VW owners and passengers no longer need to use up their mobile phone data for in-vehicle entertainment—they can currently purchase unlimited data through Verizon or T-Mobile for their car via Car-Net Hotspot. Adding a car to an existing Verizon or T-Mobile account is simple. Customers can visit carnet.vw.com or download the Car-Net mobile app to select their mobile wireless provider, verify their account and pair it with their existing Volkswagen Car-Net subscription in a matter of minutes.
“Carrier of Choice breaks down the barriers for connecting to Wi-Fi and meets customers where they are in their digital lifestyles,” said Frank Weith, Director of Connected Services at Volkswagen of America. “As consumers start driving more in a post-pandemic world, it creates a window of opportunity for drivers to customize their content and stream reliably.”
Since its debut for the 2014 model year, Volkswagen Car-Net has allowed Volkswagen owners to get connected to their vehicles. For the 2020 model year, Car-Net moved into the next generation of integration, with an updated mobile app, a long list of no-charge services for five years available on most models, and new subscription options. The suite of connected car features—remote access, parking information, and more—is all at their fingertips via their iPhone® or AndroidTM smartphone.
With the introduction of Carrier of Choice, drivers have increased flexibility to customize their own digital content through VW Car-Net and stream directly through phones, tablets and other personal devices. Car-Net Hotspot allows passengers to access the internet with up to four connected devices simultaneously, including compatible tablets, smartphones, laptops, gaming devices, and more— at 4G LTE-enabled speed. Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile customers with an existing mobile data plan can simply add their Volkswagen vehicle as a new line item to their existing monthly bill; non-Verizon or T-Mobile customers can set up an unlimited plan for $20/month, plus any applicable taxes and fees.
“Verizon is proud to join VW’s Carrier of Choice program, which makes it even easier for customers to enjoy our network from their cars,” said TJ Fox, SVP of Industrial IoT and Automotive, Verizon Business. “This July, Verizon earned top honors from RootMetrics for best overall network performance and network reliability, and we’re excited to bring that award-winning performance to top automakers like VW for convenient, reliable connectivity integrations.”
“T-Mobile continues to develop innovative services for the automotive industry combined with award winning support that our customers love. Working together with VW, our customers can easily add their in-car Wi-Fi Hotspot to their T-Mobile account for a seamless connected experience,” said Gari Martin, Head of Automotive, T-Mobile for Business. “More and more people are choosing T-Mobile and we are delighted that VW owners can enjoy our network.”
Starting with model year 2021, select vehicles equipped with MIB3 offer more infotainment features. With an active data plan, drivers can access iHeart Radio and TIDAL media streaming apps with a paid subscription, and additional subscriptions from Car-Net offer even more. The Plus Nav subscription for $49/year gives drivers real-time traffic and route updates. The Plus Online Radio subscription for $8/year provides over 30,000 global radio stations. The Plus Speech subscription for $9/year allows drivers to use natural language for safe and convenient control of phone, media and navigation features, as available.
Car-Net, with in-car Wi-Fi capability when you subscribe to a data plan, is standard equipment on most 2020 model year and forward Volkswagen vehicles. The Carrier of Choice program will be available starting late September this year. For additional information, visit carnet.vw.com.