“This record proves that with the right network design and partnerships, geography is no longer a barrier to life-saving healthcare innovation.”
Zain Omantel International (ZOI), in collaboration with Zain Kuwait and a consortium of healthcare and technology partners, has enabled a Guinness World Record-breaking remote robotic surgery spanning more than 12,000 kilometers between Kuwait and Brazil. The milestone demonstrates how ultra-low latency, resilient digital infrastructure can unlock new possibilities in advanced healthcare delivery and global medical collaboration.
The historic procedure saw surgeons operating from Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital in Kuwait perform live robotic surgery on a patient located at Hospital Cruz Vermelha in Brazil, in near real time. The operation officially set the world record for the longest distance between a patient and surgeon, underscoring the feasibility of complex telesurgery across continents.
ZOI provided the international transport network linking Kuwait, Marseille, and São Paulo, while Zain Kuwait delivered the local access infrastructure. The purpose-built route achieved end-to-end latency of just 199 milliseconds, supported by an average bandwidth of 80 Mbps and packet loss as low as 0.19 percent. This consistent, predictable performance allowed surgeons to precisely control robotic systems despite the vast physical separation.
The announcement was made during a press conference at Zain Kuwait’s headquarters, where Guinness World Records representatives formally recognized the achievement and presented certificates to the Ministry of Health, the surgical team, Zain, and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). The record validated months of planning and coordination across telecom, healthcare, and research institutions.
Speaking on the achievement, Sohail Qadir, CEO of ZOI, emphasized the role of infrastructure in enabling real-world innovation. He noted that delivering precision over such distances is only possible when every component of the network is engineered for stability and low latency, allowing medical teams to focus fully on patient outcomes.
Beyond the headline-making record, the project highlights the broader potential of digital networks to transform critical sectors. From healthcare to advanced research and real-time industrial applications, ZOI’s globally integrated backbone enables customers to enter new markets faster, build resilience through diverse routing, and ensure their most sensitive traffic is intelligently prioritized.
Backed by Zain and Omantel, ZOI combines decades of wholesale telecom expertise with deep regional presence, continuing to set benchmarks for what high-performance, AI-ready global networks can deliver.
