Rebel44
Member
I work for one of EU telco companies and in my country we plan to get rid of all 3G and replace it with LTE by the end of 2016.
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Tesla to use AT&T for 4G LTE
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- Model S User Interface
I work for one of EU telco companies and in my country we plan to get rid of all 3G and replace it with LTE by the end of 2016.
By the time 3G is turned off, our free access from Tesla will have ended and we wil be paying for access. Should AT&T terminate 3G and Tesla fails to provide a retrofit solution to LTE, people can always (at the worst) install a LTE hotspot in their car, or tether their phone to the car. I believe AT&T charges $10/month for a hotspot added to a shared data plan. Not sure what the other carriers charge. Not having LTE in the car should NOT be the reason not to purchase this vehicle.
Adding on that, the incumbent telecom operator in Norway plans to shut down 3G around 2020, GSM (2G) around 2024
Spectrum is a limited resource and with people using more and more data, it's just not possible to keep 3G around instead of using the spectrum on LTE.
Interesting that 3G is going to be put to bed before 2G, but probably makes sense considering that there's likely more M2M installations that use 2G instead of 3G. On the other hand, assuming you're willing to put up with EDGE speeds, this means that the modem in the Model S shouldn't be obsolete until the 2G network gets shut down in 2024.
If we are going by the hypothetical point that 3G has been shut down in the future and cars are out of warranty, yes I could see them saying that. They will probably just point you to a hotspot with the carrier of your choosing.
Frankly we still don't know what they are going to do when the 4 years of free connectivity ends.
bluenation
Member
Tesla depends on your car being connected for all sorts of things. Software updates, remote monitoring of systems....etc. if anything I would think an upgrade to LTE would be offered. Unless the entire $2,000+ 17" needs to be swapped out for an upgrade, I think it would be done. Maybe that is wishful thinking.
Bugeater
Member
I'm pretty confident that Tesla has an ultimate plan for upgrading to the next communication standard. GM bailed on hundreds of thousands when analog cellular ended. I was one of them. I believe that Tesla won't do that.
First of all, they used a modular modem instead of onboard. Then the are Tesla, not GM. Also, since 3g isn't being dropped this year, they have a good while before they are forced to change. In the mean time there are lots of other things that Tesla software team should be focusing on!
I'm not worried.
First of all, they used a modular modem instead of onboard. Then the are Tesla, not GM. Also, since 3g isn't being dropped this year, they have a good while before they are forced to change. In the mean time there are lots of other things that Tesla software team should be focusing on!
I'm not worried.
TaoJones
Beyond Driven
3G is abysmally slow for websurfing.
My recollection is that the current (as of 12/2014) radio/module in the Model S will support 4G, when the time comes, but not LTE.
My recollection is that the current (as of 12/2014) radio/module in the Model S will support 4G, when the time comes, but not LTE.
Tesla had a job posting for an LTE engineer last year. I would expect the model X to come with LTE. Shortly after the X ships I suspect new model S cars will ship with LTE. There will not be an upgrade option for 3G equipped model S cars for some time. There just isn't a pressing reason for Tesla to invest in this right now.
All IMHO and best guess.
All IMHO and best guess.
Can you not solve this problem by giving everyone a LTE mobile hotspot and keeping one of the USB ports powered at all times? Power consumption while off will slightly increase but other than that this is only about $100 per car, maybe less in a few years when it is needed.
anticitizen13.7
Not posting at TMC after 9/17/2018
An alternative is that that LTE could become a stealth update much like the autopilot sensors and heated steering wheel. The baseband and radio chips should be cheap, and at some point won't be more costly than the HSPA+ currently used.
I agree but this should have happened a few years ago as I can't imagine the delta between a 3G and LTE radio was very high, even in 2013. And assuming proper networking drivers it shouldn't even require any additional software modifications.
igotzzoom
Active Member
In theory. I just got a Verizon iPhone 6 a few months ago, and it still typically doesn't let me browse while talking. I think VoLTE deployment is still being gradually rolled out.
Where are you? I travel extensively and it's working in all of the major cities I've visited.
igotzzoom
Active Member
Southern California. Specifically Orange County. I'll have to check again, but I remember the last time I tried it, it didn't let me do simultaneous talk & browsing.
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