On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, a massive cellular outage disrupted service for approximately 2 million Verizon customers across the United States. With service peaks hitting 33,000 reported issues in a single evening, major hubs like Washington, D.C., and New York City were forced to issue emergency alerts advising residents to seek alternative communication methods.
For the healthcare industry, this was a critical risk. When cellular connectivity in remote patient monitoring (RPM) fails, the bridge between a patient and their care team vanishes. While many providers scrambled during the disruption, Tenovi remained 100% operational. Because Tenovi utilizes multiple cellular carriers in the U.S., our devices automatically bypassed the outage, ensuring that life-saving health data never stopped flowing.
The Critical Role of Cellular Connectivity in Remote Patient Monitoring
The recent outage underscores that an RPM program is only as reliable as its connection. Cellular connectivity in remote patient monitoring provides a consistent, real-time link for vital sign tracking without requiring the patient to have home Wi-Fi or a smartphone.
The Tenovi RPM Cellular Gateway serves as the central hub for this data. By aggregating health data from multiple Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as blood pressure monitors, scales, and pulse oximeters, the gateway transmits information directly to providers via a secure cellular network.
Why Tenovi’s Connectivity is Different
In light of the Verizon disruption, it is clear that relying on a single carrier is a liability. Tenovi has engineered a “no patient left behind” approach to ensure uninterrupted access to care:
- Multi-Carrier SIM & Direct Contracts: We don’t rely on just one provider. Our devices are equipped to switch between carriers, meaning if one network goes down (like Verizon did yesterday), the device stays online.
- USA-Tuned Hardware: Our antennas are specifically tuned for U.S. frequencies to maximize signal strength in rural or “dead zone” areas.
- Wi-Fi Fallback Plan: For ultimate redundancy, our gateway can pivot to Wi-Fi if cellular signals are completely unavailable.
- Engineering Excellence: All Tenovi cellular integrations are completed by our engineers in the USA, ensuring a premium, defective-free experience for patients.
Benefits of a Reliable, Multi-Carrier RPM Gateway
When cellular connectivity in remote patient monitoring is guaranteed, the benefits to the healthcare landscape are transformative:
- Enhanced Care Coordination: Real-time data sharing allows healthcare teams to monitor conditions between appointments, regardless of local network fluctuations.
- Timely Medical Interventions: Proactive alerts can signal the need for immediate intervention, preventing emergencies before they escalate.
- Improved Patient Outcomes: Consistent data collection allows for tailored, data-driven treatment plans that lead to better long-term health.
- Reduced Healthcare Costs: By ensuring connectivity is never broken, providers can effectively reduce the risk of ER visits and hospitalizations caused by missed symptoms.
The Future of RPM Adoption
Currently, remote patient monitoring devices are being used by nearly 50 million people across the United States. The 2026 outage is a reminder for the 40% of healthcare programs currently implementing or piloting RPM. As adoption grows, the focus must shift from simple connectivity to resilient connectivity.
The necessity for contingency plans in healthcare communication systems has never been more apparent. Remote patient monitoring is transforming healthcare delivery, but it requires a foundation that can withstand national service disruptions.
Secure Your Patient Data Today
Whether you are looking to increase patient engagement, create a more efficient workflow, or protect your program from the next major network outage, Tenovi provides the most reliable cellular connectivity in remote patient monitoring. Schedule a free demo to learn more today.
