With AT&T shutting down its 3G network by February 2022, Tesla was reportedly planning on providing affordable retrofits for older Model S vehicles (manufactured before June 2015) that didn’t have an LTE-capable modem so that they would continue to have access to connectivity features even when not on Wi-Fi.
According to reports from July, Tesla was working on $200 LTE-capable modem retrofits for Model S units that only had a 3G modem and didn’t get Tesla’s paid Infotainment Upgrade, which comes with the second-generation Media Control Unit (MCU) chip and an LTE modem.
Tesla sleuth @greentheonly revealed in a tweet on Saturday that the retrofits appear to have gone live for all affected cars, with owners in the U.S. being notified of the impending 3G shutdown and the availability of the LTE upgrade.
Service appointments for the LTE modem upgrade can be scheduled through the Tesla app, and only cost $200 USD (plus any applicable taxes).
looks like they went through with this? This notice is now popping up on cars with 3G in US pic.twitter.com/fMOmG3wfhZ
— green (@greentheonly) December 26, 2021
Canadian Tesla owner Kyle Conway (@KC_Lumberguy) was able to confirm on Twitter that the retrofit is also available to Model S owners in Canada, even though Canadian wireless operators aren’t planning on discontinuing 3G until December 2025.
The retrofit costs $245 CAD in the Great White North.
Can confirm the same in Canada. However, the instructions to schedule upgrade via App does not work. pic.twitter.com/J0CKbVEH8M
— Kyle Conway 康有为 (@KC_Lumberguy) December 26, 2021
The ‘LTE Upgrade’ option under ‘Schedule Service’ in the Tesla app, which the company points to in its notice, doesn’t appear to be available just yet but should be enabled shortly.
More information is available on Tesla’s website.
