Comms Connect preview: connecting the NHS

At Comms Connect Melbourne 2026, Simon Hill and Matt Wroughton from Excelerate Technology Group will be presenting on the topic ‘Unbreakable Connectivity’. Their talk will explore how European emergency service organisations are utilising hybrid connectivity solutions that intelligently bond satellite and terrestrial networks to deliver resilient, always-on communications in mission-critical environments. Attendees will gain insight into real-world deployments of this technology, with one such example highlighted in the case study below.

Modern healthcare delivery depends on fast, reliable and secure connectivity, yet many of the UK’s NHS environments still face inconsistent or fragmented network access. Hospitals, community care teams, and specialist vehicles such as mobile stroke units often rely on multiple, separate systems that can’t guarantee continuity when coverage fluctuates or infrastructure fails. This lack of resilience limits the NHS’s ability to share real-time data, support remote diagnostics, and maintain digital services in every environment.

Excelerate’s Hybrid Edge platform offers a solution, providing a unified, intelligent connectivity framework designed specifically for mission-critical operations. It bonds multiple network connections, including 4G, 5G, satellite and fixed infrastructure, through the Hybrid Edge Appliance to create a single, resilient data link. Onboard Excell antennas meanwhile optimise available signal strength, ensuring seamless connectivity even in remote or high-demand environments.

This approach eliminates single points of failure and means that clinical and operational teams should remain connected wherever they are. Traffic can be prioritised to maintain performance for critical services, while data is securely routed to hospital systems or command environments.

For example, in connected stroke response vehicles, the Hybrid Edge enables real-time video, imaging and data transfer between onboard clinicians and hospital specialists to support pre-hospital diagnosis. This connectivity helps crews make the right clinical decisions at the scene, reduce hospital handover times, and get back on the road faster to reach the next patient.

The technology has so far been tested across nine ambulances and four fixed hospital sites, achieving 100% connectivity in areas with low or no mobile signal and a significant reduction in reported connection issues on triage calls. By uniting hospital and pre-hospital systems under one secure, always-on network, this has enabled clinicians to more easily access patient records; reduced avoidable hospital conveyances, easing strain on EDs; and ultimately supported fast, life-saving decisions the field.

By extending the architecture from vehicles to hospital environments and wider community care, the Hybrid Edge is capable of delivering the foundation for a fully connected NHS ecosystem, supporting digital transformation and improving patient outcomes through resilient, data-driven health care. Excelerate also provides optional remote monitoring and reporting tools, backed by a 24/7 UK-based support team, providing continuous visibility across every deployment.

Simon Hill and Matt Wroughton, respectively CTO and Group Sales Director of Excelerate Technology Group, will be presenting at Comms Connect Melbourne on 15 October. Excelerate will also be exhibiting at the event from 14–15 October on Stand 74.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Lawrey