AT&T and General Motors are collaborating to bring cellular connectivity to GM vehicles in the U.S., over the next decade. The companies will work together to incorporate a 5G cellular network architecture within select vehicles, specifically for meeting the needs of an all-electric, autonomous feature set.
This core network will include enhancements to improve roadway-centric coverage, support faster and higher-quality streaming and downloads, accommodate more reliable and secure OTA (over-the-air) software updates and enhance navigation, mapping and voice services.
The 5G connectivity will first be available in select 2024 models, although it will also improve connectivity speeds for 2019 and later vehicles that are equipped with 4G LTE support.
The rollout is part of a joint strategy over the past two years to launch the “world’s largest fleet of 5G-enabled vehicles” This collaboration also saw the test-driving of connected vehicles at GM’s “Proving Grounds” facility in Milford, Michigan.
GM offers OnStar and Connected Services2 to more than 16 million customers in the U.S. and Canada, with car owners consuming over 171 million GB of data across its brands. When launched, GM will provide access for strategic partners to connect over AT&T’s 5G network, improving interoperability and scale to support future mobility services such as e-commerce, smart city and vehicle-to-electric grid.
“By connecting millions of GM vehicles to our nationwide 5G network, we will improve the customer experience for existing services while laying the groundwork for the next wave of innovation including autonomous driving,” said Gregory Wieboldt, SVP of Global Business and Industry Solutions with AT&T. “We now connect more vehicles than any other carrier and GM has played a critical role in our success. We’re honored to work alongside GM to usher the next chapter of connected driving.”
