3G Shutdown: Is Your Car About to Become Obsolete?
By Jowi Morales
Published Sep 24, 2021

3G networks are beginning to close down. Little did you know, your car might go offline with them.
an old Ford Model T sitting crashed and abandoned on a street

As technology evolves, it's natural for older, outdated tech to be phased out. It happened with the 2G cellular network when AT&T stopped its service in 2017.

It's now happening with the 3G network.

But as companies shut off their legacy services, unintended consequences pop up: the loss of car safety features.

But why did this happen? How is the 3G shutdown affecting car safety? And can anything be done about it?
Technological Evolution
5G connectivity and the internet of things

By now, you probably have heard of 5G technology and how it's rolling out in many cities right now. Most new handsets tout themselves as 5G-ready or 5G-capable, and even carriers are making big news out of their 5G coverage.

5G is the latest cellular network standard, offering up to 20 times faster speeds than 4G. And as more and more users switch to newer handsets that support 4G and 5G technology, there are fewer users of older 3G technology.

For this reason, many carriers are opting to switch their older cellular coverage off for good. After all, aside from saving money on maintenance, they also need to return the radio frequencies they're not using for other applications.
3G Switch-Off: Your Car Doesn't Work Properly Anymore

However, it's not just phones that rely on 3G technology. You may be surprised, but many vehicles also use 3G. Both commercial fleets and everyday passenger vehicles use this technology for service communication, specifically telematics.

Telematics use technologies like GPS tracking, systems monitoring, and onboard diagnostics to wirelessly monitor and control a vehicle. For commercial fleets, this is generally used to monitor your fleet's location and status.

But for passenger vehicles, telematics offers so much more. Makers offered services like OnStar, Enform, BMW Assist, and more. These use telematics technology to communicate with the manufacturer's servers and process your car's data.

Related:
Everything We Know About the Apple Car

So aside from showing your location and the surrounding traffic situation on your car's built-in navigation system, they also provide convenience. If equipped, users can use this to start their car remotely and handle its systems like climate control.

More importantly, crash detection technology that automatically dials 911 in case of an emergency also uses telematics. While recent cars come equipped with 4G and 5G antennas that will work after 3G services have stopped, several older models are only equipped with 3G technology.

That's why 3G deactivation will have a significant impact on the motoring industry. Unlike smartphones, which users typically replace in two and a half years, vehicles could last up to 10 years or more.
car navigation services on a dashboard

This is the chief complaint of users who bought a telematics-equipped vehicle. During the height of 3G technology, most cars equipped with this tech were pricier luxury models. Furthermore, buyers who opted for this advanced (for the time) technology package had to pay a premium above the sticker price.

After all, when you buy a car, you expect to enjoy all of the features you purchased for the car's lifetime. However, with the sunset of 3G communications, vehicles equipped with 3G telematics will lose these extra features.

Sure, you can still drive the car. But you're essentially losing a function that could have been the deciding factor of your purchase. It's like buying a car with an audio player, only for you to find out that you're losing this feature seven years down the line.
cassette tape held in a car

It's not because of some mishap or accident. It just so happens that it's obsolete. And it's unlike the cassette or CD players in old cars where you can still use old tapes or discs you have in stock. When 3G turns off, you cannot use the service. There is no network on which to broadcast or receive data.
Will Smartphones Stop Working?

However, this is unlikely to become as big an issue among mobile phone users. After all, most users get a new phone every two and a half years. Besides, you can get a refurbished 4G phone fairly cheap these days, and even the latest phones (perhaps equipped with 5G) only cost around $1000.

But if you have to get a new vehicle because your 3G service doesn't work anymore, you'll likely have to fork out over tens of thousands of dollars. Even decent used cars (with no telematics) could set you back thousands.
What Car Manufacturers Can Do

If you're a fleet owner, upgrading your telematics device is pretty simple—all you have to do is contact your provider ask them for an upgrade. You likely don't have to buy a new truck or van; you just have to replace the device they provide.

But for passenger car owners, this is a bit more complicated. Since these systems are integrated into your car's dash or even into your car's electronic control unit, you might have to bring it back to your dealer for an upgrade—if they offer one.

Car owners from several brands, like Lexus, Toyota, and BMW, have already received emails that they'll no longer enjoy these services once 3G is gone. But on the other hand, GM car owners may have a glimmer of hope.

Related:
Awesome DIY Arduino Projects to Upgrade Your Car

Older vehicles retain communications with OnStar services because the systems in these cars are mostly compatible with 3G and 4G systems. In Canada, when the 2G cellular network was decommissioned, GM upgraded customer hardware at no cost.

