AT&T is planning to shutdown their 3G network in February 2022. The shutdown impacts Model S cars built before June 2015 as they do not have the required 4G/LTE-capable modem that will allow them to maintain their connectivity features.
Tesla first notified owners of these cars earlier this summer, offering a reasonably priced ($200 USD/$245 CAD) retrofit to upgrade to an LTE-capable modem.
For those that yet to upgrade, Tesla has begun using in-car notifications to warn them of the impending shutdown.
According to the message, impacted owners can schedule the upgrade through the mobile app by selecting ‘Schedule Service’ > ‘Upgrades & Accessories’ > ‘LTE Upgrade’.
There have been reports of the message appearing on Canadian vehicles, but the option to schedule the service is not available within the app.
This is likely because Tesla uses Telus as their connectivity partner north of the border, and they are not retiring their 3G network until the end of 2025, according to Northern Business Intelligence.
According to Tesla’s support page on the AT&T 3G cellular network retirement, these are the features you will lose out on if you don’t upgrade.
- Roadside assistance to unlock your vehicle remotely
- Certain mobile app capabilities, including Summon, cabin pre-conditioning, vehicle location, remote unlock, etc.
- Certain Infotainment features, including navigation, maps, live traffic updates, up-to-date Supercharger availability and outage information, online music streaming, and onboard map updates
- Over-the-air updates
