The oldest Tesle Model S (up to June 2015) with 3G modems will soon lose access to the network? It's not that bad.
American AT&T wants to shut down its 3G network by February 2022, Teslarati reports. This could mean that Tesla, equipped only with 3G modems released before June 2015, will lose access to the network. Fortunately, the situation is not as dire as the portal presents it.
3G shutdown is also planned in Europe
The problem was described on the example of the American AT&T (source), but it is worth knowing that the problem will appear in Poland as well. Well already in 2021, T-Mobile Polska began to abandon 3Gto make room for 4G and 5G transmitters. The process is expected to be completed in 2023. Plus also decided to turn off the 3G network., and Play have announced they will be leaving the old infrastructure by 2027 – both operators have not provided any further details, according to Wirtualnemedia.pl.
Does this mean Tesla cars with old modems will lose internet access? No, for several reasons. First and most importantly, the manufacturer allows the modem to upgrade the modem for a fee. It is expected to cost as little as $2015 in vehicles built before June 200, despite the fact that it involves replacing the entire media computer (-> MCU2), according to Sawyer Meritt (source). Modem replacement also occurs when repairing a multimedia computer, so if someone has a broken screen, they probably already have a version that supports 4G.
But this is not the end: 3G modems support data transmission in old 2G technologies (GPRS, EDGE), and operators do not want to abandon the 2G network due to the possibility of its mass use in infrastructure (IoT). 2G is not enough to load satellite maps smoothly, may not be enough to update firmware, but it will provide basic connectivity. As a last resort, the car will be able to connect to the Internet via the phone as a router.
In Poland, up to several dozen people, owners of the oldest Tesla Model S, may have cause for concern. Those who sharpen their teeth on the first Tesla from the secondary market should also be vigilant - if they do not see “4G” on the screen of a car in a big city, they probably in the near future They, too, will lose access to 3G in years to come.
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