Digital health: a major opportunity
for telecoms

Overview

The digital health opportunity for telcos

An overview of the opportunity in digital health for the telecoms industry and how telcos should address the healthcare market.

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Digital health companies tool

There’s a variety of business models available to operators to play in the healthcare market – but what is each one worth? Looking at the Japanese market for two key digital health use cases, delivered over a private 5G/MEC platform, we forecast the potential value for telcos across three different business models.

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​15 Digital Health companies to watch in 2021​

In this article, we highlight 15 digital health companies (grouped by application area) who we think are companies to watch in 2021

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​Diagnostics and Triage

Inefficiencies in diagnostics and triage have long created unnecessary costs for healthcare systems and have kept millions of people from getting quality healthcare. We dive into some of the most pressing problems with how diagnostics and triage are currently carried out.

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What is digital health worth to telcos? Modelling the Japanese market

There’s a variety of business models available to operators to play in the healthcare market – but what is each one worth? Looking at the Japanese market for two key digital health use cases, delivered over a private 5G/MEC platform, we forecast the potential value for telcos across three different business models.

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​Cloud players in health: how can telcos compete?

In this article we explore what the cloud players are doing in health, and identify where telecoms operators can look to compete or collaborate in the digital health market.

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Telehealth in emerging markets: Babyl closes the gap in healthcare inequality

Learn about how solutions, like Babyl in Rwanda, are enabling wider accessibility to healthcare services in emerging markets.

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Four strategies for telcos in healthcare

The combination of improving health IT systems, more demanding patients, the growing maturity of analytics and AI, and rising cost pressures on healthcare systems together are creating a tipping point for growth in digital health. Which part of the digital health market should telcos play in, and how?

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Digital health in South Korea: five examples of digital health beyond telemedicine

With relatively widespread 5G coverage, and high demand for 5G services, South Korea is seeing growing investment in digital health from its leading telecoms operators and their partners. In these examples of digital health, we explore how SKT and KT Corp leverage their connectivity, products and applications to serve the Korean healthcare market.

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MedIoTek Health Systems Q&A: the state of digital health

Learn about the state of the digital health market, emerging applications like remote patient monitoring, and the potential role of the telco.

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Digital health at the edge: Three use cases for the healthcare industry

The healthcare industry must transform to meet growing demands on medical infrastructure and expertise. Edge computing will help drive this transformation and the move towards digital health, while also providing a potential role for operators in the ecosystem.

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How COVID-19 is changing digital health – and what it means for telcos

Adoption of telehealth has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as healthcare systems shifted to telephone and virtual care almost overnight in order to lower the virus transmission rate. Which changes will last for the long term and how can telcos play a role?

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What is digital health? 5 Application areas telcos should focus on

We outline the key application areas across the patient journey where telcos can support the development of digital health.

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5 ways blockchain can drive digital health development

Blockchain is a powerful technology for enabling secure data sharing and access between multiple parties. This is a major challenge in digital health, where the privacy and security of medical data is paramount. Read more to see how blockchain can support transformation in healthcare.

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10 5G Healthcare use cases transforming digital health

In this article we outline 10 5G healthcare use cases which, as healthcare providers look to the future of their digital strategies, will support the long-term transformation of the industry and the move to digital health

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​Modelling the Post-COVID Digital Health Market Trends​

This new sizing model for digital healthcare reflects the recent impact of the COVID pandemic on the sector, with the goal of identifying the key trends in digital health and the new opportunities presented to operators and others attempting or considering investment in the market.

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​How smart hospitals can improve healthcare​

With growing pressures on healthcare, and governments around the world facing rising healthcare costs, smart hospitals hold the potential to drive greater efficiency, improve quality of care and provide access for more people than ever before. This article looks at a number of use cases and at what telcos are doing in this space.

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Digital pharmacy insights: Q&A with Phlo digital pharmacy startup​

In this article, we relay our interview with Nadeem Sarwar, the founder of Phlo Digital Pharmacy. We speak about business models, COVID’s impact on digital health and the role of telecoms operators.

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​10 telco healthcare services

In our research into the healthcare opportunity for telcos, we’ve outlined the three layers of the value chain they can participate in: connectivity, enabling platforms and services, and applications and solutions. Here we give some industry examples of how what telcos are doing in each of those layers of the value chain

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​Five top strategic questions for telcos exploring a healthcare play​

Through our healthcare practice, we’ve spoken to many telecoms operators about the potential opportunity for them in the healthcare market. We’ve found that there are a few key strategic questions come up most frequently.

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5G in health: An enabler rather than a game changer​

Of the use cases discussed on this 5G in healthcare panel, only a few more experimental solutions such as using drones for prescription delivery were really dependent on 5G. For most use cases, both the telcos and Clalit Health emphasized that what’s really important is being able to monitor, triage, diagnose and treat patients remotely was the key to improving healthcare outcomes.

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​Digital health apps: An entry point for telcos

Digital health apps provide telcos an opportunity to enter the healthcare industry by deploying a range of services. This article will outline seven telcos that have started providing health services via apps. Digital health apps provide an opportunity for telcos to grow their revenue whilst simultaneously facilitating more universal access to quality healthcare.

