Cellhub has launched a managed services unit and a rural healthcare programme built around 5G connectivity, virtual care operations and data services.
It introduced Cellhub Managed Services alongside an initiative called Hospitals Without Walls. The programme targets rural hospitals facing cost pressures and limited access to specialist technology staff. It outlines an operating model for remote and distributed care that runs over a 5G network and a set of partner-supplied devices and IT systems.
Cellhub plans to present the programme at the HIMSS healthcare technology conference in Las Vegas. John Tonthat, the company's chief revenue officer, is scheduled to lead sessions at T-Mobile's Tech Theatre, and Cellhub will also appear at partner CDW's booth.
Managed services arm
Cellhub Managed Services operates as a wholly owned subsidiary within the Cellhub group. Cellhub remains the contracting entity for T-Mobile and enterprise partners including CDW, while the new unit is positioned as the delivery and operations layer for 5G environments in healthcare settings.
The unit's remit includes design, cost optimisation, orchestration and lifecycle management. Cellhub also links it to its Connected Health AI platform, which it says underpins the Hospitals Without Walls programme.
Hospitals Without Walls combines mobile connectivity, networking, security services, devices and financing options from partners coordinated by Cellhub. It also includes cost analysis and a data service focused on anonymised datasets for research partners.
Rural pressures
US rural hospitals have faced sustained financial strain, putting services and facilities under pressure. Cellhub cited figures from Fierce Healthcare showing 46% of rural healthcare operations were operating at a loss. It also pointed to reports describing hundreds of hospitals as vulnerable to closure in 2025 and noted that some have discontinued inpatient care.
Research has long highlighted the scale of rural provision. Cellhub cited reports stating that 35% of community hospitals were in rural areas in 2023, equivalent to roughly 1,800 hospitals.
Against that backdrop, Hospitals Without Walls frames virtual care as a way to extend clinical services across larger geographies. The programme includes network and device deployment for remote monitoring and telehealth, along with security controls for a more distributed environment.
Cost analytics
A central component is a cost optimisation approach called SCOT (Strategic Cost Optimization & Transformation). Cellhub says SCOT uses a product called CostEye.ai and draws on cost and operational data from multiple systems, including telecom expense management platforms, configuration management databases, enterprise resource planning systems, and invoicing and contract records.
It says it analyses and normalises that information to identify potential savings. Those savings are positioned as a funding source for investment in connectivity and virtual care tools.
Connectivity and devices
The programme specifies 5G as the primary network layer, aimed at environments where fixed broadband is limited or inconsistent. Use cases include telehealth consultations, remote patient monitoring and real-time clinical collaboration.
On the device side, it lists clinical smartphones and SIM-enabled staff badges; rugged tablets and laptops for field use; remote patient monitoring kits; smart hospital beds; cellular-connected infusion pumps; portable imaging devices; and asset-tracking tags. CDW is positioned as the route for clinical devices and equipment within the programme.
Hospitals Without Walls also includes IT and networking solutions spanning local and wide area networking, cloud and software-as-a-service platforms, and mobility management. Integration with existing rural hospital systems is described as a design requirement.
For security and resilience, the programme references infrastructure resilience and security controls under the label IRE (Isolated Recovery Environments). It describes this layer as providing secure interconnection for mobile and distributed clinical settings and protecting patient data across devices and endpoints.
Data brokering
Cellhub is also pitching a data service model aimed at clinical research organisations, pharmaceutical companies and study sponsors. It argues that hospital systems hold clinical, operational and demographic data that can inform research and development, but that smaller facilities often lack the infrastructure to commercialise it in a privacy-preserving way.
Cellhub says its platform can anonymise and analyse information at a granular level, producing datasets for clinical trials, real-world evidence programmes and HIPAA-compliant data partnerships. It also positions the model as a potential revenue stream for hospitals.
"Hospitals don't need more vendor partners. They need one accountable party to help identify new ways for them to address their funding issues and grow. We can deliver and manage the resources that rural centers need to not just avoid shut downs, but to extend community care. We're honored to support them," said John Tonthat, Chief Revenue Officer, Cellhub.
CDW described the programme as a way to package multiple technology elements into a single approach for virtual care expansion.
"At CDW Healthcare, we deploy technology to hospitals nationwide. We're impressed with Cellhub's ability to assemble and manage the complex elements that make virtual expansion of care a reality. That presents a huge value," said Mike Grisamore, Senior Vice President, Vertical Markets, CDW.
Cellhub says the managed services unit will provide ongoing support across network design, configuration, integration and security services for rural hospitals with small IT teams.