Dataset on multichannel connectivity and video transmission carried on commercial 3G/4G networks in southern Sweden

Abstract In this data article, we report real-world data on multichannel connectivity and videotransmission carried on commercial 3G/4G networks in the region of Skane, southern Sweden. The data reported here complement the research article “Technical feasibility and ambulance nurses’ view of a digital telemedicine system in pre-hospital stroke care – A pilot study” (1). The dataset was originally collected as part of a project aimed to test in a clinical setting the quality and usefulness of a linked image and sound transmission in the prehospital assessment of patients with suspected stroke. The project built on previous studies indicating that using high-quality telemedicine in stroke cases is feasible and has already impacted local stroke care [2]. In addition, studies support the hypothesis that stroke telemedicine consultations, compared with telephone-only, result in more accurate decision-making [3]. Cellular networks for 3/4G networks have been greatly improved, a prerequisite for the use of these networks for e. g. medical applications. However, connectivity maps for planning purposes are usually based on theoretical values that do not consider smaller features of the terrain such as large trees, hills, rocks etc. and that may interfere with connectivity. To leverage several networks, multichannel devices have been developed that split the original transmission onto several independent channels and recombine the transmission on the receiver side. This setup allows to increase the available bandwidth and introduces at the same time an element of redundancy, provided that several providers with independent networks are used.