We look at how agilis and HOTSPLOTS, part of the Wifirst Group, built a single platform that delivers a rich onboard WiFi experience to passengers while running the operator's own demanding IT applications underneath it.
agilis Verkehrsgesellschaft operates regional train services that connect towns and communities, where the quality of the onboard experience can shape how passengers feel about their journey. For its retrofitted trains, the operator wanted more than basic passenger connectivity. It wanted a truly premium onboard WiFi experience, supported by a robust internet gateway running on the same infrastructure.
// THE CHALLENGE: Two Networks' Worth of Demands, One Platform
For passengers, the goal was to deliver a high-quality WiFi experience with onboard entertainment, including magazines, games, films, and travel information. Many of these features also needed to remain available when the train moved through areas with limited connectivity, so the content platform had to keep working even in dead zones.
At the same time, agilis needed a robust internet gateway to support its own critical IT applications, from onboard systems to back-office connectivity. Bringing together a rich passenger experience and demanding internal data traffic across a full fleet of retrofitted trains required a platform that could perform reliably throughout every journey, whatever the terrain or signal conditions.
"With HOTSPLOTS, we at agilis have found a strong partner that offers our passengers an excellent WiFi experience and at the same time supports important IT applications on the train. HOTSPLOTS impresses with reliable performance, close contact and the ability to master complex requirements."
Thomas Kraus, Head of IT, agilis Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
// THE SOLUTION: A Carefully Designed, Dual-Purpose Platform
HOTSPLOTS worked closely with agilis from the very start, helping define the hardware, design the platform, and configure the WiFi services rather than simply delivering equipment. The result is one unified platform that supports both passenger WiFi and agilis’ internal IT traffic at the same time, with dedicated performance for each.
HOTSPLOTS continues to operate the hotspot as an ongoing managed service. Passenger usage alone now exceeds 1 TB of data per vehicle each month, driven by streaming, browsing, and onboard entertainment. Even with this high and growing demand, agilis’ own applications continue to run reliably on the same infrastructure.
// THE RESULT: A Network That Keeps Pace With Demand
Around 200,000 users connect to the network across the agilis fleet every month, making it a high-traffic environment rather than a simple onboard amenity. Behind the scenes, HSVPN manages data volumes and speed allocation to maintain consistent performance, even as usage changes from one route or time of day to another.
HOTSPLOTS can also update the configuration over the air, without taking trains out of service. This allows improvements and fixes to be rolled out across the fleet without disrupting operations or timetables.
