NUHS and GSMA Foundry team up on 5G and AI in healthcare

Singapore’s National University Health System (NUHS) has teamed up with GSMA Foundry, the mobile industry association’s collaborative initiative, to drive the next wave of 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) innovation in the healthcare industry.

The partnership, supported by telecoms provider Singtel and networking giant Ericsson, aims to transform medical care delivery by integrating advanced mobile technologies, including 5G private networks, with ambient AI, extended reality (XR), digital twins and internet of things (IoT) devices.

For a start, the group will focus on advancing developments in key use cases such as remote surgical assistance, immersive XR training and simulation, intelligent facilities management and robotic systems. They will showcase recent breakthroughs, including a robot nurse companion, next-generation hospital-at-home technology and 3D holographic surgical planning, at Mobile World Congress 26 in Barcelona.

NUHS has long been a pioneer in clinical XR and 3D holographic surgical planning. Through its holomedicine programme, the public hospital network has leveraged mixed reality headsets, such as Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, to project a 3D hologram of a patient’s brain scan into space and superimpose it onto the patient’s head during surgery. Rendering these data-intensive holograms in real time to assist neurosurgeons without lag required NUHS to invest heavily in secure, high-bandwidth and low-latency 5G infrastructure.

Gao Yujia, adjunct associate professor and assistant group chief technology officer at NUHS, said the ongoing integration of AI, XR and robotics is speeding up the development of truly intelligent hospitals.

“This integrated approach enhances clinical workflows and allows care teams to work more efficiently and effectively,” Gao said. “I am passionate about how AI and connected systems can transform hospital operations – elevating precision, improving patient experience and empowering clinicians with the tools they need to deliver better outcomes across every stage of care.”

Richard Cockle, head of GSMA Foundry, noted that connected health remains one of the most impactful frontiers for mobile technology.

“Our agreement with NUHS demonstrates how collaboration can accelerate innovation, delivering secure, scalable solutions that improve patient outcomes and operational efficiency,” Cockle said. “We are excited to start work at sites in Singapore with more early adopter centres to follow worldwide.”

Providing the core network infrastructure, both Ericsson and Singtel noted the operational benefits that 5G has already delivered in clinical settings.

Daniel Ode, head of Ericsson Singapore, Philippines and Brunei, said differentiated connectivity built on high-performance 5G, AI and robotics has already benefitted patients over the past few years. “This is a journey we are excited to continue – advancing secure, scalable healthcare solutions that extend care beyond hospitals into new contexts worldwide,” he said.

Keith Leong, chief customer officer for enterprise at Singtel Singapore, added that the telco’s 5G standalone network, secure virtual private networks and network slicing capabilities were purpose-built to handle the strict demands of mission-critical healthcare environments.

“Working closely with NUHS, we have already demonstrated tangible outcomes – from enabling remote surgical support and immersive XR training to powering intelligent robotics and hospital-at-home models that improve patient experience and clinical efficiency,” Leong said. “Through the GSMA Foundry, we are excited to scale these innovations and push the boundaries of connected health to accelerate the next wave of advancements towards 6G-enabled care.”