Healthcare could benefit as much as $31 billion over the next eight years from 5G mobile technology but poor industry adoption places the potential gains at risk, according to a new report by Deloitte Access Economics.

"5G Unleashed: Realising the potential of the next generation of mobile technology", commissioned by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), found that only 30 per cent of healthcare businesses are 5G connected, despite the advantages it provides in productivity, data analytics and improved care in rural and remote areas.

WHY IT MATTERS

"It’s clear there are significant economic benefits to be gained from the adoption of 5G across industry," AMTA CEO Louise Hyland told Healthcare IT News.

"Now is the time for industry to invest in the applications enabled by 5G to realise those economic and social benefits."

Hyland said 5G networks are being switched on across the country, providing healthcare with advances in remote patient monitoring, telesurgery and precision treatment.

"While telehealth and remote medicine is not a new idea, 5G will support critical medical innovations through remote access, real time monitoring and precision medical intervention supported by 5G network capacity and ultra-low latency," Hyland said.

"5G will offer better mobility and help the health sector become more productive and efficient, leading the country into a new age of medicine and wellbeing."

Hyland said it will also drive advances in the use of personal health devices and the speed of emergency responses by connecting up the new generation of devices.

"Through the fast, reliable and high capacity 5G networks, you will be able to connect more devices to monitor and manage your physical and mental wellbeing in real-time, providing a more holistic view of your health," she said.

"The ultra-fast speeds and ultra-low latency of 5G mobile connection will change how we respond to emergencies, especially how medical supplies and assistance will be provided. For example, drones can be used for medical deliveries."

Productivity benefits from 5G are expected to be significant, with economic modelling undertaken for the report estimating that it will lead to an increase in Australia's gross domestic product of $67 billion in 2022 dollars by 2030.

But "5G Unleashed" says Australian businesses have been slow to get ready for 5G. Almost 1 in 3 (30 per cent) of 400 business leaders surveyed across agriculture, health, smart cities and manufacturing have no plans to implement it, 28 per cent claim it's not a current priority, 27 per cent said the costs are too high, while 22 per cent believed it had no relevance to their business.

In healthcare, the report found that developing greater awareness of the advantages of 5G is required to ensure businesses will develop 5G applications.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

The report says Australia's 5G rollout is a world leader with three live networks.

At the end of 2021, mobile network operators had deployed about 4000 operational 5G base stations, with more planned in 2022.

Australia is ranked third globally for 5G-connected devices per capita, according to the Global System for Mobile Communications Association Intelligence, but is forecast to fall to ninth by 2025 as other countries exploit the benefits of 5G more rapidly than Australia.