Car manufacturers have long been generating money throughsubscription over-the-air (OTA) software updates.
But with 3G capabilities set to expire in 2022, things could get even more expensive for car owners.
OTA updates are a hot topic for vehicles owners who resent paying for new services.
This functionality is now only available with aRemote Connectsubscription.
Its a price of either $8 a month or (currently) $80 a year.
Thats a lot of money for something youve previously enjoyed for free.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
We own the car, but the company owns the software.
And we really should have learned from the pain of smart homes.
IoT-connected homes have a graveyard of failures.
A company goes bust or is acquired.
It stops supporting older devices or updating the devices software.
A security problem forces the machine out of operation.
Long term, the goal of car makers is to eliminate privately owned vehicles.
Wait until you have to deal with 3G sunsetting!
This will become a big problem in 2022 as telcos are moving on from 3G.
What does the end of 3G mean for the average consumer?
Its going to affectALOT of cars.
Once telcos close down 3G, these features will no longer be available unless the automakers upgrade.
And for some customers, it will come at a price.
Toyota isdiscontinuing Connected Services supportfor vehicle models made in 2019 or earlier.
Yep, theres proof that car makers can turn functionalities on and off at will.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
