What Carrier Does Tesla Use for Mobile Service?

In this article I will be talking about what carrier Tesla uses for mobile services. The mobile services are used for features like navigation, streaming, and over-the-air software updates.

The truth is that Tesla does not rely or use only one carrier but don’t worry I will be listing some of the carriers here make sure you read till the end.

Tesla’s Connectivity Basics

All Tesla cars has built-in connectivity for features like live traffic updates, GPS navigation, and even in-car entertainment such as Netflix and Spotify to work.

But for all these features to Tesla needs a reliable mobile network, that is were mobile service carriers come in.

How Tesla Connects to Mobile Networks

Tesla cars uses something called eSIM (embedded SIM card) to connect to mobile networks. This is different from the physical Sim you might be using in your mobile phones, though most phones like iPhone uses eSIM as well.

As a matter of fact my iPhone 14 pro max has dual eSIM with no physical sim option. When I was asking how people who prefers physical sim to eSIM enjoy their iPhone, I learnt that iPhone 14 also has another dual physical sim variant for people who prefer it. But for me I prefer eSIM, don’t ask me. I don’t know why I prefer it. Lol.

With eSIM, Tesla cars can easily connect to different network carriers without the stress of always swapping physical SIM cards.

Which Carrier Does Tesla Use?

Like I said earlier, Tesla doesn’t use a particular carrier, any network providers can work with Tesla irrespective of the country or region.

This is good because people from outside USA also buys and drives Tesla cars. Imagine if there are limitations there will be problems for Tesla owners in developing countries.

Some popular carriers in USA people uses to connect their cars to the internet are AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon. In United Kingdom KPN is very popular. In asian countries like Japan NTT DocoMo is one the largest Telcom operators, and finally in african countries like Nigeria MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile are major network providers.

All these listed carriers and more works perfectly with Tesla to ensure connectivity for maps, updates and more.

Apart from mobile carriers, Tesla cars also connects to Elon Musk owned Starlink for connectivity. I will talk about that below.

Why Tesla Uses Multiple Carriers

The only thing I can say is the reason why Tesla uses different carriers worldwide is to give Tesla car owners better coverage. Each country has its own leading telecom providers, so for Tesla cars to connect without issues it does not need to be bound to a particular carrier.

Does Tesla Connect to Starlink?

As a Tesla lover or owner I’m sure you must have heard about Starlink, the satellite internet service created by SpaceX, another company owned by Elon Musk.

Tesla cars can easily connect directly to Starlink, SpaceX satellite with the help of “Direct-to-Cell” technology instead of relying on traditional cell towers.

Your Tesla car will automatically connect to the best available network in your area without you worrying about switching carriers or dealing with poor network coverage, Tesla handles it all.

This is useful when you find yourself in a remote areas where regular carrier networks struggles.

Meanwhile, bear in mind that premium features like video streaming, require a Tesla Premium Connectivity subscription which costs around $10 per month.