Elsight’s Halo platform to deliver telehealth services to remote US communities

Mission-critical communications technology company Elsight (ASX: ELS) has entered into a partnership with Kinetx Prime LLC to deliver direct-to-consumer telehealth services in the US using its flagship Halo communications platform.

The service will help the US market cope with the COVID-19 crisis, which has migrated from large northern cities such as New York to rural and remote communities specifically in the southern parts of the nation.

Almost 60 million people – or about 19% of the US population – live in these areas.

Under the terms of the partnership, Elsight and Kinetx will provide direct-to-consumer telehealth solutions using wireless communication capabilities to connect patients, physicians, ambulances and hospitals in rural America who presently suffer from a lack of adequate cellular coverage.

Halo platform

Central to the agreement is Elsight’s “5G-ready” Halo communications platform launched last year, which integrates high-bandwidth and secure data and video transmission technology in a product with a miniaturised form factor and weight while offering a low battery consumption and heat index.

When combined with Kinetx’s antennas and ancillary equipment, Halo will enable cellular services in remote regions to be aggregated into an effective interactive video-based telehealth solution.

Struggling to cope

Elsight chief executive officer Nir Gabay said the service comes at a time when the US is struggling to cope with the pandemic.

“The White House and Congress have acknowledged that millions of Americans do not have hospitals in their vicinity and their only hope for adequate care is to have access to telehealth systems with substantially better connectivity than what is available in under-served areas today,” he said.

“This acknowledgement offers opportunity to companies like ourselves that specialise in developing and deploying solutions to areas with limited or non-existing cellular coverage, and the need to supply signal from a large distance.”

Digital divide

Mr Gabay said Elsight had received an initial $2.3 million order under the partnership and expects material repeat orders, up to the size of the initial order, over the course of the next three years.

“We are committed to bridging the digital divide in wireless communications and connectivity to under-served and more remote communities,” he said.

“The goal of this [partnership] is to improve remote healthcare which is the only alternative for millions of Americans living without a nearby hospital or clinic.”