Co-Existence of Private 5G Network and Wireless Hospital Systems
Abstract
This paper investigates the feasibility of deploying private 5G networks in hospital environments, with a focus on the operating room at the brand new Oulu University Hospital, Finland. The study aims to evaluate the interference risk with other wireless systems, and electromagnetic safety of a private 5G network in the 3.9-4.1 GHz band, while ensuring compatibility with legacy wireless systems, such as LTE and Wi-Fi. We conducted a measurement campaign, employing state-of-the-art instrumentation and a methodology that combined high resolution and long-duration spectrum scans. The results demonstrate no measurable interference between the hospital's private 5G network with adjacent LTE (4G) or Wi-Fi bands, confirming the spectral isolation of the 5G transmissions, and vise versa. Additionally, RF exposure levels in the operating room were found to be well below ICNIRP, WHO, and IEEE safety thresholds, ensuring that the network poses negligible biological risk to patients and hospital staff. The study also proposes spectrum management strategies for private 5G networks in hospitals, focusing on adaptive sensing and guardband planning. These findings provide a solid foundation for the integration of private 5G infrastructure in hospitals environments, supporting digital transformation in patient care without compromising electromagnetic compatibility or patient safety. The results also contribute to ongoing discussions around private 5G network deployments in sensitive sectors and provide actionable guidelines for future hospitals' wireless systems planning.
Summary
This paper investigates the feasibility and safety of deploying private 5G networks within a hospital environment, specifically focusing on the operating room of Oulu University Hospital in Finland. The core research question revolves around evaluating the potential for interference between the private 5G network (operating in the 3.9-4.1 GHz band) and existing wireless systems such as LTE and Wi-Fi, as well as assessing the electromagnetic safety of the 5G deployment. The study employs a measurement campaign using high-resolution and long-duration spectrum scans to monitor RF activity and exposure levels. The key findings demonstrate that the private 5G network operates with spectral isolation, showing no measurable interference with adjacent LTE or Wi-Fi bands. Furthermore, RF exposure levels in the operating room were found to be significantly below ICNIRP, WHO, and IEEE safety thresholds, confirming negligible biological risk to patients and staff. The paper also proposes spectrum management strategies, including adaptive sensing and guardband planning, to further ensure coexistence and minimize interference. These findings provide a foundation for integrating private 5G infrastructure in hospitals, supporting digital transformation in patient care while maintaining electromagnetic compatibility and patient safety. This work is important to the field because it provides empirical validation of the safe and effective deployment of private 5G networks in sensitive environments like hospitals, addressing concerns about interference and RF exposure.
Key Insights
- •The study demonstrates spectral isolation of the private 5G network (3.9-4.1 GHz), showing no measurable interference with adjacent LTE (2.6 GHz) and Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) bands. Power levels at 2.574 GHz (LTE B7 uplink) and 5.2 GHz (Wi-Fi 5/6) remained at ambient noise levels during active 5G transmission.
- •RF exposure levels were measured to be significantly below international safety thresholds (ICNIRP, WHO, IEEE), with the maximum received power of -16 dBm corresponding to a power density of approximately 0.05-0.1 mW, far below the typical 10 mW general public safety limit.
- •The operating room's structural shielding, including 3 mm lead plates within the walls, contributes to physical isolation, reducing interference from external wireless systems. Sub-1 GHz (2G and ISM) band power levels were significantly higher in the corridors compared to the operating room.
- •The paper emphasizes the importance of maintaining wide guard bands between mission-sensitive systems, such as the 1.3-1.4 GHz gap between the 5G band and LTE Band 7, and the 800 MHz gap to Wi-Fi.
- •The measurement methodology incorporates a MATLAB-based automation framework for controlled instrument configuration and repeatability, including pre-session calibration and standardized parameters (e.g., 1 MHz RBW, ~9ms sweep time).
- •The study highlights the limitations of previous work, which often focused on narrow bands or short durations, leaving gaps in comprehensive, wideband assessments suitable for emerging 5G integrations.
- •The paper builds on previous studies [10, 11, 12] related to spectrum occupancy measurement in hospitals, but extends the analysis to the 5G band, addresses coexistence with LTE and Wi-Fi, and includes RF exposure assessment.
Practical Implications
- •The results provide actionable guidelines for future hospitals' wireless systems planning, enabling the integration of private 5G infrastructure for applications like real-time surgical video transmission and telemetry.
- •Hospitals can use the proposed spectrum management strategies, including adaptive sensing and guardband planning, to optimize frequency allocation and minimize interference in sensitive environments.
- •Healthcare professionals and hospital administrators can benefit from the empirical evidence demonstrating the safety and feasibility of deploying private 5G networks without compromising patient safety or disrupting existing operations.
- •The methodology outlined in the study can be used as a reproducible model for spectrum management in other sensitive environments, such as aviation and manufacturing.
- •Future research directions include detailed analysis of channel occupancy patterns extracted from the collected data to further optimize spectrum utilization and interference mitigation.