Japanese mobile carrier NTT Docomo and AGC, formerly known as Asahi Glass, have jointly developed a glass mobile antenna that can be affixed to windows without blocking or ruining the view.

The antenna features a transparent metal film encased in two panes of glass and is the first of its kind, the companies said on Wednesday. When attached to the inside of a window, it can provide a signal to the area around the building.

Docomo will roll out the antenna in parts of Tokyo next spring, before expanding it throughout Japan. The antenna will initially work with the fourth-generation LTE standard, and the companies also aim to develop antennas for the coming fifth generation of mobile networks, known as 5G.

Conventional mobile base stations are generally located on steel towers or on the tops of buildings. With network traffic rapidly increasing, mobile providers are working on ways to add base stations, but the issue of obstructing scenery has made securing locations difficult.

Blending mobile infrastructure into local scenery is becoming a global trend and some overseas markets have succeeded in using streetlights as base stations. The trend looks likely to expand in Japan.