Excelerate and Hybrid Connex

Achieving brilliant outcomes together

Reliable connectivity is essential at every stage of the patient journey, from first response on scene to handover at hospital. Working alongside Excelerate and other partners, Cloud Gateway supported the delivery of resilient digital infrastructure as part of the European Space Agency’s Hybrid Connex project. This trialled advanced hybrid connectivity solutions across ambulance and hospital environments.

Our HSCN connectivity played a foundational role in enabling real-time access to critical systems and data, including electronic patient records and telemedicine platforms, even in areas with poor network coverage.

The background

Digital transformation in frontline care settings relies heavily on dependable connectivity. Yet in both rural and urban environments, clinicians often experience unreliable network performance, slowing down care and adding delays to time-sensitive decisions.

Excelerate’s Hybrid Connex project, backed by the European Space Agency, aimed to tackle these challenges by combining satellite and cellular technologies into a single, seamless solution. Cloud Gateway provided secure access to the Health & Social Care Network (HSCN), helping clinicians access and update patient data securely, even on the move.

The challenge

Ambulance crews and hospital teams needed uninterrupted access to electronic patient records, telemedicine tools, and secure video communication platforms. However, many of the environments they operate in suffer from weak or patchy network coverage.

To support the success of the Hybrid Edge Appliance developed by Excelerate, a reliable and secure connection to the HSCN was essential. Cloud Gateway was brought in to ensure that this critical infrastructure layer was in place and operational.

The solution

Cloud Gateway provided secure and resilient HSCN connectivity through our Health Connect service. This enabled healthcare applications and devices to operate seamlessly across mobile and fixed locations.

By integrating our connectivity layer with Excelerate’s hybrid networking hardware, ambulance clinicians gained uninterrupted access to patient records, cloud systems, and communication tools. Our platform supported the transfer of data between ambulance, hospital, and central NHS systems over bonded 4G, 5G, and satellite links.

The impact

Ambulance Use Case – East of England Pilot

• 88% of previously low-signal areas achieved a stable cellular connection

• LEO satellite was used in 47% of jobs where mobile coverage was unavailable

• 100% coverage achieved in remaining not-spots through satellite alone

• Download speeds reached up to 150 Mbps

• Clinicians accessed EPRs, used telemedicine, made Wi-Fi calls and shared live data

• Secure onboard Wi-Fi connected 99% of the time, benefitting nearby crews too

Hospital Emergency Departments

• Over 37,700 device connections recorded across four trial sites

• More than 1TB of data transferred in five months

• 9,000+ patient records updated in the first month

• Achieved 99% uptime with speeds of up to 127 Mbps

• Enabled faster escalations, reduced handover delays and improved patient flow

Cloud Gateway’s secure access to HSCN ensured the smooth running of both ambulance and hospital deployments, giving healthcare teams the confidence to rely on real-time digital tools when they needed them most.

Looking ahead

The Hybrid Connex initiative shows how advanced connectivity can transform care delivery across emergency and clinical settings. Cloud Gateway is proud to support innovation like this, offering intelligent, secure and scalable networking solutions for health and social care providers.

We remain committed to helping organisations like Excelerate deliver smarter, faster, and more connected healthcare services.