France Launches First 5G Smart Hospital with CHU Bordeaux and Bouygues Telecom

Introduction

In a landmark step for France’s healthcare sector, Bordeaux University Hospital (CHU Bordeaux), in partnership with Bouygues Telecom Business and Ericsson, has launched the 5MART HO5PITAL project. This initiative is a cornerstone of the hospital’s digital transformation and was selected as a winner under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)—a European Union funding program to improve digital infrastructure.

The project sets out to create one of France’s first 5G-enabled “smart hospitals,” using advanced 5G and Edge Computing technologies to enhance patient care, staff collaboration, and operational resilience.

Challenges

French hospitals are under increasing pressure to evolve. The demand for high-quality, real-time medical services is growing, yet infrastructure often lags behind. Bordeaux University Hospital faced a set of critical challenges:

• Patchy mobile coverage across multiple hospital buildings.
• Lack of support for real-time medical applications, such as connected ambulances and AR-assisted surgery.
• Growing complexity in managing separate public and private communication networks.
• Urgent need for resilient digital infrastructure to support future crises like pandemics.
• Increasing volumes of patient data requiring high-speed, secure transmission and analysis.
• Pressure to reduce operational costs while improving care quality.

These challenges reflect a broader need across the healthcare system to rethink connectivity as a foundation for digital transformation.

Solution

To meet these needs, the CHU teamed up with Bouygues Telecom Business to implement a hybrid Private Network solution built on a 5G Standalone (SA) architecture. This approach blends public and private connectivity within a unified infrastructure.

Key features of the solution include:

• 5G Standalone Network: Utilizes Bouygues Telecom’s full range of frequency bands for improved performance and network slicing.
• Edge Computing Infrastructure: Local compute nodes within the hospital reduce latency for critical applications and enable real-time analytics and AI-powered insights.
• Dual Connectivity: Offers both public 5G access for patients and staff, and a secure private 5G network for clinical and operational use cases.
• Centralized Core Network Management: Bouygues Telecom Business manages the network, allowing the hospital to focus on care delivery, not IT operations.
• Security-by-Design: The solution incorporates end-to-end network security principles, including encryption, georedundancy, and private traffic segmentation.

Evidence

The project’s significance is underscored by its selection for funding under the European Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility. It’s also backed by Bouygues Telecom’s proven performance—ranked as France’s leading provider for fixed and mobile internet speeds.

Early proof-of-concept testing at CHU Bordeaux has already shown strong outcomes:

• Faster response times during trial runs of connected ambulance applications.
• Improved wireless signal coverage across high-density areas like emergency units and surgical theaters.
• Initial feedback from clinical teams highlights enhanced collaboration during surgeries using connected AR glasses.

These early results demonstrate the value of combining high-speed connectivity with intelligent applications tailored to healthcare.

Technology Choice

The CHU’s digital transformation is anchored on a carefully chosen mix of next-gen technologies:

• 5G SA with Network Slicing: Enables differentiated performance levels for different hospital applications (e.g., patient Wi-Fi vs. robotic surgery).
• Local Packet Gateways (LPGs): Deployed in multiple hospital locations to ensure resilience via geographic redundancy.
• Ericsson’s Network Location Platform (ENL): Provides real-time, centimeter-level geolocation of medical equipment, improving asset tracking and emergency response.
• Ericsson DOT System: Ensures indoor 5G coverage across challenging environments like operating rooms and radiology suites.
• Edge Computing: Co-located servers enable data to be processed locally, reducing reliance on external cloud and improving compliance with data protection regulations.

Together, these technologies provide a robust, flexible platform for smart healthcare delivery.

Benefits

The benefits of the 5MART HO5PITAL project span across clinical, operational, and strategic dimensions:

For Patients:

• Faster diagnoses and treatments.
• More accurate, image-guided surgeries with 3D modeling.
• Shorter wait times due to improved coordination and communication.

For Healthcare Staff:

• Enhanced collaboration via remote consultation and AR/VR-assisted procedures.
• Real-time access to medical records and imaging.
• More efficient workflows, reducing fatigue and errors.

For Hospital Management:

• Streamlined operations through centralized network management.
• Lower IT overhead and long-term cost optimization.
• Scalable digital infrastructure ready for future healthcare innovations.

Industry Impact

The project positions Bordeaux University Hospital as a leader in the future of smart healthcare. It is also a reference model for deploying hybrid 5G networks in complex environments with high security and performance demands.

Other sectors—including airports, smart cities, education, and even defense—can draw on this project’s learnings to build tailored private 5G solutions.

The project also contributes to Europe’s broader goal of becoming a global leader in 5G-driven public services and infrastructure.

Company’s Role

Bouygues Telecom Business plays a central role as solution architect and long-term connectivity partner. Its responsibilities include:

• Designing and deploying the hybrid 5G network.
• Managing the core network operations.
• Integrating Edge Computing and private network elements.
• Supporting the hospital with digital transformation advisory services.

By combining telecom expertise with healthcare insights, Bouygues Telecom Business is helping CHU Bordeaux achieve digital maturity at scale.

Partners’ Role

Ericsson is the key technology provider, responsible for:

• Delivering 5G radio and core network infrastructure.
• Supplying critical components like LPGs and the ENL platform.
• Enabling precise indoor/outdoor positioning through DOT and ENL technologies.
• Supporting network assurance for mission-critical medical operations.

Ericsson’s involvement ensures that the solution meets the hospital’s stringent requirements for performance, privacy, and resilience.

Status

The project officially launched in January 2026 and is now entering its deployment phase:

• Second Half of 2026: 5G infrastructure rollout across 18 hospital buildings.
• 2027 Onward: Use cases like connected ambulances, AR-assisted surgeries, and 3D imaging go live.
• 2028: Full-scale use case expansion, performance optimization, and integration of feedback loops from clinical teams.

Timeline

Endorsements

Vincent-Nicolas Delpech, General Director, CHU Bordeaux:
“5G is a major strategic lever for tomorrow’s hospital applications. We’re proud to lead this transformation with trusted partners and European support.”

François Treuil, Director, Bouygues Telecom Business:
“Hospitals need hybrid private 5G to support both public access and critical operations. This project will show the socio-economic impact of 5G across Europe.”

Christian Leon, Head of Ericsson West Europe:
“We’re honored to enable secure, ultra-low latency connectivity for CHU Bordeaux. This is what digital healthcare should look like.”

Conclusion

The 5MART HO5PITAL project marks a transformative shift in how hospitals operate, treat patients, and prepare for the future. By combining 5G, Edge Computing, and Private Networks, Bordeaux University Hospital is setting the standard for smart healthcare—not just in France, but across Europe.

This is not just a technology project—it’s a blueprint for healthier, smarter, and more resilient hospitals of tomorrow.