GM Plans In-Vehicle 5G for 2024 Model Year
With the help of AT&T, General Motors is preparing for a new generation of 5G vehicle connectivity.
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The two companies recently announced an initiative to create a high-performance 5G network — one that’s specially designed to equip GM models with ultra-fast cellular data speeds on the go.
Based on AT&T’s existing — and extensive — nationwide 5G network, this next-gen connectivity will be available starting with the 2024 model year. That doesn’t mean older vehicles will be left in the dust, though. Buick, GMC, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles from the 2019 model year forward will enjoy faster, better 4G LTE connectivity as well.
According to GM, its upcoming 5G network will speed up and improve the quality of a wide array of in-vehicle services. Media downloads, over-the-air updates, voice control, and mapping capabilities will all reap the benefits.
The upgrade to 5G will also lay the groundwork for GM to continue developing and expanding advanced technologies like Super Cruise hands-free driving, autonomous vehicles, and vehicle-to-grid communications.
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“Together with AT&T, we’ve brought unprecedented experiences to the daily commute, family road trips, and everything in between,” said Santiago Chamorro, GM’s vice president of Global Connected Services. “As an in-vehicle connectivity leader, this rollout demonstrates our commitment to growth through software-enabled services and reimagining every customer touchpoint by enabling faster connectivity speeds to power in-vehicle voice-enabled services, navigation, and apps that our customers have grown to love.”
GM has been working with AT&T to provide 4G LTE connectivity for its vehicles since 2014. Currently, more than 16 million of the automaker’s U.S. and Canadian customers use OnStar and Connected Services, which include emergency assistance, in-vehicle apps, and Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities.
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A longtime editor/writer and recently transplanted Hoosier, Caleb Cook lives in Xenia, Ohio. His favorite activities are reading and listening to music, although he occasionally emerges from the heap of books and vinyl records in his basement to stand blinking in the sunlight. Once fully acclimated to the outside world again, he can be observed hanging out with his wife, attempting a new recipe in the kitchen, attending movies, walking the dog, or wandering into a local brewery to inquire about what’s on tap. See more articles by Caleb.