After a busy couple of days of meetings and running from one end of the conference to the other (I didn’t quite expect there to be 24 exhibition halls!), it was interesting to see several of the trends we highlighted in our Future of Connectivity in Rail – 2025 research becoming increasingly visible across the market.
In my pre-InnoTrans blog, I highlighted LEO, trackside connectivity, AI and cybersecurity as some of the areas I was most interested in exploring. Fortunately, there was plenty to see in these areas this year with so many vendors showcasing the latest technology and talking about new programs. Here’s a summary of the headlines:
- Kymeta: Kymeta showcased its newly rail-certified Kestrel™ u5, a compact LEO terminal designed to connect trains to Eutelsat OneWeb. The terminal has already successfully completed a trial in Poland, in partnership with ACO Solutions, Hispasat and PKP Intercity.
- Hughes: Hughes brought its new rail-focused HL1620 LEO antenna unveiled in March, designed to bring Eutelsat OneWeb connectivity to passenger and freight rail networks worldwide.
- Icomera: Icomera’s booth housed the new compact XS1 router launched in May, weighing just 2.8 kg and measuring roughly 293 x 202 x 70 mm. It brings together 5G, LEO and private trackside connectivity, alongside Wi-Fi 7. The XS1 has been designed with retrofit in mind, as Icomera continues to target fleet modernisation and legacy-router replacement.
- Motion Applied: Talked about the 15-week trial with Great Western Railway, Network Rail, Hitachi Rail and Peninsula Transport, which combined 4G/5G cellular with LEO satellite connectivity onboard a GWR Intercity Express Train. The trial achieved up to 1.2 Gbps peak throughput, around 900 Mbps average available throughput and 99.75% hybrid network availability. Passenger satisfaction improved by more than 90%, with over 31,000 customer devices supported during the trial.
- Nomad Digital: Just prior to the show, Nomad announced it had been selected to provide connectivity for all 26 Siemens Velaro trains ordered by Italo for its planned entry into the German high-speed market from 2028.
- Westermo / Blu Wireless: Westermo and Blu Wireless continue to push the “Gigabit Train” proposition through mmWave track-to-train connectivity. Westermo’s Oryx-7000/Blu Wireless technology can deliver up to 3 Gbps at speeds of up to 300 km/h. Blu Wireless highlighted Caltrain at InnoTrans, where it worked with Nomad Digital and Alstom on the high-speed onboard Wi-Fi network between San Francisco and San Jose.
- Hitachi Rail: Hitachi’s InnoTrans presence focused heavily on its next-generation onboard architecture, combining its OBIF onboard integration framework with NVIDIA GPU processing for AI video analytics. Applications include passenger and crowd monitoring, violent-event detection, passenger information and entertainment, and other onboard AI processing, with the train connected to the wayside through FRMCS/5G multi-connectivity.
Combined, these developments prove to me just how quickly the rail connectivity sector is evolving. It is no longer simply about providing a reliable Wi-Fi connection for passengers. Operators increasingly need greater capacity and resilience to support a much wider range of applications, from passenger connectivity and real-time CCTV to operational data and AI-driven monitoring. It seems as though vendors are responding well to the challenge.
When it comes to takeaways, a few themes came up consistently throughout my discussions with attendees and exhibitors:
There really is no silver bullet for rail connectivity: One of the main conclusions from our rail connectivity research was that there is no single technology capable of solving every connectivity challenge faced by rail operators. My conversations at InnoTrans only strengthened that view.
Cellular remains very much the backbone of rail connectivity, but satellite and dedicated trackside networks are increasingly being deployed alongside it. One industry contact estimated the split across its deployments at around 80% cellular and 20% satellite, while also noting growing interest in combining trackside infrastructure with satellite.
This point leads me nicely to another takeaway that I highlighted ahead of InnoTrans: improving connectivity is about more than simply upgrading the equipment onboard the train. The infrastructure surrounding it, and the ability to switch between or combine different networks throughout a journey, is just as important and its here where a lot of work remains.
LEO is growing, but cost still uncompetitive: LEO was unsurprisingly a big topic throughout InnoTrans. Cost of service continues to be one of the biggest barriers to wider satellite adoption, particularly where cellular coverage is already strong. However, the arrival of new rail-certified hardware, including Kymeta’s Kestrel™ u5 and Hughes’ HL1620, alongside growing involvement from Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb, suggests LEO is finding its place.
Given the relatively slow nature of the rail industry, I am pleasantly surprised at how quickly satellite has becoming an established part of the wider multi-network approach to rail connectivity. , LEO has quickly become a staple, working alongside cellular and trackside infrastructure rather than replacing them.
The Middle East may be harder to break into than expected: Before the event, I highlighted the scale of investment going into new railway infrastructure across the region and the opportunity to integrate advanced connectivity into new networks from day one. After speaking to several companies at InnoTrans, the opportunity appears slightly more nuanced than I initially expected.
The Middle East was repeatedly identified as a difficult market for international connectivity suppliers to penetrate. Local relationships and established suppliers remain extremely important, while major players such as Nokia already have a significant presence in markets including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The sheer scale of many Middle Eastern rail projects also means passenger Wi-Fi and onboard connectivity can represent only a small component of a much larger infrastructure programme. As a result, connectivity may not always be procured through the standalone tenders that vendors are accustomed to elsewhere.
Interestingly, strong terrestrial cellular coverage in parts of the region may also reduce the immediate requirement for satellite connectivity on certain routes.
So, while I still see considerable long-term potential in the Middle East, one of my main takeaways from InnoTrans was that the scale of infrastructure investment shouldn’t automatically be treated as a direct indication of the addressable connectivity opportunity. Supplier relationships, procurement structures and the existing connectivity environment all need to be considered.
Final thoughts
For me, the biggest takeaway from Berlin is that the market is becoming more diverse rather than converging around one technology. Cellular remains fundamental with 5G coverage now widespread, but LEO is becoming more commercially viable, trackside investment continues, and private networks are taking on greater importance for operational applications.
Going into InnoTrans, I wanted to understand whether some of the trends we identified in our 2025 research were translating into real-world deployments. I came away satisfied that they are, and delighted to see how these technologies are beginning to work together in service of improved passenger connectivity – about time too! Beyond the technology, it was also great to catch up with friends and familiar faces across the industry, as well as make some new connections along the way.
