UPDATE – BMW and T-Mobile claim the first 5G connected cars are coming to America’s shores in two of BMW’s high-end electric cars, the iX and i4, powered by T-Mobile. The carrier has an agreement, known as Magenta Drive for BMW, to provide unlimited voice calling and unlimited 5G data to BMW vehicles, turning the car into a mobile WiFi hotspot to connect all in-car devices. Content can be downloaded on up to 10 devices at the same time.
“Cars are transitioning from just a mode of transportation to an extension of home and work, and people on the go are depending on premium connectivity more than ever to power personalized in-car experiences and entertainment,” said Callie Field, President, T-Mobile Business Group.
T-Mobile is not alone in mating 5G with automobiles. In February, Inside Towers reported that Verizon had entered into a partnership with Audi of America to bring 5G to its vehicle lineup, beginning with certain models for the 2024 model year. The deal marked Verizon’s first agreement with a global automaker for 5G-enabled automobiles, bringing embedded 5G Ultra Wideband connectivity into Audi vehicles for augmented mobile services, new driver-assistance features, and connectivity-enabled automated driving. Verizon also has partnerships with Nissan and Honda.
Thanks to an agreement with AT&T, 5G connectivity will come to cars made by General Motors in select model year 2024 vehicles. Additionally, through GM’s 5G network, current 4G LTE-equipped model year 2019 and newer vehicles will experience faster connectivity speeds and many of the same performance benefits of future 5G-equipped vehicles. GM offers OnStar and Connected Services via 4G LTE to more than 16 million customers in the U.S. and Canada.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
Reader Interactions