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Telehealth regulations: a turning point

Countries are facing a turning point in the expansion of telehealth, having been left with flexible and fragmented regulations following Covid-19. Regulations play a crucial role in either restricting or expanding access to telehealth services. Not only will this article deep dive into Germany, a pioneer in regulating telehealth, but it will also highlight the key opportunity that telehealth regulation poses for telcos.

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What is Virtual Care?

Telehealth has never been more important than in the COVID-19 pandemic. At the centre of any successful telehealth strategy must be Virtual Care, this article will define what it is, why it is important, what the key challenges are, and how it can improve in future.

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10 Diagnostic and Triage companies innovating in digital health

As the healthcare industry transforms to become more digital and automated, diagnostics and triage will form foundational pillars of next generation care. In the past, STL Partners has highlighted the importance of these elements to the digital health value chain, emphasising the inefficiencies which currently plague our systems and the savings made possible by digitisation of both medical streams.

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Digital Healthcare: Amazon versus the world

At an ominous pace, Amazon, the tech giant which dominates cloud computing, ecommerce and logistics, is turning its head toward the healthcare industry. A move which is years in the making, its efforts have been accelerated by COVID-19 and its impact on digital behaviours, creating the perfect storm through which Amazon can assert further dominance. But can the telcos play a role? Can they too find their way to healthcare success…

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​​5 innovative telehealth apps for 2022​

Demand for telehealth apps has been increasing rapidly in recent years as healthcare continues its move towards digitisation, with COVID-19 only accelerating this trend. 2020 alone saw 90,000 new telehealth apps added to the market, so finding a niche is crucial. Below we outline 5 telehealth apps which exemplify different potential niches in the market.

The $300bn COVID digital health dividend

Our detailed analytical model of 217 digital healthcare markets shows that the COVID pandemic has accelerated the global market four years ahead of its prior trajectory. This means that telcos and others seeking to support this welcome acceleration, and thereby grow valuable new businesses, should boost their plans now.

Telcos in healthcare: Winning in a long game, Babylon, and the impact of 5G

Insights on the role for telcos in healthcare, the main lessons learned to date, and the impact of 5G on healthcare and telcos within it. From the TELUS Carrier Health Summit, Toronto, May 2019.

Telcos in health – Part 1: Where is the opportunity?

We look at overarching trends in digital health and how telcos, global internet players, and health focused software and hardware vendors are positioning themselves to address the needs of resource-strained healthcare providers.

Telcos in health – Part 2: How to crack the healthcare opportunity

We look at nine telcos’ approaches to the healthcare market to identify keys areas of opportunity and lessons on what it takes to succeed.

5G’s healthcare impact: 1 billion patients with improved access in 2030

This report explores the impact of 5G on the healthcare industry. It illustrates the benefits and example use cases, as well as quantifying the potential efficiency gains, that 5G will enable.

TELUS Health: Innovation leader case study

Healthcare is an attractive vertical for telcos to address with digital solutions, given the sector’s low digital base and rising demand for healthcare services from ageing populations and changing lifestyles. Although many telcos have made attempts to capture this opportunity through telehealth or consumer wellness services, TELUS stands out as an example of the value of a long-term commitment to healthcare. In this case study, we examine TELUS’ strategy in health, evidence of its success, and draw out lessons for other telcos.

Coordinating the care of the elderly

Telcos are well placed to enable the healthcare sector to meet the rising demand for secure and reliable in-home monitoring and treatment for the elderly and infirm.

Webinar

Digital health: Where is the biggest opportunity for telcos?

During the pandemic, nearly every country has embraced digital health solutions to help tackle rising pressure on healthcare systems and the need to maintain social distancing – but will the boom last? And where will digital health deliver the most value? In this webinar we discuss the initial findings from our post-COVID digital health model, which assesses adoption of digital health across five key application areas and sizes the opportunity in the UK market.

Webinar

Telco health strategies: TELUS and Babylon’s telehealth partnership

In the context of COVID-19, telehealth is clearly a key opportunity in healthcare. To understand what it takes for telcos to succeed in this market, listen to our webinar with David Thomas, Managing Principal of Global Health Strategy at TELUS, and Mairi Johnson, Head of Corporate Development at Babylon Health.

Webinar

Telcos in health webinar

In this session Amy Cameron and Yesmean Luk looked at the opportunities for telcos in health. As a growing industry, with a national focus and significant digitisation challenges, healthcare is an attractive vertical for telcos seeking to build new revenues beyond core communications services.

Quantifying the impact of 5G on the healthcare industry

Through an extensive research programme, including interviews with healthcare enterprises and telco executives within healthcare, and a survey of >200 healthcare professionals, we collaborated with Huawei to

Growth Strategy

Identifying opportunities for growth in digital health

STL Partners supported a tier 1 operator’s healthcare unit in identifying, defining, and developing a roadmap for growth initiatives in the digital health space.

Go-to-market strategy

Developing the proposition for on-premise edge

STL Partners helped the client to identify and prioritise key opportunities within on-premise edge computing, and subsequently develop the clients go to market strategy (partnerships, channel, co-development) and proposition to key stakeholders.

Customer engagement

TELUS Health: Communicating an innovative healthcare vision

We show how we supported our long-time partner, TELUS Health, on its journey to harness the digital health opportunity.