Boston Scientific says it is extending the wireless network for its in-home Latitude cardiac monitoring system beyond the United States through a new Vodafone partnership.

Later this year, a new generation of the Latitude in-home base stations will gain the capability of connecting to wireless networks via AT&T in North America and Vodafone in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The Latitude system, which includes pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and other devices, now relies on landline connections to transmit heart health data daily from implants to doctors, who monitor vital signs to catch developing problems before they become critical. The current system transmits data from the monitor to a base station via Bluetooth and then forwards it to doctors via a landline-based Internet connection.

At-home monitoring systems such as Latitude are intended to help reduce pressure on hospital outpatient and inpatient services and increase the speed with which healthcare providers can respond to early signs of deterioration in a patient’s cardiac condition. But with the number of fixed line connections steadily falling in developed nations, the system is getting an update. Just about 40 out of 100 people in the developed world had fixed line connections in 2011 compared to 49 out of 100 people in 2001, according to an estimate by the International Telecommunications Union.

“With long patient lists and busy schedules, doctors are always looking for solutions that improve patient care while driving clinical efficiencies. Our collaboration with Vodafone allows us to use their mobile expertise and provide wireless remote patient monitoring services that appeal to both patients and healthcare providers,” says Michael Onuscheck, a senior vice president for Boston Scientific and president of the company’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa unit.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, Boston Scientific began the U.S. launch of its next-generation line of defibrillators, which among other upgrades incorporate improved diagnostic capability.

The companies did not disclose financial details of the partnerships, however health-monitoring services are expected to comprise a growing portion of wireless carriers’ mobile health revenue in the future.