Qualcomm, Verizon promote healthier living without wires

Qualcomm is selling a gadget that aggregates data from different biosensors and medical devices in the home and plants it in a cloud database from where physicians and nurses can access real-time biometric data about their patients. Verizon Wireless is developing a “virtual care” platform, built on the back of its new LTE network, which will allow doctors to use video over smartphones and tablets to make virtual house calls.

The wireless industry is moving more aggressively into telemedicine, seeing the potential of a healthcare system unfettered by wires, not to mention the huge business opportunity. At the mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C., Qualcomm announced the creation of a new division called Qualcomm Life — replacing its Wireless Health business – overseeing its new 2net mobile and cloud telemedicine platform. The heart of the system is the 2net Hub, a wireless gateway that can link to any wireless sensor or device through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and ANT+, encrypt that data and send it securely to the 2net cloud.