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The automotive industry has continually lagged when it has come to incorporating wireless and open technologies into its latest models. If you buy a 2015 model  vehicle with a telematics system, you're going to get locked into a service provider—no choices, no exceptions. Corporate America can handle bring your own device (BYOD) when it comes to cell phones, why can't Detroit and the rest of the automotive world?

According to the information I've got, AT&T is providing connectivity for Audi, BMW, later model GM (2014 and beyond), Tesla, and Volvo vehicles.  Verizon (News - Alert) has agreements with Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen, as well as handing an earlier generation of OnStar users. Sprint is teamed with Chrysler. Ford seems to be the most hip to BYOD with its in-car SYNC systems enabling customers to either plug in a USB modem or tether to a smartphone for providing broadband connectivity for the car's telematics systems and Wi-Fi network.

For all the "net neutrality" discussions of late, you don't hear anyone complaining about being locked into AT&T (News - Alert) or Verizon if they buy a new car.  AT&T allows the family auto to get put onto a mobile shared family data plan, which is nice if you have AT&T as a carrier, but annoying if you happen to have Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile (News - Alert). Car manufacturers, with the exception of Ford, clearly don't care if you have choice in a wireless provider. It makes me wonder why T-Mobile hasn't thrown a fit yet, unless the company is picking up a lot of Ford drivers.

But the whole scheme of locking people into a carrier when they buy a car is so 1960-esque and anti-choice you have to wonder why nobody has rocked the boat. Consider the fact that GM is locking its 2015 model vehicles into AT&T's national LTE (News - Alert) network for all things data. GM is happy about this because after the first three months or 3GB of data usage, you have to purchase either a one-time data or monthly data plan through the OnStar service. Unless you are an AT&T customer and simply paying $10 per month so your car can go on the mobile share value plan. AT&T probably gets the better part of that deal if you have anyone in the car looking at Netflix or other video streaming service guaranteed to rack up the data usage charges.

People may own a car for anywhere from 5 to 10 years or longer, so while it's not a "customer for life" relationship, it's a lot longer than the typical 24 month commitment for a smartphone.  Auto manufacturers might argue it’s easier to have a single/sole wireless relationship for their vehicles, but Ford clearly figured out that it isn't that much trouble to support multiple devices and networks. It's going to be interesting to see when the rest of the auto industry evolves from sole-source wireless provider to open architectures that support a more consumer-friendly BYOD approach.