Passengers on Chinese high-speed trains will be able to keep up with their social networking and browse the internet when Wi-Fi service is made available in the coming years.

The service will be accessible through an app passengers can download to their cellphones when they board a train.

China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, the country's largest train maker by revenue, displayed the technology at the Modern Railway 2016 exhibition in Beijing, which ended on Wednesday.

Xu Houguang, deputy director of the press office at CRRC's headquarters in Beijing, said the company is able to install a Wi-Fi system on its bullet and regular trains.

CRRC's subway and bullet train factories — such as Qingdao Sifang Co, CRRC Changchun Co and CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co — can offer the service on products exported to overseas markets such as Malaysia and Malta, said Yao Kaijun, a researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences.

China has the world's largest mobile internet population, which last year numbered 594 million users.

However, commercially operated Wi-Fi service on bullet trains may still be years away, analysts said.

"The project requires telecom companies and train makers to upgrade networking solutions step by step until they cover all routes," said Xiang Ligang, an independent telecom analyst and founder of the industry website cctime.com.

Wi-Fi service on high-speed trains differs from that used in homes and offices, with the instability of Wi-Fi signals in tunnels and interference from mobile and static signals over the lengthy routes posing major obstacles, Xiang said.

There are also many administrative procedures to go through before running this program, and permits and licenses from the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will be needed, Yao said.

Last year, three Chinese airlines received approval to provide in-flight Wi-Fi service.

Ma Si contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at lvchang@chinadaily.com.cn