New 2015 GM and Chevy Models to be Outfitted with 4G LTE Mobile Services

General Motors continues its push toward better mobile data services by announcing the widest upgrade yet in GM cars, trucks and crossovers --- including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models --- with embedded 4G LTE mobile broadband.

Scheduled to be rolled out next year with 2015 models in the United States and Canada via wireless carrier AT&T, the mobile data service will deliver speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G technologies, increased responsiveness and the ability to support voice and data connections at the simultaneously.

The system's large variety of in-vehicle communications and entertainment options are slated to including in-vehicle Wi-Fi hot spots, new infotainment selections like streaming video entertainment in the back seat, receiving real-time updates and faster application downloads. The enhancements are expansions of OnStar's existing menu of built-in connected services, first featured in GM vehicles in the late 1990s.

The 4G LTE structure will be integrated into the vehicle's electrical system and include an external antenna. Put another way, customers won't necessarily need their smartphones to use the vehicles' connected services.

"In addition to allowing consumers to bring in and connect to personal mobile devices, the vehicle will also act as its own mobile device, enabling embedded vehicle capabilities," said Mary Chan, GM's  president of global connected consumer development.  "Turning this vision into a reality starts with enabling fast, reliable and responsive connectivity within the vehicle.  Through this built-in 4G LTE connection we have the opportunity to reinvent the mobile experience inside a vehicle."

GM developers expect that the in-vehicle connectivity programs will evolve over time to interact directly with the vehicle's surrounding environment, making enabling adjustments to a vehicle that will enhance safety, efficiency and convenience for both drivers and passengers. Having 4G LTE services will eventually make real-time traffic and navigation updates possible, with the information accessed from the so-called data "cloud."

Pogos Yenkanyan, team manager for new car sales for the Allen Gwynn Chevrolet dealership in Glendale, about 15 minutes northeast of downtown Los Angeles, said he welcomes the service upgrades in concept, but won't even speculate on whether the changes could improve his business until after his customers try out the improvements themselves.

The upgrade's ultimate success will rely on the accessibility --- and usability --- of its individual programs, he said, and if "the customers see the benefit of those individual programs."

AT&T's 4G LTE network is expected to reach 300 million people in the U.S. by the end of 2014

As 4G LTE networks expand globally, GM plans to work with additional carrier partners to enable connectivity in other brands such as Opel and Vauxhall.  Additional details on availability and service options will be announced later.