A couple of days ago, The Wall Street Journal ran a story about how all
three mobile networks operating in the US — AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile — intend
to dismantle their 3G infrastructure by the close of this year.
I considered the news for a moment, then broke into a cold sweat as I dialed
OnStar.
My car is a model year 2013. That means that later this year, my car will be 10
model years old.
I knew with near certainty the OnStar transceiver in my car operated over a 3G
network. Verizon's, in fact — based on previous conversations with OnStar.
According to the advisor I spoke with, OnStar will be marketing a device in the
coming months to allow older transceivers to continue to function in the new mobile
spectrum. I was told to watch for details in March.
I was also told these devices will "plug into" the transceivers, and that
subscribers will be billed for the cost of those devices.
I suspect the subtext of the previous paragraph is that we'll have to have the
devices professionally installed, and that subscribers are going to have to weigh
the benefit of continuing the subscription against the costs of the device and
the labor for installation. I fear this could be an expensive proposition, which
could force owners to consider upgrading their cars.
Personally, succession planning has become a more serious matter. I love my car,
and I've had very little trouble with it — so much so that I trust it for kiddo's
use far more than I would buying another used car. But now the car has reached the
point where the technology its emergency contact system relies on is being retired.
In an age where cars are more and more computerized, and less and less maintainable
by their owners, the cost of ownership is today now influenced by occasional
disruptions like this.
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