DB Regio has improved mobile reception onboard trains in Berlin and Brandenburg with laser-modified windows.
Commissioned by the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB) and Nahverkehrsservice Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH (NASA), DB has introduced the modified windows on 21 regional trains.
The cutting-edge laser technology allows mobile signals to pass through the metal-coated windows that previously blocked reception, making it easier for passengers to work, stream, or stay connected during their journeys.
The Berlin and Brandenburg region is the first in Germany to implement this laser technology retrofit.
A demonstration train with laser-modified windows has been in operation since October 2023, with full rollout expected by mid-December 2024.
This upgrade will impact the Talent 2 (ET 442) trains operating on commuter-heavy routes like RE7 (Dessau-Senftenberg), RB20 (Oranienburg-Potsdam), and RB23 (Golm-BER Airport).
“VBB already has several new trains whose windows are more permeable to mobile communications. By subsequently lasering the train windows, VBB is now also bringing older regional trains up to the quality standard of the newer trains in the association area.
“Mobile working, streaming or reading the newspaper on your cell phone will be easier during the train journey thanks to better mobile reception, and the travel experience will be more pleasant for passengers.”
The laser modification is conducted during routine maintenance at the DB Regio Nordost facility in Berlin-Lichtenberg. The process is efficient, as technicians can treat a full three-part Talent train within a single workday.
By using laser technology, DB avoids replacing windows entirely, thus reducing waste and aligning with DB’s sustainability goals.
“The RE7, RB20 and RB23 lines are used by many commuters and students for whom good reception is particularly important. In addition to WiFi, they now also benefit from better availability of mobile phone signals in the lasered trains. Lasering is a particularly sustainable way of offering passengers more comfort, because we don't have to replace a single train window to get better cell phone reception.”
DB aims to expand this technology nationwide and is encouraging other local transport authorities to adopt the window laser-modification technique.
For long-distance services, DB has committed approximately 50 million EUR to laser-modify 70,000 windows on trains, such as the ICE 3neo.
