Verizon announced another international private networks initiative, a partnership with Visionable which calls for the two companies to serve healthcare providers across the APAC and EMEA regions.

Visionable, a British company with a patented digital healthcare collaboration platform, plans to open the partnership’s first connected healthcare centre in the UK in 2022. The companies stated the centre will showcase Verizon’s private 5G infrastructure, as well as the benefits of digital technologies in settings such as hospital wards and ambulances.

Scott Lawrence, VP of Verizon Business EMEA, stated private 5G networks can help healthcare professionals share intelligence without running afoul of “strict compliance regulations” and “patient privacy concerns”.

“This initiative with Visionable provides a secure single infrastructure on which healthcare providers can collaborate to help diagnose conditions and share medical intelligence, all within a secure and compliant environment”, Lawrence stated.

Verizon executives have told investors the company will use private networks to grow its addressable markets beyond the boundaries of its spectrum licences. Earlier this year, the operator inked a deal with Associated British Ports to build a private 5G network at the Port of Southampton.

Adam Koeppe, SVP, Technology Strategy, Architecture and Planning at Verizon, recently told Mobile World Live virtual network solutions are creating more meaningful private network opportunities for Verizon. “We have the ability to … provide different levels of quality of service, control and administration for enterprises and venues alike”, he said.

Care Everywhere
In addition to the private 5G showcase, Verizon and Visionable are set to launch a branded service called Care Everywhere, meant to use connectivity and mobile devices to enable physicians and hospitals to offer more virtual visits. Verizon stated the service will allow hospitals to offer “virtual care by default, and physical care when and where it is needed”.

Verizon told Mobile World Live Care Everywhere will rely on public as well as private networks, but will maintain a high level of data security thanks to encryption provided by Visionable.