Singapore’s National University Health System (NUHS) has signed a strategic agreement with the GSMA’s innovation arm to accelerate the deployment of 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) across clinical environments.
Under the tie-up with GSMA Foundry, NUHS will combine 5G private networks with digital twins, extended reality (XR), robotics, Internet of Things devices and ambient AI to modernise hospital operations.
Singtel and Ericsson will support the deployments, providing the 5G infrastructure and network capabilities underpinning the programme.
The projects will be showcased at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, where NUHS will demonstrate a robot nurse companion, 3D holographic surgical planning using Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, AI-driven vein detection and technology designed to support care delivered from home.
Adjunct Associate Professor Gao Yujia, NUHS’s assistant group chief technology officer, says the ambition is to build “truly intelligent hospitals.”
“By harnessing advanced connectivity and innovative technologies such as ambient AI, XR and robotics, we are accelerating the development of truly intelligent hospitals. This integrated approach enhances clinical workflows and allows care teams to work more efficiently and effectively,” he says.
Richard Cockle, head of GSMA Foundry, describes connected health as “one of the most impactful frontiers for mobile technology,” adding that the work would begin at sites in Singapore before expanding to early adopter centres worldwide.
For Singtel, the initiative highlights its ambitions in enterprise 5G. Keith Leong, chief customer officer for enterprise at Singtel Singapore, says the operator’s 5G standalone network, secure virtual private networks and network slicing are “purpose-built to support the most demanding healthcare environments, delivering the ultra-reliable, low-latency and secure connectivity required for mission-critical applications”.
He adds that joint work with NUHS has already enabled remote surgical support, immersive XR training and robotics-enabled services, and that the company intends to “scale these innovations and push the boundaries of connected health to accelerate the next wave of advancements towards 6G-enabled care” .
Ericsson, which has worked alongside Singtel on the NUHS deployments, frames the initiative as a proof point for exportable connected health models. Daniel Ode, head of Ericsson Singapore, Philippines and Brunei, says the companies had “already delivered tangible patient and operational benefits over the past few years” and that the Barcelona showcase would help amplify the impact of their joint work.
