Telematics Control Module Stops by the FCC

[Autolycus]

(parts removed that were extraneous to my response)

From Phone Arena in terms of Bands: Looks like the Service Provider could be Verizon based on the WCDMA as only Verizon and Sprint use CDMA and none of Sprints frequencies (although now they are T-Mobile) have been listed.

Gemalta/Thales is the manufacturer of the phone and GPS components. It looks like the specific device is the Cinterion ALAS5-AM.

They have devices certified for use on AT&T and Verizon for sure, and probably many others. Most cell chips and boards nowadays are designed to work on any of the major carriers and technologies. That's why the device Rivian is using lists both CDMA (used by Verizon and Sprint) and GSM/UTMS (used by AT&T and T-Mobile and most European carriers) capabilities. They're using an off-the-shelf component that has all common cell technologies built in already. This part could work with any of the big 3 US carriers (it's less ideal for Sprint, but they're going bye-bye anyway).

It's also worth noting that both Verizon and AT&T have 2022 end dates set for their CDMA and GSM/UTMS networks. No modern device is really using either of them anyway.

And if anyone wants to really get into the weeds, here's the user manual for the ALAS5-AM:

https://usermanual.wiki/Gemalto-M2M/ALAS5AM

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[RWerksman]

How much do you know about 5g? Its broken down into MM wave technology with High Frequency and Low Frequency. Each provider has their own band, for example Low Frequency is on T-Mobile which has slightly higher data speeds at peak compared to T-Mobiles 4g LTE which is pretty slow comparatively to Verizons 4g. Verizon's 5g is High Frequency MM wave technology that requires you to be within a few hundred yards of their antennas (for now), last time I checked they didnt buy more of the spectrum but until they by the low end of things 4g will be at least the standard for another 5 years Id imagine before their infrastructure gets rebuilt.

In terms of the vehicle I wouldn't even care/worry as peak 4g LTE speeds have been very fast and fast enough to do what you need to do and then some (stream movies, data etc).

Quite a bit, actually. MMWave 5G will likely never work for anything moving due to the inherent coverage challenges with it. I'm more interested in support for either the low band or mid band flavors of 5G due to coverage, and specifically the lower latencies that 5G bring along with it.

Regardless, Verizon was likely preferable due to the larger service footprint, especially in the rural areas, and 4G the MAP considering the expected lifecycle on the vehicle.

Im more curious as to what the offering will be on telematics. Will it launch with a feature set equivalent to the Model S / X, something like the Model 3 / Y where it requires a monthly subscription for 'premium' features that used to come standard, or something even more draconian like a purchase requirement for even basic things like nav updates? That's for another thread though ... and we should know soon enough.

Anyway, I'm just glad it's not on AT&T. ?

 

[RWerksman]

Rivian has always stated 4G.

Yep, this data effectively rule out a future update to 5G - it will have to be a hardware change.

 

[DuckTruck]

Its cool I completely forgot 2020 was last year and thought it was 2019 LOL.

Well, to be honest, 2019 was the last "real" year we had....

 

[electruck]

Yep, this data effectively rule out a future update to 5G - it will have to be a hardware change.

There is nothing that precludes a future module swap.

 

[Blueassassin]

Which one? Bronco/F150 Electric has 4g only.

F150 we have a "loaner" from Ford with some prototype items on it. It has 5g in the cab. I thought that was just a 2021 feature maybe its one of the prototype items they are testing.

 

[RWerksman]

There is nothing that precludes a future module swap.

You're not wrong - I was discussion this with Tesla when I had my Model S. It was not easy, cheap, or timely. That was also many years after the car was introduced and years after the update was already included with the updated version of the vehicle.

 

[kanundrum]

F150 we have a "loaner" from Ford with some prototype items on it. It has 5g in the cab. I thought that was just a 2021 feature maybe its one of the prototype items they are testing.

5g Cell Signal or 5G Wifi? Big difference, from what you describe its 5G Wifi which according to the diagram it does have.

 

[kanundrum]

There is nothing that precludes a future module swap.

From the available paperwork it does seem like its a plug and play module that can do that but not all paperwork is available to determine it.

 

[Blueassassin]

5g Cell Signal or 5G Wifi? Big difference, from what you describe its 5G Wifi which according to the diagram it does have.

ahh that might be I will have to look at it again.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

There is nothing that precludes a future module swap.

I'm curious to discover how easy Rivian has made such a procedure.

Ideally, it'll be a completely separate device that is reasonably accessible and only acts as a modem... That way it can be replaced for a reasonable price.

Or will they have it tightly integrated with other functions, making replacement invasive and costly?

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

ahh that might be I will have to look at it again.

Doesn't ford use AT&T? Doesn't AT&T get kinda scam-y with how they display their connectivity? I know they display "5Ge" on some devices even when they're not 5G capable and are only connecting on LTE.

 

[Autolycus]

Doesn't ford use AT&T? Doesn't AT&T get kinda scam-y with how they display their connectivity? I know they display "5Ge" on some devices even when they're not 5G capable and are only connecting on LTE.

Ford and Tesla both use AT&T towers, although I believe both are sort of acting like an MVNO.

Many auto companies' hotspot systems can be setup on AT&T. https://www.att.com/plans/connected-car.html

Some of those may also work on Verizon or T-Mobile as well. I'm too lazy to check. I just know AT&T is quite commonly supported.

 

[cwoodcox]

4G will still be relevant for at least another decade.

Yep, that's the LTE moniker. It's the replacement for 3G. Long-term Evolution saw major adoption around 2012 and will be in use for a long time. 3G is being shut down around the globe, finally, after almost 20 years of widespread use. LTE was designed to be the fallback standard as 5G and 6G came around, so it will probably be around for another 20 years.

 

[kanundrum]

Round 2:

https://fccid.io/2AW3A-1NAG20VAS

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