At MWC 2025, we held the Digital Health Summit in collaboration with the GSMA. At the event, we explored the opportunities and the challenges in smart hospitals, IoT, direct-to-consumer services and AI in healthcare. This report outlines the key takeaways and insights from the summit.
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.
Our latest research covers industry perceptions of likely changes regarding telco investment priorities and activities in 2021. It looks at the relative importance of different technologies (e.g. 5G, automation), propositions in enterprise and consumer markets, networks, strategy and leadership.
This research is based on a survey of more than 200 respondents across operators, vendors and others in the telecoms industry, between 21st April and 8th May 2020. It covers perceptions of likely changes in telco investment priorities and activities over the next few months in 2020.
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.
Successful innovation for telcos is important but has proved elusive. We look at some successes and more failures to draw out the common factors required for innovation to succeed.
We look at nine telcos’ approaches to the healthcare market to identify keys areas of opportunity and lessons on what it takes to succeed.
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.
Strategy is shaped and constrained by company culture, and a company’s culture will negate a strategy if they are not complementary. We examine how TELUS Health has created and maintained an effective culture that has helped to deliver employee and customer engagement, and business results. How does it do it, and what should others learn?
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.
Digital solutions supporting consumer health and wellness are proliferating, driven by the take-up of wearables and a growing supply of data from consumers, advertisers, insurers and healthcare providers. In this report we explore the ecosystem, and discuss the key players and opportunities, the likeliest areas for disruption, and the potential opportunities for telcos, as well as presenting case studies of the digital health strategies of Google, Apple and Microsoft.