European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology

10/10/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/10/2025 03:55

5G Precision Integration for Next-Gen Healthcare Excellence (5G-PHINGE)

Focusing on healthcare, education and research, emergency and safety, and transport and logistics, this project will enable improving mission-critical communication, medicine accountability, smart patient alerting, and drone transport, as well as establishing a future-ready healthcare ecosystem within the hospital infrastructures.

Location

Belgium - campuses in Blankenberge and Knokke

Sectors Healthcare, education/research, emergency/safety, transport/logistics
Network type 5G non-standalone (NSA) with the potential to evolve to a 5G standalone (SA) architecture
Project start - end date (duration)

1 January 2025 - 31 December 2027 (36 months)

Total budget €2.2 million
EU contribution €1.6 million
Lead entity / organisation Citymesh
Beneficiary Algemeen Ziekenhuis (AZ) Zeno (Zeno General Hospital)

To achieve this, the project will deploy a 5G non-standalone (NSA) architecture, with the potential to evolve to a 5G standalone (SA), in campuses in Blankenberge and Knokke, Belgium.

What will it provide?

The project will enable to create a robust, reliable and versatile 5G network that supports current and future healthcare needs at AZ Zeno hospital, integrating internet of things, focusing on seamless connectivity, and setting a foundation for future artificial intelligence-driven applications and services.

How will it work?

The project's 5G NSA architecture, with the potential to evolve to a 5G SA, will enable the implementation of four use cases:

  1. Mission-critical communication: converting inadequate voice solution to voice over new radio - The network will upgrade the existing voice over WiFi system at AZ Zeno hospital) using the 5G-PHINGE private 5G network. The implementation ensures seamless and reliable voice communication across all departments, supported by the deployment of more than 500 advanced devices.
  2. Medicine accountability: implementing three-way confirmation and asset tracking - The network will enhance patient safety and streamline hospital operations through three-way medication confirmation and asset tracking.
  3. Smart patient alerting: aggression detection, run-away detection, mobile nurse alerting - The network will improve patient safety and care responsiveness at AZ Zeno hospital by implementing two key functionalities: 'wandering patient safeguarding' and 'mobile alerting' (smart and wireless panic alerting/mobile nurse alerting).
  4. Drone transport: transporting medical payloads in between remote sites - The network will establish an efficient and secure system for on-demand transportation of medical payloads, specifically blood, between the AZ Zeno hospital campuses in Blankenberge and Knokke.

How will it be built?

The project will implement a 5G NSA architecture, with the potential to evolve to a 5G SA, making use of the existing infrastructure and improving both indoor and outdoor coverage across both campuses. Network slicing and edge cloud will provide support for patient alerting and asset tracking.

How can I find out more about the project?

The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)

Contact HaDEA

Read more information

Visit the project page in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal (europa.eu)

Related topics

Creating a digital society Digital connectivity 5G/6G Connecting Europe Facility Funding for Digital
European Commission - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology published this content on October 10, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 10, 2025 at 09:55 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]