GM to connect drivers to Net

DETROIT, APR 6: General Motors Corp, anticipating a day when every vehicle will have a dial tone and an Internet connection, announced on ...

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DETROIT, APR 6: General Motors Corp, anticipating a day when every vehicle will have a dial tone and an Internet connection, announced on Thursday three new services to keep drivers connected while commuting.

Later this year GM will offer "Personal Calling", a hands-free, voice-activated cell phone service, and "Virtual Advisor", which will read e-mails and other information from the Internet such as sports scores and stock quotes.

The service will be the biggest single user of the new nationwide wireless network created by Verizon, the new wireless company by Bell Atlantic Corp and Vodafone AirTouch Plc

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"We think every GM vehicle deserves a dial tone," Hogan said. "There’s great potential – 50 to 70 per cent of all cellular minutes are completed in the vehicle."

GM expects about 1 million vehicles to be outfitted with OnStar by the end of this year, with 125,000 to 150,000 vehicles being added every month by the fourth quarter.

Prices for the three new services have not been finalised,but customers may be charged for the cell phone minutes they use for Personal Calling and Virtual Advisor with no additional monthly fee. The Infotainment Service may cost about the same as navigation system hardware, which costs about $2,000, GM officials said.