These Are The First Two 5G Cars In The US - Here’s Why That Matters
It was only a matter of time before 5G-enabled cars hit the road, and today T-Mobile announced that it’ll be providing the cellular service for the first two out of the gate. The 2022 BMW iX and2022 BMW i4will be the first cars sporting 5G connectivity, which T-Mobile has branded “Magenta Drive.” While it’s fairly inexpensive to outfit these cars with 5G service, there are, as always, some caveats to consider before you rush out and buy one of these BMWs just because they can tap into a 5G network.
The BMW i4 and BMW iX are the first two 5G-enabled cars available in the U.S., according toT-Mobile, with the company boasting that its 5G network covers “more than 96 percent of Interstate Highway miles across America” in today’s announcement. Of course, while 5G functionality in these two cars is exciting, ourfirst drive of the 2022 BMW iXand that of the 2022 BMW i4 have found one major barrier to entry for many: price. The hope, however, is that 5G functionality will quickly spread to other, more affordable cars now that T-Mobile has taken the plunge with these two vehicles.
T-Mobile Magenta Drive details and functionality
T-Mobile even says that the 5G connection in your car could be stronger and faster than the one your phone is capable of thanks to a more sophisticated antenna system. With that in mind, Magenta Drive could be a worthwhile add-on for those who venture out into more remote regions of the country regularly, as you may be able to use your car to get a signal in places where your phone might struggle.
Magenta Drive pricing and the fine print
As for the fine print, something to keep in mind is that you aren’t truly unlimited here. While T-Mobile isn’t going to cut off your data access entirely, it does reserve the right to slow data connection speeds for “heavy data users” during times of high congestion. What qualifies as heavy use ultimately depends on the plan, but T-Mobile says that for most customers, that will be more than 50GB a month. In addition, video streams will be limited to SD quality.
