Reliance Jio demoed a 5G‑assisted robotic colonoscopy with Amrita Hospital, Kochi, in June. Latency averaged 12 ms, critical for haptic feedback.
Why this matters
Tier‑2 access: Super‑specialist surgeons in Delhi can guide district‑hospital teams, monetising skill without relocating staff.
Capex trade‑off: A 5G surgical hub‑and‑spoke saves ₹7 cr/year on redundant senior consultants across satellites.
Regulation: The Telemedicine Guidelines already cover realtime audiovisual links; 5G merely upgrades the pipe.
Caveat: 5G spectrum auctions push rollout costs to hospitals unless telcos sweeten enterprise packages. Early adopters should negotiate revenue‑share models. Jio keeps bandwidth ARPU; hospitals bill premium consult fees. That alignment turns connectivity expense into profit centre.