marloes Kibacha, Managing Director, Africa Health Business, set out the scale of that challenge in practical terms. Rural communities often face weak connectivity, unreliable power supply and long distances to clinical facilities. These conditions do not make connected healthcare irrelevant, but they do change the order of priorities.

Mobile connectivity can still make a meaningful difference in these environments. Telemedicine, remote diagnostics and mobile health records already help extend care into underserved areas. Yet connectivity on its own cannot resolve workforce shortages, transport gaps or structural underinvestment, so digital tools must support broader healthcare development rather than stand in for it.

Practical next steps for connected healthcare

So how then, does a vision become implementation? It must be emphasised that outcomes must remain the measure that matters. Pilot deployments, working prototypes and operational case studies provide far stronger evidence than conceptual frameworks. Demonstrating how connectivity improves real clinical workflows will determine whether these initiatives gain wider support.

Whilst this meeting of experts is cause for optimism, the wider group must maintain momentum beyond conference events. Collaboration between healthcare providers, telecom operators and technology partners must continue through working groups, pilot projects and regional initiatives to form a concrete path to delivery.

MWC’s Connected Healthcare Roundtable revealed an industry facing opportunity despite constraints. Transformation in clinical environments is always slower than the technology cycle around it. Healthcare systems are nevertheless becoming increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure and connected devices. That reality reflects the demands of patient safety, regulation, procurement and long-term trust in healthcare systems. Any move towards connected healthcare ecosystems will therefore depend on steady, credible progress.

Yet, unlike previous attempts to unite these industries, the momentum and optimism are far stronger than before. Much of this reflects the broader ecosystem now forming around connected healthcare and the progress already made in weaving the healthcare and mobile industries together. More connected, data-rich and distributed healthcare systems are beginning to take shape. As Bleddyn Rees observed during the discussion, the industry often talks about ‘digital health’, ‘mobile health’ or ‘connected health’. Yet the goal is simply ‘health’, with technology becoming an enabler rather than a label. The challenge now is to use this enabler in ways that are practical and useful across very different healthcare environments.

For more information on CHACCA, or how to sign up, please contact pmodhi@gsma.com.