8 October 2025 | Brussels, Belgium 

Boldyn Networks is proud to announce a major win at the European Digital Connectivity Awards 2025. Our groundbreaking project, Hola 5G Oulu, was honoured in the category of Excellence and Innovation in Deployment of Gigabit-Ready Infrastructure, recognising its transformative impact on hospital connectivity at Oulu University Hospital.

Hosted by the European Commission in Brussels, the awards spotlighted three exceptional initiatives driving high-speed digital connectivity across Europe.

Designed to meet the rigorous demands of a hospital environment, the Hola 5G Oulu project bringing seamless 5G connectivity to patient wards and neurosurgical theatres. The connectivity is enabling patient data visualisation through AR glasses and seamless voice communications between wards. It was powered by a visionary consortium comprising Boldyn Networks, Pohjois-Pohjanmaan hyvinvointialue (Pohde), Oulu University Hospital (OYS), the University of Oulu, and WICOAR Technologies Oy — each playing a critical role in delivering safe, scalable, and human-centred digital healthcare innovation.

“At Boldyn Networks, we’re immensely proud to have delivered the world’s first private SA 5G network in a fully operational hospital - not just as a technological breakthrough, but as a scalable, safe, and human-centred blueprint for the future of digital healthcare. This award is a powerful recognition of what’s possible when innovation meets collaboration. We’re deeply thankful to our partners, whose trust, expertise, and unwavering commitment to improving patient care turned this vision into reality.” said Petri Parviainen, Head of Sales, Public Sector, Private Networks at Boldyn Networks.

The Hola 5G Oulu project marks Europe’s first private 5G network deployed in a live hospital setting, tested in high-stakes scenarios including patient wards and surgical theatres. Installed at Oulu University Hospital (OYS), the network provides ultra-reliable, interference-free connectivity throughout the facility, ushering in a new era of smart, responsive care.

Traditionally, up to 50% of doctors’ and nurses’ time is spent on computers, with manual data handling leading to delays, errors, and rising costs. Hola 5G Oulu flips that paradigm. By integrating wearable wireless technology and AR smart glasses, clinicians can access real-time patient data directly at the point of care - freeing them to focus on patients, accelerate treatment, and improve outcomes.

Key Innovations

• Private 5G standalone network: Ensures seamless, secure connectivity - even during power outages
• AR smart glasses: Deliver live patient data to clinicians in surgical theatres and wards
• Voice communication headsets: Enable instant coordination across hospital wings
• Wing-to-wing coverage: Eliminates fragmented communication and boosts operational efficiency

This latest win follows Boldyn’s earlier success at the Leading Lights Awards 2025, where Hola 5G Oulu was named Most Innovative Private Wireless Deployment. The back-to-back wins underscore the project’s growing reputation as a trailblazer in digital healthcare and private 5G innovation across Europe.

Funded by the European Union 

This project was funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.