Connectivity that Respects the Planet
WAVETHRU™ Retrofit improves mobile signal reception on trains without replacing a single window. A sustainable way to stay connected.
At Pulsaart by AGC, we believe technology should connect people without increasing environmental impact. WAVETHRU™ Retrofit brings this philosophy to rail by improving mobile reception inside trains while keeping existing windows in service.
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Using a precise laser treatment, existing coated train glazing becomes more permeable to radio signals. This enhances passenger connectivity while preserving essential window functions, including thermal insulation and optical quality.
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By improving signal transmission through the windows, WAVETHRU™ Retrofit can reduce the need for onboard repeater equipment, meaning fewer electronics to install, power, maintain, and eventually dispose of.
Better onboard connectivity also makes train travel more comfortable and more competitive.
When more passengers choose rail over higher-emission options, overall transport COâ‚‚ emissions can decrease.
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Upgrade connectivity without replacing train windows
Replacing train windows for connectivity reasons can create additional environmental impacts: manufacturing new glazing, transporting heavy parts, performing removal and installation work, and processing removed windows at end of life. WAVETHRU™ Retrofit avoids unnecessary window replacement by treating the existing glazing already in service. This helps extend the useful life of train windows while improving mobile reception inside the carriage.
What 48,586 treated windows kept in service can mean for the environment
As of January 30, 2026, 48,586 train windows across Europe had been treated with the WAVETHRU™ Retrofit service. But what does that mean for the planet?
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It means 48,586 existing windows stayed in service instead of being replaced purely to solve onboard connectivity issues. Keeping windows in operation helps avoid unnecessary impacts linked to new window manufacturing, transport and logistics, installation work, and premature end-of-life processing. It also reflects a circular approach to rail assets: improving performance by upgrading what is already installed rather than replacing it.
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Using our current internal reporting estimate, this corresponds to approximately 4,900 tonnes of COâ‚‚ avoided. To put it into perspective, that is roughly equivalent to the annual carbon footprint of about 528 one-person households in the EU (EU average 9.2 tCOâ‚‚e per person per year for one-person households), the annual emissions of about 1,056 typical passenger vehicles (4.6 metric tons COâ‚‚ per vehicle per year), or the COâ‚‚ associated with about 1,013 homes’ electricity use for one year (4.798 metric tons COâ‚‚ per home per year for electricity).
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528
one-person households
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1,056
passenger vehicles for one year
959
homes’ electricity use for one year
Improve onboard reception with less hardware
Onboard repeaters are often used to compensate for mobile signal losses caused by coated glazing. WAVETHRU™ Retrofit addresses signal attenuation at the window level, helping operators reduce reliance on repeater installations and repeated hardware interventions. Fewer onboard repeaters can mean fewer electronic devices to manufacture, deploy, maintain, replace, and handle at end of life.
What 1,627 demounted hardware pieces can mean for energy use and e-waste
As of 30 January, 2026, WAVETHRU™ Retrofit has been applied on 1,627 train cars. This matters for sustainability because improving signal transmission through the windows can reduce the need to install additional onboard connectivity hardware. If each of those cars would otherwise require at least one onboard device (a repeater and/or a Wi-Fi router) to compensate for signal loss, that represents up to 1,627 fewer devices to manufacture, ship, install, power, maintain, and eventually dispose of.
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In comparison, about 782 laptops used 8 hours a day for a year can consume a similar amount of electricity. That’s on the order of a several-hundred-person office running laptops daily for a full year.
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To make that tangible, if you assume one always-on device per car using a typical ~8 W draw (within the commonly cited 5–20 W range for Wi-Fi routers, running 24/7), that’s about 114,020 kWh of electricity per year avoided across 1,627 cars. That annual electricity is roughly equivalent to the household electricity use of about 32 EU homes for a year, using Eurostat’s 1,545 kWh per person and 2.3 persons per household (EU, 2023) as a benchmark.
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If each treated train car would otherwise need at least one onboard device (a repeater or a Wi-Fi router) to compensate for signal loss, then this represents at least 1,627 fewer electronic devices introduced into the lifecycle. Routers are typically ~200–500 g in weight; using a conservative 0.4 kg per device benchmark, that is about 667 kg of electronics avoided. To put it into perspective, Eurostat reports that in 2023 the EU collected 11.6 kg of e-waste per inhabitant. That means avoiding 667 kg of electronics is comparable to the annual collected e-waste of about 42 EU residents.
782
laptops used 8 hours a day for a year
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32
EU households electricity use for one year
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57
EU residents’ worth of e-waste collected in a year
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Better passenger experience supports rail as the low-carbon choice
Reliable mobile connectivity improves comfort and productivity during rail journeys. When passengers can work, communicate, and access services onboard, train travel becomes more competitive with higher-emission alternatives. By improving mobile reception inside trains, WAVETHRU™ Retrofit supports a better passenger experience that can encourage repeat rail use and contribute to lower transport emissions through mode shift.
Better passenger experience supports rail as the low-carbon choice
Reliable mobile connectivity improves comfort and productivity during rail journeys. When passengers can work, communicate, and access services onboard, train travel becomes more competitive with higher-emission alternatives. By improving mobile reception inside trains, WAVETHRU™ Retrofit supports a better passenger experience that can encourage repeat rail use and contribute to lower transport emissions through mode shift.
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