After the banking world, the operator is tackling the health sector. Two projects are in the pipeline. Proximus has some ideas for revolutionizing telemedicine.
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Proximus would see itself as the link between patients and Belgian doctors. The largest telecom operator in the country wants to diversify to win the battle of the first screen – be in the applications that we consult every day – with its MyProximus application. After an unprecedented partnership with Belfius, Proximus will, according to our information, launch an e-health offer soon.
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After analyzing around forty possibilities in the digital health sector, the telecom operator decided to focus on two projects: support for people who want to be treated at home and telemedicine. The first project is still little advanced for the moment, while the second is on the right track. The operator has chosen not to develop technology in-house and turned to technology from a young Swedish companye, Doktor.se. It is well positioned in its home market and has successfully developed the technology necessary for use by physicians and patients of all ages.
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White label incorporated
According to our information, Proximus’ idea would be to use this technology as a “white label” and to incorporate it into its MyProximus application. The telecom operator would like to move forward very quickly on this issue with a launch before the summer of its e-health offer, which will probably be even more extensive. In any case, Proximus has made e-health one of its priorities for its future with, according to our information, an investment of 30 million euros over the next three years in the field. An amount that Proximus denies, while refusing to give more details on its investments.
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“It’s no secret that we aim to achieve growth in new areas of business.”
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If the project materializes, the central question will be the level of credibility of a telephone operator in the medical community. Regularly pointed in the last places in consumer confidence surveys, telecom operators are not in favor of forecasts for this type of activity. To gain some credibility, Proximus would like to create an ecosystem of companies and initiatives around its project.
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Contacted, Proximus confirms the existence of projects in the field, but refuses to go into detail: “It is no secret that we aim to achieve growth in new areas of activity by playing a central role in the creation of digital ecosystems E-health is one of the priorities on which we are focusing for 2021 and beyond, alongside the world of banking, education and smart building. Our e-health projects are in full preparation and we are discussing with different stakeholders. At this point, we cannot confirm or comment on any additional specific information. We will give more details on this project as soon as we are ready. “
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Each time the strategy is the same. The e-health project will be no exception to the rule. Proximus brings its own strengths. The operator then calls on specialists in the sector for aspects that are beyond his control.
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The project was piloted by Renaud Tilmans, Chief Customer Operations Officer of Proximus. However, we learned on Tuesday evening that following our insistence, Proximus formalized the appointment of Jan Van Wijnendaele as director of the eHealth division.
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The collaboration with Belfius as an example
For the operator, therefore, further diversification is emerging. A priori, however, Proximus does not really have all the assets to become a health specialist. This is obviously anything but a problem. Since the arrival at the head of Proximus of Guillaume Boutin, diversification has even become one of the main strategic axes. Proximus no longer wants to see itself only active in its initial market. The evolution of the group had also started even before the arrival of Boutin at its head. When he was the consumer manager, he notably launched the Pickx project, positioning Proximus much more strongly on content.
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Recently, however, the shift towards diversification has taken on a whole new dimension. This resulted in a collaboration with Belfius. A few weeks ago, the bank launched Beats, a banking offer associated with a telecom subscription. For its part, Proximus will have Banx, its own online bank within a few months, directly via MyProximus. Each time the strategy is the same. The e-health project will be no exception to the rule: Proximus brings its own strengths, in this case the technical aspect. The operator then calls on specialists in the sector for the aspects that he does not master.. The company is convinced by the principle. It is also very likely that announcements of this kind will be repeated in the months to come.
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