The operation was conducted live on a global network spanning Kuwait, Marseille, and São Paulo, with multiple diverse paths engineered in advance to ensure stability and continuity.
Zain Omantel International (ZOI), in cooperation with Zain Kuwait, has provided ultra-low latency connectivity that enabled a Guinness World Record-breaking remote surgery spanning 12,000km. ZOI and Zain Kuwait worked in collaboration with Kuwaits Ministry of Health (MOH), Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), and international partners to enable a surgical team in Kuwait to operate on a patient in Brazil in near real-time.
The remote robotic surgery set a Guinness World Record for the longest distance between a patient and a surgeon. ZOI provided the international transport services between Kuwait, Marseille and Sao Paolo (Equinix SP4) while Zain Kuwait delivered local access networks. The joint networking strategy achieved 199ms (0.2seconds) end-to-end latency, an average bandwidth of 80 Mbps, and a packet loss of just 0.19%. This record-low latency allowed the surgeons to control the robot in real time despite the distance.
The announcement was made at a press conference at Zain Kuwaits headquarters where a Guinness World Records representative presented certificates to the Minister of Health, the surgical team, Zain, and KFAS. The representative confirmed that the teams at Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital in Kuwait and SCOLLA at Hospital Cruz Vermelha in Brazil had officially set the record.
Sohail Qadir, CEO at ZOI, said: “ZOIs strategic investment in digital infrastructure that directly enables local innovations at global scale provides a foundation for connecting low-latency applications and services across the globe. This is what coordinated delivery with local access and international backbone can achieve.”
The surgery was performed on a live global network using a route purpose-built for predictable latency, with multiple diverse paths on standby in case of disruption, demonstrating how advanced digital infrastructure can enable new frontiers in medicine.
Qadir continued: “This level of precision over 12,000 km is only possible when every part of the network is engineered and operated for consistent low-latency performance. Our role was to ensure a stable, predictable international route so the surgical team could focus on the patient while we took accountability for the network. The record is a great headline, but it really shows what can be achieved when strong partners, advanced digital infrastructure and a shared commitment to innovation come together.”
ZOI provides customers faster entry into regional markets, stronger resilience across multiple routes, and confidence that their most sensitive traffic is managed and prioritized. Backed by Zain and Omantel, ZOI combines decades of wholesale expertise with deep local presence and a track record of delivery across a global footprint.