For earlier-model Teslas, the company offers a $200 upgrade to its customers. This ensures they can continue enjoying the car's advanced wireless features without having to spend a lot of money.

One proposed solution is for carmakers to offer a plug-in 4G or 5G antenna via the car's OBD II port. This allows users to retain their telematics services at a relatively low cost or even free of charge if the manufacturer chooses to do so. However, as of now, no manufacturer has offered this solution.

Alternatively, OnStar now offers an app for your phone that offers a similar feature. But instead of using your car's sensors, it uses your smartphone to detect a crash or other emergencies. Since most drivers have similarly capable devices in their pockets today, maybe carmakers could offer something similar instead.
These Cars Are About to Lose 3G Connectivity
A Toyota RAV4

Not all car models will be affected by the 3G shutdown. In fact, most affected models were released between 2010 and 2018. Of course, if your vehicle does not have any wireless connectivity service, then you need not worry, as it's not affected.

For Lexus, the Lexus GX from 2010 to 2018 will lose the Enform service.

For Toyota, Safety Connect will no longer work for the following cars:

   Toyota 4Runner from 2010 to 2019
   Toyota Avalon from 2013 to 2018
   Toyota Camry from 2013 to 2017
   Toyota Highlander from 2014 to 2018
   Toyota Land Cruiser from 2011 to 2017
   Toyota Mirai from 2016 to 2017
   Toyota Prius from 2010 to 2016
   Toyota Prius Plug-in from 2012 to 2015
   Toyota Prius V from 2012 to 2016
   Toyota RAV4 EV from 2012 to 2014
   Toyota Sienna from 2011 to 2017

The following Audi models are also affected:

   Audi A3 from 2014 to 2016
   Audi A3 e-tron from 2016 to 2018
   Audi A4 from 2013 to 2018
   Audi A5 from 2013 to 2018
   Audi A6 from 2012 to 2015
   Audi A7 from 2012 to 2015
   Audi A8 from 2012 to 2018
   Audi Q3 from 2012 to 2018
   Audi Q5 from 2012 to 2018
   Audi Q7 from 2012 to 2018

Several other manufacturers like BMW and Volvo have also made announcements but have not released specific year models and vehicle lines. But whatever make and model you're driving, if you have 3G wireless service with your car, you should contact your dealer for instructions.
A Future Problem

In the past, connectivity problems were limited to luxury cars. However, as connected services became more affordable, the technology trickled down to more affordable passenger vehicles. As this becomes more and more prevalent, you can expect these wireless connectivity services to be in almost every car.

When the time comes that 4G technology becomes obsolete, manufacturers will have to face millions of cars that need to be updated. By then, you can expect almost all vehicles to have onboard telematics tech.

Quoted:
Rofl.

Cold day in hell before I drive anything that relies on the internet to function.

"But you have the card!"

You're a dumbass if you willingly drive a car that can even minutely be manipulated via an internet connection.

And no I dont have onstar or similar either.

Cars Have Your Location. This Spy Firm Wants to Sell It to the U.S. Military
15 billion car locations. Nearly any country on Earth. ‘The Ulysses Group’ is pitching a powerful surveillance technology to the U.S. government.
Joseph Cox
by Joseph Cox
March 17, 2021, 2:03pm
Screen Shot 2021-02-24 at 3
Hacking. Disinformation. Surveillance. CYBER is Motherboard's podcast and reporting on the dark underbelly of the internet.
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A surveillance contractor that has previously sold services to the U.S. military is advertising a product that it says can locate the real-time locations of specific cars in nearly any country on Earth. It says it does this by using data collected and sent by the cars and their components themselves, according to a document obtained by Motherboard.

"Ulysses can provide our clients with the ability to remotely geolocate vehicles in nearly every country except for North Korea and Cuba on a near real time basis," the document, written by contractor The Ulysses Group, reads. "Currently, we can access over 15 billion vehicle locations around the world every month," the document adds.

Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs)

Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are high-speed, computer-controlled camera systems that are typically mounted on street poles, streetlights, highway overpasses, mobile trailers, or attached to police squad cars. ALPRs automatically capture all license plate numbers that come into view, along with the location, date, and time. The data, which includes photographs of the vehicle and sometimes its driver and passengers, is then uploaded to a central server.

Vendors say that the information collected can be used by police to find out where a plate has been in the past, to determine whether a vehicle was at the scene of a crime, to identify travel patterns, and even to discover vehicles that may be associated with each other. Law enforcement agencies can choose to share their information with thousands of other agencies.