Testimonials FPC Ghent boosts security with Private 5G
The Forensic Psychiatric Centre (FPC) in Ghent provides specialised clinical care to patients who have committed offences as a result of a mental disorder. They do not belong in prison but deserve appropriate psychiatric care. In this clinical setting, the safety of staff and patients is paramount. That calls for a reliable communication system.
For a long time, FPC Ghent relied on wireless telephony via DECT, but the limitations of that technology quickly became clear. The centre's complex building structure, with large amounts of steel and concrete, created zones without coverage. As a result, critical alarms did not always arrive correctly or on time. DECT also supports voice only, not mobile data traffic, which became a barrier to the further digitalisation of care.
"Alerting is genuinely important in an environment like FPC Ghent," says Cedric Versluys, Strategic Business Development Manager at Orange Business. "Staff cannot afford to have a network that drops out in a lift or a remote corner of the building. In an incident, every second counts."
Choosing Private 5G
Wi-Fi proved not to be a suitable alternative to DECT: it does allow data traffic, but it falls short on mobility.
"Wi-Fi is essentially a static technology," explains Versluys. "As you move through a building, your connection hands over from one antenna to another, and those handovers often cause a brief interruption. In a crisis situation, that kind of glitch is unacceptable. FPC Ghent also wanted coverage in outdoor areas, which makes Wi-Fi extra complex and costly."
The centre found the best-fitting solution in Private 5G, a virtual mobile private network: through network slicing, Orange reserves part of its public 5G network exclusively for FPC Ghent. "That offers the stability and priority of a private network, without the customer having to invest in a fully dedicated 5G infrastructure on site,” Versluys says. “It also means staff have a priority, private connection on the 5G network even outside the centre's walls, for example in the garden or while accompanying patients."
Alerting and push-to-talk
A pilot project is currently running in one wing of the building, focusing on two applications: precise alerting and push-to-talk. The combination of 5G and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons enables precise positioning of alarms. Versluys: "Staff immediately know exactly which room needs help."
Staff can also use their phone as a modern walkie-talkie. At the touch of a button, they connect directly with colleagues, without having to dial a number.
Ready for the future of care
The new 5G layer gives the centre a solid foundation for further innovation, from consulting digital patient records on the move to logistics automation in the kitchens or integrating the ASTRID network for emergency services.
"We expect Private 5G to become the standard in healthcare institutions and hospitals over the next five years,” Versluys says. “Private 5G takes the burden off IT teams and paves the way for a safer, connected environment that puts people first.”
