If applied to the healthcare industry, 5G technologies should start with outside-the-body applications rather than invasive ones, as accreditations for invasive medical applications are much harder to obtain and involve time-consuming procedures, according to Robert Topol, Intel's general manager of advanced 5G technologies.
Topol said Intel is optimistic that 5G technologies will first usher in a new period of transformation in non-invasive medical treatments for patients, thus bringing substantial business opportunities.
Such medical segments as telehealth, teleconsultation, telesurgery demonstration, and other non-invasion applications will be among the first application scenarios following the commercialization of 5G technologies, according to Topol.
He stressed that the low-latency transmission and wide network coverage of 5G will help turn telemedicine into a reality, enable robots to do regular rounds, allow elderly patients to receive medical treatments without having to go outdoors, and upgrade the healthcare quality in remote areas.
In addition, 5G will also drastically change the scenarios of many sectors including consumer practices, banking, retail, energy, transportation, industrial production, and government infrastructures, among others.
Robot Topol, Intel's general manager of 5G advanced technologies
Photo: Vega Chiu, Digitimes, June 2018