Zain Omantel International has helped deliver a Guinness World Record for the longest-distance remote robotic surgery, after surgeons in Kuwait operated on a patient in Brazil over a live network spanning more than 12,000 km.
The procedure, carried out between Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital in Kuwait and Hospital Cruz Vermelha in Brazil, relied on ultra-low latency connectivity provided by Zain Omantel International, in partnership with Zain Kuwait and a consortium of local and international healthcare bodies. The operation was conducted in near real time, highlighting the growing role of advanced digital infrastructure in enabling new models of healthcare delivery.
Zain Omantel International supplied the international transport network linking Kuwait, Marseille, and São Paulo, while Zain Kuwait provided the local access networks. Together, the two operators achieved end-to-end latency of 199 milliseconds, average bandwidth of 80 Mbps, and packet loss of 0.19%, performance levels that allowed surgeons to control robotic systems across continents without perceptible delay.
Guinness World Records confirmed that the operation set a new benchmark for the longest distance between a surgeon and a patient during a live robotic procedure. Certificates were presented at a press conference at Zain Kuwait’s headquarters, attended by representatives from Kuwait’s Ministry of Health, the surgical teams, Zain, and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences.
Sohail Qadir, Chief Executive Officer at Zain Omantel International, said the achievement demonstrated how coordinated investment in local access networks and international backbone infrastructure could support latency-sensitive applications at global scale. He added that the network had been engineered specifically for predictable performance, with multiple diverse routes on standby to ensure resilience throughout the operation.
The surgery was performed over a purpose-built route designed to minimise variability and disruption, underscoring how telecoms networks originally developed for Cloud computing and financial services are increasingly being adapted for critical healthcare use cases.
The successful completion of the procedure adds to growing evidence that remote robotic surgery could help address shortages of specialist skills, enable cross-border collaboration, and expand access to complex procedures, particularly in regions where advanced surgical expertise is limited.
There’s plenty of other editorial on our sister site, Electronic Specifier! Or you can always join in the conversation by visiting our LinkedIn page.
