• 5mart Ho5pital project sees French telco deploy private 5G to support treatment across Bordeaux University Hospital site
• Network will offer both public access for patients and private slices for smart applications
• Ericsson is supporting the healthcare project with geolocation and LPG technology

With private 5G an increasingly important opportunity for telecom operators and vendors seeking a return on their infrastructure investments, French telco Bouygues Telecom has partnered with Bordeaux University Hospital to develop a smart hospital, using technology supplied by Ericsson, that can leverage 5G connectivity to boost quality of care and patient pathways in healthcare.

The 5Mart Ho5pital project, which received €11.4m of Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding from the European Commission late last year, uses various frequency bands of Bouygues Telecom’s 5G standalone network deployed within the hospital to accelerate the rollout of applications, as well as providing connectivity for healthcare staff and patients. It uses the network slicing capabilities of 5G SA alongside edge computing to enable public connections on the same network using private connections to support specific hospital uses.

Initially, the partnership will focus on providing 5G coverage across 18 Bordeaux Hospital buildings, starting in the second half of 2026. From 2027 onward, it will then be used to support around 10 connected health use cases spread across four themes aimed at improving: The experience of patients and professionals; the quality of care; safety and security; and performance, resilience and training.

Bordeaux University Hospital serves more than 1 million patients every year and is currently undertaking a €1.4bn rehabilitation and construction programme aimed at modernising its infrastructure and technology.

Vincent-Nicolas Delpech, general director of Bordeaux University Hospital, said: “5G is a major strategic lever for the development of tomorrow’s hospital applications, directly benefitting both our patients and professionals. Bordeaux University Hospital aims to be a pioneer in this field and is delighted with the European Commission’s support for this technological advancement. To make this project a success, we chose Bouygues Telecom Business for its recognised expertise in supporting public institutions with connectivity and for the solid partnership established over the past two years, proven through several successful initial use cases.”

Bouygues is working alongside Ericsson to deliver the use cases. Planned trials include connected ambulances, which will enable immediate treatment and remote medical expertise. They will also trial 3D modelling in surgery for procedure preparation or training purposes. Another planned trial involves connected glasses, which will provide visual assistance during surgical operations.

To achieve this, Ericsson and Bouygues will deploy local packet gateways (LPGs) within the hospital premises, connected to the telco’s 5G core network.

Ericsson will also provide geolocation functions through its Ericsson Network Location platform.

François Treuil, director of Bouygues Telecom’s enterprise division, says: “Bouygues Telecom Business is committed to supporting hospitals in addressing tomorrow’s technological challenges. The specificities of the hybrid private 5G network are essential for environments hosting both public and private users, such as hospitals or airports. This project aims to demonstrate the socio-economic and environmental impact of 5G to drive large-scale deployments across Europe in various business verticals.”

Private 5G is seen as an increasingly important opportunity for the telco sector and is set for significant growth, as we reported back in December, with private sector investments in 4G and 5G networks set for 22% growth over the next three years, though questions still remain around the money-making potential and fragmentation across different verticals.

- James Pearce, Editor, TelecomTV