[rajk15]

I was recently checking the amount of data used and I realized that I had more than 200GB of data that I had not used in the past month. This got me thinking- if my Apple Watch can use my number for the internet, why can modern cars not?

I mean, all modern "connected" cars do have e-sims, and manufacturers seem to be charging exorbitantly for these "connected" car features.
Why can they not take a one-time lump sum for all the hardware+software (similar to phone OEMs) and allow us to enable our own e-sims in our cars using data from our number?

Also, while we are on the topic of "connected" car tech, should we not have laws that dictate all the software in the infotainment systems be visible to the common populace or at least have a service that assesses and shares the same- to ensure our data and privacy is not being breached?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by rajk15

Why can they not take a one-time lump sum for all the hardware+software (similar to phone OEMs) and allow us to enable our own e-sims in our cars using data from our number?

Because automakers are salivating at the prospects of raking in the moolah! From NYTimes to Spotify, Dropbox to Shopify and Netflix to Windows 365, we are living in a subscription era. I myself have about 20 subscriptions (personal + business).

If the OEMs let you use your own SIM, how will they charge you a monthly fee?

They are so desperate that they even plan to start charging monthly subscription fees for heated seats (related article). I frankly don't think they'll be successful in charging for hardware usage, except on rental cars and perhaps leased vehicles. No one is going to pay a monthly fee for a hardware feature after spending 40-lakhs on the car.

[Mafia]

Looks like the famous Indian Jugaad will come to play if such subscriptions are enforced.

Bundled subscriptions will be the norm in the near future perhaps. Individual subscriptions will be soon too many to manage financially and practically. An app or service for bundled subscriptions seems like a good business idea.

[Rohan1511]

Originally Posted by GTO

Because automakers are salivating at the prospects of raking in the moolah! From NYTimes to Spotify, Dropbox to Shopify and Netflix to Windows 365, we are living in a subscription era. I myself have about 20 subscriptions (personal + business).

If the OEMs let you use your own SIM, how will they charge you a monthly fee?

They are so desperate that they even plan to start charging monthly subscription fees for heated seats (related article). I frankly don't think they'll be successful in charging for hardware usage, except on rental cars and perhaps leased vehicles. No one is going to pay a monthly fee for a hardware feature after spending 40-lakhs on the car.

Would you agree and say that this sort of falls in the idea behind not having Net Neutrality?
I mean Airtel already has a Platinum Experience for postpaid sims where they provide faster 4G and quicker service to customers who pay more than Rs.499 a month, this i believe should be vehemently opposed by everyone as it goes against net neutrality laws in India.

[vijai]

Originally Posted by Rohan1511

Would you agree and say that this sort of falls in the idea behind not having Net Neutrality?
I mean Airtel already has a Platinum Experience for postpaid sims where they provide faster 4G and quicker service to customers who pay more than Rs.499 a month, this i believe should be vehemently opposed by everyone as it goes against net neutrality laws in India.

Imo, this isn't about net neutrality or anything that's violating it. You should see it as your broadband. You may more to have more speed and FUP. Net neutrality is where you have paid for your internet and then your ISP/network provider wants you to pay more to use that bandwidth on specific services like say, Spotify.

[sanchari]

Originally Posted by rajk15

allow us to enable our own e-sims in our cars using data from our number?

When you use e-Sim, you get a new phone number. It is just a replacement for physical SIM. How do you get it to use data from a different number? Curious to know

[PreludeSH]

Originally Posted by Rohan1511

Would you agree and say that this sort of falls in the idea behind not having Net Neutrality?
I mean Airtel already has a Platinum Experience for postpaid sims where they provide faster 4G and quicker service to customers who pay more than Rs.499 a month, this i believe should be vehemently opposed by everyone as it goes against net neutrality laws in India.

In telecom its a practice thats very old where there are different classes of service and technology/implementation itself gives more preference in allotting resources.

[Impulsivemedusa]

Agree with rajk15 that car manufacturers should at least allow the car to connect to the Internet by borrowing internet from Android auto/apple carry play.
I for one am miffed that my bmw doesn't connect to the Internet and that makes the bmw voice assistant a dumb one(only pre-selected set of commands) and deprives me on pre conditioning which is a really useful feature in hot cities (like my home town)

[Impulsivemedusa]

Originally Posted by rajk15

I was recently checking the amount of data used and I realized that I had more than 200GB of data that I had not used in the past month. This got me thinking- if my Apple Watch can use my number for the internet, why can modern cars not?

I mean, all modern "connected" cars do have e-sims, and manufacturers seem to be charging exorbitantly for these "connected" car features.
Why can they not take a one-time lump sum for all the hardware+software (similar to phone OEMs) and allow us to enable our own e-sims in our cars using data from our number?

Also, while we are on the topic of "connected" car tech, should we not have laws that dictate all the software in the infotainment systems be visible to the common populace or at least have a service that assesses and shares the same- to ensure our data and privacy is not being breached?

Gosh! Someone seems to have listened to you.

BMW iDrive 8 system comes with an eSIM that allows you to replicate your existing SIM with all the voice/data plans in toto for all the telephony/internet operations in the car. This would mean that you enjoy all the connected tech without paying for the data. Others should follow suit.

Of course, the wickedness, I reckon will come in the form of selling new features in the car via subscription (where the OEMs make money) than pissing customers off by asking them to pay for telephony (where the OEMs just pass the fee to the Telecom guys).

[Kosfactor]

Imagine this - You pull out your phone, select some nice music from say amazon or spotify music app and then cast it to your car that is miles away from you being driven by your family member. Or you say Alexa - play XYZ song in my car - this convenience comes at a cost - recurring cost to be exact, not one time.

Similarly you select a destination in your phone app and then send it to your car for navigation , or maybe set the AC temp or some other feature - Its not just internet plan that is needed but a whole host of Software, Servers and what not - all of it needs to be monitored, administered, maintained on a daily basis.

All the different vendors involved in this operation needs to be paid as well, so this is how the future is going to look like, I doubt data carrier cost would be significant in this scheme of things.

In a modern car of today I expect it to be connected to the internet on its own and at least be able to play some music on its own, voice commands , navigation etc.

[PetrolRider]

Originally Posted by vijai

Imo, this isn't about net neutrality or anything that's violating it. You should see it as your broadband. You may more to have more speed and FUP. Net neutrality is where you have paid for your internet and then your ISP/network provider wants you to pay more to use that bandwidth on specific services like say, Spotify.

+1. To simplify with an example, let say your handset support VoIP and you have 4G connection, but your Service Provider (SP) ask you for a per minute charge for VoIP usage.

Originally Posted by sanchari

When you use e-Sim, you get a new phone number. It is just a replacement for physical SIM. How do you get it to use data from a different number? Curious to know

What I make out of OP' opening post, he wants freedom of having his own connection over OEM package. He can then use his SP' plan like family plan / child connection etc to share data with second number.

Originally Posted by PreludeSH

In telecom its a practice thats very old where there are different classes of service and technology/implementation itself gives more preference in allotting resources.

Seems like a marketing gimmick. I have a Airtel platinum postpaid and a regular prepaid sim. I can see similar bandwidth / latency / packet speed. QoS is very difficult to implement for regular customer as it largely depend on many other factor. And clearly there is no bandwidth cap.