New York – The OnStar system in your car is doomed to die. The federal government decided in 2002 to let cellular carriers shut down analog cell phone networks, used by about 500,000 other OnStar-equipped cars, after Feb. 18, 2008.
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It’s the end of the nationwide network that launched the U.S. wireless industry 24 years ago, and it leaves a surprising number of users in the lurch.
Perhaps a million cell phones will lose service, but those are cheap and easy to replace. The effects will be felt the most by people who have things that aren’t phones but have built-in wireless capabilities, like OnStar cars and home alarm systems.
General Motors Corp., which owns OnStar, started modifying its cars after the 2002 decision by the Federal Communications Commission to let the network die, but some cars made as late as 2005 can’t use digital networks for OnStar, nor can they be upgraded. For some cars made in the intervening years, GM provides digital upgrades for $15. [AP]