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GM First to Offer Unlimited Data Option for Car Owners

GM has announced it will be the first automaker to offer users an unlimited data options for owners of the company's LTE-connected automobiles. If you've tracked in-car connectivity, some of the initial pricing was downright laughable, with 30 GB of data being offered at prices upward of $500. But slowly and surely these prices have dropped, with GM/Chevy lowering the price of AT&T provided LTE connectivity just last summer. Currently, users have the option of paying $10 a month for 1 gigabyte of data, $20 a month for 4 gigabytes and $40 a month for 10 gigabytes of data.

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Now, a company announcement states that customers with an in-vehicle OnStar 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot can access an unlimited prepaid data option for $20 per month.

Chevy and GM say that in-car WiFi use exploded last year, with their customers using 4 million gigabytes of data in 2016 -- a 200% bump over 2015. The company says it has sold 3.1 million OnStar 4G LTE-connected vehicles since June 2014, but it doesn't note just how many of these customers sign up or retain wireless broadband connectivity.

“We have contractors bidding jobs in their Silverados, families streaming movies in their Suburbans and Malibus, and everyone tapping into the cloud for music,” Alan Batey, president of GM North America and global head of Chevrolet, said in a statement.

The problem, of course, is that everybody now has a 4G modem in their pocket, making the added cost of such connectivity redundant for many. Chevy and GM clearly hope this new unlimited data option changes peoples' minds about turning their vehicle into a rolling LTE hotspot.

Most recommended from 36 comments


Corporate
join:2014-10-04

3 recommendations

Corporate

Member

Good deal

said by Karl Bode:

The problem, of course, is that everybody now has a 4G modem in their pocket, making the added cost of such connectivity redundant for many.

Most hotspots on phones are limited to 10-15 GB, so having unlimited data for your vehicle for $20/month is a good deal.

AT&T's connected car device is still a better deal, however, as it is not limited to GM vehicles, and can be moved from vehicle to vehicle.
Dodge
Premium Member
join:2002-11-27

2 recommendations

Dodge

Premium Member

GM At it's finest

Because integrating Apple carplay and Android Auto would take away from their useless OnStar.